Francesco Gessi

Who was Francesco Gessi?

Francesco Gessi was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Bologna.

Born to a noble family, but his father noticed his attraction to the arts and placed him in the apprenticeship with Denys Calvaert. This did not last, since he apparently disturbed the other pupils. He was more successful under the tutelage of Guido Reni. From there, he obtained commissions to fresco in Ravenna, Mantua, and also the Capella del Tesoro in the Naples Cathedral. He ultimately desisted from attempting to complete the latter in the dangerously competitive art world of Naples. Yet returning to Bologna, he began a campaign against his former patron, Reni, attempting to compete and dismissing Reni's achievements. He was able to establish a prolific studio in Bologna. His main collaborator from the studio of Reni was Giovanni Giacomo Sementi, and among his pupils were Giovanni Battista and his brother Ercolino Ruggiero, Giacomo Castellini, Francesco Correggio, and Giulio Trogli.