Tuesday night the Italian Cultural Institute had the pleasure to host a lecture about Ludovico Carracci’s paintings. The conference was held by Eve Straussman-Pflanzer, Associate Curator of European Painting and Sculpture before 1750 at the Art Institute of Chicago. She
accurately explained all the technical aspects of Carracci’style, such as the use of colour and the meaning of the lines and shapes. Historical circumstances were also mentioned, so that the public could go more deeply into the context in which Carracci was operating.
She examined Carracci’s responsibility for transforming Bolognese painting from
the staid and restricted Mannerist style of the last part of the 16th century into that
compelling blend of Classicism with naturalistic elements that would dominate 17th-
century Italian painting. The speech was accompanied by beautiful images of the
paintings of the artists, that kept up the audience’s attention minute by minute. At the end of the lecture, the Curator exhaustively answered to all the audience’s questions.
