Giovanni Battista Crespi facts for kids
Giovanni Battista Crespi (born December 23, 1573 – died October 23, 1632) was a talented Italian artist. People often called him Il Cerano. He was not just a painter; he also created sculptures and designed buildings.
About Giovanni Battista Crespi
Giovanni Battista Crespi was born in a town called Romagnano Sesia. His father, Raffaele Crespi, was also a painter. Later, his family moved to Cerano. By 1591, Giovanni Battista was living in the big city of Milan.
His Art Style
Crespi's paintings showed strong feelings and stories, especially about saints. This was common in Milanese art during his time. His artworks often had many people and interesting angles. This style is a bit like Mannerism, which was popular before the Baroque art period. However, his paintings also had a lot of emotion, which is a key part of Baroque art.
Famous Works
Giovanni Battista Crespi worked on many important projects.
- He helped create a series of paintings called the Quadroni of St. Charles. These showed the life of Saint Charles Borromeo for the Duomo of Milan, a very famous cathedral.
- He painted an altarpiece called Baptism of St. Augustine for the San Marco, Milan church.
- He also painted a Mass of St. Gregory for the Basilica of San Vittore in Varese between 1615 and 1617.
- Another famous work there is St. Gregory Delivers the Soul of a Monk (1617).
Teacher and Leader
Crespi was a very smart and respected person. In 1620, he became the head of the Accademia Ambrosiana. This was an important art school founded by Cardinal Federico Borromeo. He taught many students, including Daniele Crespi, Carlo Francesco Nuvolone, and Melchiorre Gherardini.
