Soldiers Playing Cards and Dice (The Cheats) by Valentin de Boulogne

River Landscape by Annibale Carracci Annibale Carracci, River Landscape, c. 1590, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Samuel H. Kress Collection 1952.5.58

Annibale Carracci, his brother Agostino, and their cousin Lodovico established an art academy in Italy to promote a rational, forthright naturalism steeped in classical models.

In returning to nature, the Carracci created the first pure Italian landscapes, such as Annibale Carracci's River Landscape.