CARRACCI, Annibale
(b. 1560, Bologna, d. 1609, Roma)

River Landscape

1589-90
Oil on canvas, 89 x 148 cm
National Gallery of Art, Washington

Annibale Carracci painted in Bologna this River Landscape which is almost unique in the immediacy of its depiction of nature. If Flemish painters looked for truth in naturalistic details, Annibale instead tried to convey the general impression of a place where human presence was only incidental through the use of quick, broad brush strokes. Only partially concerned with depth, Annibale brings the scenery so close to the picture plane that the spectator is almost swept into it.