The Raising of Lazarus

Guercino's "Raising of Lazarus" (c. 1619) in the Louvre is an early work displaying the dramatic chiaroscuro and emotional intensity that characterized his youth. The painting was created before his pivotal 1621 trip to Rome, which would begin his gradual evolution toward a more classicizing style. Guercino's vivid early style, with its bold chiaroscuro and emotional immediacy, gave way after 1621 to a more classical manner influenced by the taste of Rome, creating two distinct bodies of work that represent the Baroque's competing impulses toward drama and order.

The powerful contrasts of light and shadow and the bold, dynamic composition reflect Guercino's early Caravaggesque manner, with the risen Lazarus emerging from darkness into blazing light.