Francesco Albani was born in Bologna in 1578. He first studied with Denys Calvaert, then joined the Carracci Academy in 1597, where he became friends with Guido Reni and Domenichino. Drawing from nature, the study of Raphael and the classical reform of Annibale Carracci gave him a method based on clarity, balance and measured expression. Albani settled in Rome in 1601. Called by Annibale Carracci, he participated in the decorations of San Giacomo degli Spagnoli and the Aldobrandini glasses. He soon developed a very personal domain: the mythological landscape populated by Venus, Diana, Actaeon, Adonis, nymphs and Loves. Nature does not serve as a neutral background. Trees, water, sky and architecture draw an ideal scene where small figures circulate as in a ballet. The putti play, wear garlands, prepare the bath of Venus or lead Adonis; their movement animates the composition without disturbing its harmony. Albani knows Titian's bacchanals and retains their colorful sensuality, but he tempers it with the Bolognese order. He also paints religious subjects, notably Annunciations, Holy Families and allegories of the Passion, with a more collected gentleness. He also paints religious subjects, notably Annunciations, Holy Families and allegories of the Passion, with a more collected gentleness. He also paints religious subjects, notably Annunciations, Holy Families and allegories of the Passion, with a more collected gentleness. He also paints religious subjects, notably Annunciations, Holy Families and allegories of the Passion, with a more collected gentleness. Returning to Bologna, he runs a highly sought-after workshop and produces several versions of his inventions for European collectors. His long career made him an influential master of the landscape classic, alongside Domenichino. Died in 1660, Albani leaves an immediately recognizable universe where the ancient story becomes a refined poetry of the air, the body and the garden. The "Francesco Albani" selection notably compares Actaeon transformed into a deer and Adonis led near Venus by the Loves. His reading favors space.
Albani transforms mythology into an inhabited landscape: the gods become gestures, Loves rhythm, and nature the ideal space for their play.