Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, called Guercino (1591–1666), was an Italian Baroque painter from Cento who later worked in Rome and Bologna. Nicknamed “Il Guercino” (“the squinter”) for his crossed eye, he was admired for powerful compositions, dynamic figures, and expressive light. His early works show a strong influence from Caravaggio, while his later paintings adopt a clearer, more classical style shaped by the Bolognese school.