The Flagellation of Christ

Guercino painted this picture in c. 1644 for one of the side altars of the church of San Bartolomeo in Vicenza. Not much earlier, around 1640, a significant change occurred in the style of the painter when, after an artistic past characterized by passionate pathos, he started to accept the classicizing ideas of Guido Reni. In this altarpiece, which includes life-size figures, the hallmarks of the master’s new creative period appear in mature form.