A famous Italian painter and printmaker, Federico Barocci, also known as Fedorico Fiori or II Barocci was born around 1528-1535 in Urbino, Italy. He was a leading painter in Central Italy and paved the way for the famous Broque art style that came later. He emerged as the greatest young painter in the Mannerist style of the period and then he moved to Rome in 1548 where he studied the works of Raphael. Later he took his second trip to Rome when Pope Pius IV invited him to help in the decoration of the Vatican Belvedere Palace at Rome. He was also a master draughtsman who was inspired by many Renaissance artists like Raphael, Correggio, Jacopo Tintoretto, and Titian. He used a new approach to drawings, which allowed him to develop some rare painting techniques. He also developed a different art style that combined bright colors with figures in dramatic and lively poses. His works are known for their warmth, gentle expressions, and strong sense of spirituality.
The painting, "Saint Francis" was created between 1600-1604 by Federico Barocci. The painting shows that Saint Francis is receiving a stigmata while standing a grotto on Mount Laverna. The figure is shown in a state of deep meditation, kneeling and holding the marks of Christ in his hands which is represented by the nails bulging from his left hand. The setting is both wild and sacred like the rough stone walls of the cavern. Saint Francis has an open book in front of him, which contains a Latin prayer and the Pater Noster which is the Lord's Prayer, and he is gazing up at the crucifix, surrounded by the darkness of the cave. In the background, water can be seen past the mountains with a setting sun. The primary light source in this painting is coming from the right side, which illuminates Saint Francis robe as well as the open book. This all contributes towards a sense of mystical withdrawal. The late-Mannerist/early-Baroque style can be easily seen in this painting. The eyes of the figure looks lifelike and the hair appears soft and touchable. The way that the artist drew the draperies of the robe of the saint make it look more realistic and soft. The artist deeply focused on the light, details, and psychological depth which represents the emotional expression of the Baroque period. The artist used warm brown and gentle earthly colors. The brushwork is smooth and delicate, creating calm and realistic appearance.
The painting of Saint Francis by Federico Barocci is an oil on canvas painting that portrays Saint Francis of Assisi in a quiet cave of Mount La Verna. The artwork is known for its naturalism, rich color harmony, emotional depth and soft surface textures. Federico Barocci uses soft, subtle shifts in light to create a tender, spiritual mood. This painting reflects many of the hallmarks of Barocci’s later paintings that linked the late Renaissance and the early Baroque period through their profound emotions and psychological intensity. Here, Saint Francis is shown from the waist up wearing his customary coarsely woven brown habit of the order, held in place by a rope cincture. Instead of depicting the saint at the point of receiving the stigmata from a fiery seraph angel, Barocci shows the saint meditating on his devotions. Francis places his hand close to a skull, the classic symbol of mortality, while he looks devotedly at a crucifix and an open book of prayers set among the rocks before him.
