The Vision of Saint Bruno (detail) by Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, known as Guercino (1647)
Guercino painted this work for the Charterhouse of the Carthusians in Bologna. Saint Bruno, the founder of the Order of Carthusians, lived circa 1033 – 1101. Renowned for their asceticism, the Carthusians usually founded their houses in remote locations, in imitation of the first Carthusian foundation the Grande Chartreuse situated in the mountains above Grenoble. As a result, the landscape of the wilderness became a central motif in Carthusian writing and spirituality. Guercino alludes to this theme by situating the saint’s vision in a rugged mountain setting. Gesture and expression capture the mood of intense spiritual engagement. Bruno’s hands rest against his chest, a gesture which traditionally alluded to the heart as the centre of religious devotion. His upturned face conveys an expression of yearning, even spiritual longing. A vision of the Virgin and Child, which has triggered Bruno’s ecstatic behaviour, appears in the upper half of the painting which is not included in the detail reproduced here. Guercino inserts various traditional aides to meditation like the Crucifix, book and the skull. The theme of the Passion together with an emphasis on the transience of human life, as confirmed by the presence of the skull, dominated the spirituality of this period.
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