Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, known as Guercino
(Cento 1591 – Bologna 1666)
Portrait of cardinal Bernardino Spada
Oil on canvas, cm 87,8×96,8
Superb half-figure portrait, painted in 1631 by Guercino in Bologna, while Cardinal Bernardino was residing in the Emilian city to serve as papal legate there.
In the direct and intense gaze of the cardinal one can read all the commitment of the man of action, involved in the remarkable construction undertaking of the Forte Urbano at Castelfranco Emilia, commissioned directly by Pope Urbano VIII Barberini to defend the borders of the Papal States. Unlike Guido Reni, who had created a perfect, supratemporal icon, Guercino here emphasizes the historicity of the undertaking, depicting Cardinal Bernardino forever showing us the starry plan of the imposing fortress complex built thanks to his operational skills. A rich and engaging use of color contributes to the communicativeness that is established between the portrayed and the related: in the Cardinal’s gaze we can read the sign of the difficulties he faced in his tenure as “Superintendent” of the works.
