Hercules Slaying the Hydra is a 1618 ink by Guercino, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows two figures locked in a struggle. One is a muscular man with curly hair, wrestling a many-headed snake. The lines are loose and quick, with dark ink shading the forms. The paper is light, and the drawing looks like it was done in a hurry. The snake has seven heads, which is unusual—most versions show fewer. The artist wasn’t trying for perfect detail. Instead, the movement feels raw and urgent. If you like this style, look up Baroque next.
Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (8 February 1591 – 22 December 1666), better known as (il) Guercino (Italian pronunciation: ), was an Italian Baroque painter and draftsman from Cento in the Emilia region, who was active in Rome and Bologna.
See the richer artist page
