Works produced and theories expounded by the Academy of the Progressives, founded in Bologna с 1582 by Lodovico, Agostino, and Annibale
In reaction against Mannerism , they advocated drawing directly from life. Among their leading students were Domenichino and Guido Reni . Their clear, simple pictures accorded well with the artistic demands of the {{link=Counter-Reformation">Counter-Reformation , which wanted works of art to be immediately comprehensible. What began as a regional movement became one of the most influential forces in 17th-century art.