14. Ludovico Carracci

Bologna 1555 – 1619 Bologna

A Monk Seated with a Book

This drawing was probably accomplished by Ludovico Carracci in his early years in Bologna, when his graphic style was still easy to confuse with the style of his cousins Agostino and Annibale. Like them, he was in the habit of working from nature. In spite of the monk’s habit – undoubtedly Benedictine – it has not been possible to link this study with any painting by the artist. The broad, concise lines and the large areas shaded with hatching respond to the simple pose and the peaceful nature of the figure who seems lost in his own thoughts.