Guido Reni was a great favorite of Pope Paul V and many of his pictures were painted for the Pope. When he returned from Rome to Bologna, he found himself more popular than ever and quite overwhelmed with orders for pictures.
Of all his paintings, the “Aurora” is generally considered his best. The story is told of a little girl who had lived all her life in the country. Upon her first visit to her uncle in the city, she discovered a large and splendid copy of the “Aurora” in his living room. One morning her uncle came into the room and found his little niece gazing at the picture in rapt admiration.
“Well, Mary,” he said, “what do you think of it?”
“Oh, uncle,” she replied, “I like it ‘cause they are in such a hurry.”
So young and old have found one reason or another for liking this picture.
Guido Reni painted many portraits as well as many historical and mythological pictures. Some of the best known of Guido’s paintings are: “Reclining Venus with Cupid,” “St. Michael and the Dragon,” “Beatrice Cenci,” “Little Bacchus Drinking,” and “The Mater Dolorosa of Solimena.”
Questions about the artist. Where was the artist born? What two talents had he? How did he happen to study painting? How did he succeed with his first picture? What was his progress? Why was he never rich? What subjects did he choose? What did the young nobleman ask him? Tell of the nobleman’s visit to the artist’s studio. Whose paintings did Guido Reni admire greatly? What statues? How was he able to make so many friends? What was his masterpiece? What did the little country girl say about it? Name some of his paintings.
