Brief Biography-Domenico Zampieri (Domenichino) was born in Bologna, his most noted training was under Annibale Carracci in his Accademia degli Incamminati. It was one of the first art academies in Italy which was started by the three Carracci cousins Agostino, Ludovico and Annibale. In 1602, he worked at the Palazzo Farnese in Rome under Annibale. He became one of the most successful artists in Rome, winning numerous commissions.
During his time in Naples after 1631, he encountered resentment from jealous rivals and hastily left in 1634. He later returned to Naples to complete a major commission in the Cathedral but died during his stay. Suspicion had it he may have poisoned by one of his rivals.
His style of art transformed during his life from Mannerism to Baroque and his most significant achievements were frescoes he undertook in Rome. Apart from Annibale Carracci, the works of Antonio da Correggio, Caravaggio and Raphael influenced him. He was also a musician and talented architect.
He is to this day regarded as one of the most significant painters of the seventeenth century, despite scathing criticism from John Ruskin in the nineteenth century.