Lovers of the Gods (c1600). The Loves of the Gods is a monumental fresco cycle, completed by the Bolognese artist Annibale Carracci and his studio, in the Farnese Gallery which is located in the west wing of the Palazzo Farnese, now the French Embassy, in Rome. The frescoes are often described as innovative for their use of color, light, and perspective, as well as their dynamic and expressive figures. Annibale Carracci, who led the team of artists who created the frescoes, is credited with developing a new style that combined elements of High Renaissance classicism with the more naturalistic and emotive tendencies of Baroque art. They depict a series of scenes from classical mythology, including the loves of the gods, the triumph of Bacchus, and the story of Cupid and Psyche. Art historians have noted the complexity of the iconography, which draws on a wide range of literary and artistic sources and incorporates multiple levels of meaning and interpretation. The Farnese Gallery frescoes have had a profound influence on the development of European painting, particularly in the Baroque period. Artists such as Peter Paul Rubens, Nicolas Poussin, and Diego Velázquez were all deeply influenced by the frescoes, and their work reflects the innovations and ideas introduced by Carracci and his team. The frescoes are also admired for their technical virtuosity, particularly in the use of foreshortening, chiaroscuro, and other techniques to create a sense of depth and movement. The artists who worked on the frescoes were highly skilled in a variety of media, including fresco, oil painting, and stucco relief. They are also significant for their cultural and historical context, as they reflect the tastes and values of the Farnese family, one of the most powerful and influential families in Renaissance Italy. The frescoes were intended to celebrate the family's wealth, power, and patronage of the arts, and they remain an important testament to the cultural and artistic achievements of the period. Some art historians have criticized the frescoes for their excessive ornamentation and decorative elements, which they argue detract from the overall composition and narrative of the scenes. While the frescoes are celebrated for their technical virtuosity and innovative style, some critics have argued that they lack originality and are too heavily indebted to earlier works of art, particularly those of Raphael and other High Renaissance masters. Some feminist art historians have criticized the frescoes for their problematic representation of gender, particularly in the depiction of female nudes and the objectification of women's bodies The frescoes were commissioned by the Farnese family, one of the most powerful and influential families in Renaissance Italy, and some art historians have argued that they serve as a form of political propaganda, celebrating the family's wealth, power, and patronage of the arts. The frescoes have undergone several restoration campaigns over the centuries, and some art historians have expressed concern about the impact of these interventions on the original work of art. Some have argued that the restorations have altered the colors, textures, and other visual elements of the frescoes, compromising their artistic integrity. The frescoes were greatly admired at the time, and were later considered to reflect a significant change in painting style away from sixteenth century Mannerism in anticipation of the development of Baroque and Classicism in Rome during the seventeenth century. Cardinal Odoardo Farnese, Pope Paul III's nephew, commissioned Annibale Carracci and his workshop to decorate the barrel-vaulted gallery on the piano nobile of the family palace. Work was started in 1597 and was not entirely finished until 1608, one year before Annibale's death. His brother Agostino joined him from 1597 to 1600, and other artists in the workshop included Giovanni Lanfranco, Francesco Albani, Domenichino, and Sisto Badalocchio. Annibale Carracci had first decorated a small room, the Camerino, with scenes from the life of Hercules. The Herculean theme was probably selected because the Farnese Hercules was standing at the time in the Palazzo Farnese. This concept of art imitating ancient art seems to have been carried over to the large Gallery. While performing graduate research on the Gallery, Thomas Hoving, later director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, pointed out many correspondences between the frescoes and items in the famous Farnese Collection of Roman sculpture. Much of the collection is now housed in the Capodimonte Museum and National Archaeological Museum in Naples but, in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, it was arranged according to themes within the Palazzo Farnese.