The Laughing Youth

Annibale Carracci captures spontaneous joy in The Laughing Youth, a study of a young man mid-laugh. The painting demonstrates Carracci's interest in naturalistic expression and his ability to freeze a fleeting moment of emotion.

Working in Bologna and Rome, Annibale helped establish the Baroque style that would dominate seventeenth-century art. Along with his brother Agostino and cousin Ludovico, he founded an influential academy that emphasized drawing from life. This work hangs at the Borghese Gallery in Rome, surrounded by other Baroque treasures including sculptures by Bernini.