St John the Baptist in the Wilderness

1610 · Private collection

religious

Baglione, a colleague and rival of Caravaggio, explored the subject of St John the Baptist in the Wilderness as early as 1600 and he continued to paint images of St John the Baptist throughout his long and productive career. The probable model for the present version could be Caravaggio's St John the Baptist in Kansas City.

About the Artist

Giovanni Baglione

1566 – 1643

Roman painter, one of Caravaggio 's strongest personal adversaries in Roman artistic circles, who is known to posterity almost exclusively through his very sober and reliable "Vite de' Pittori" (Lives of Painters), published at the end of his long lifetime. His animosity toward Caravaggio is shown in almost every line of his biography. On the other hand, he was despised and derided by Caravaggio's clique. As an artist Baglione was, strangely enough, a follower of Caravaggio, especially in his use of light and dark. He published a long list of his works at the end of his autobiography, but in spite of some very interesting performances, he never really developed a consistent and expressive artistic personality.

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