Bernardo Strozzi was a prominent and prolific Italian Baroque painter born and active mainly in Genoa, and also active in Venice. Strozzi was born in Genoa. He was probably not related to the Florentine Strozzi family. In 1598, at the age of 17, he joined a Capuchin monastery, a reform branch of the Franciscan order. When his father died c1608, he left the order to care for his mother, earning their living with his paintings, which were often influenced by Franciscan teachings, for example his Adoration of the Shepherds . In 1625, he was charged with illegally practicing as a painter. When... his mother died c1630, Bernardo was pressured in court by the Capuchins to re-enter the order. He was briefly imprisoned in Genoa, and upon release fled to Venice to avoid confinement in a monastery in 1631. He became nicknamed all his life as il prete Genovese . Early paintings, such as The Ecstasy of St Francis show the dark emotionalism of Caravaggio.
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| Birthdate: | 1581 |
| Birthplace: | Genoa |
| Date of death: | August 2, 1644 |
| Religion: | Roman Catholicism |