Giovanni Battista Lucini was born in Vaiano Cremasco as the son of Girolamo Lucini and Laura Fogarola. His father was of noble descent and had been elected in 1626 as a member of the council of nobles of the city of Crema, Lombardy where the family resided. His father died when Giovanni Battista Lucini was only six years old, presumably leaving the family in a precarious financial condition. There are no firm records on Lucini from this time until 1663, when he joined the city council and was living in his brother Carlo's house. Giovanni Battista Lucini is believed to have been a pupil of Giovanni Battista Botticchio. Botticchio worked in Crema and was one of the leading 17th century painters in Lombardy. There are no records, which support this apprenticeship but elements of Lucini's style in his early works show Botticchio's influence and make such relationship likely. Small-format works by artists then in vogue which were likely present in the collections of noble families in Crema are believed to have played a role in the formation of Lucini. After Botticchio's death in 1666, Lucini travelled and spent time in Genoa, Milan and Veneto. Lucini never married and had no children. He made a will on 18 February 1684. He died in Crema on the night between 14 and 15 September 1686. He was buried in the church of Saint Catherine of the Carmelites in Crema, a church that no longer exists. Lucini's pupils included his nephew who was also called Giovan Battista Lucini, Giambattista Marmoro and Giambattista Carello.
Work
Giovanni Battista Lucini was a canvas painter who created religious paintings for the religious institutions in the Crema region. In his early years the Genoese and Venetian influences which he had received during his travels are apparent. His first known dated work is the :File:Giovanni Battista Lucini - St Francis de Sales.jpg|St Francis de Sales, which shows 'tenebrist' features as well as a great attention to perspective, in which he was reportedly particularly skilled. Evident in his early works are also the influence of his presumed master Botticchio, particularly in the use of chiaroscuro, which gives the figures in his compositions an almost sculptural aspect. His early masterpiece is the Liberation of Saint Peter painted in 1675 for the church of San Bernardino degli Osservanti in Crema. This work shows his adherence to the dark tonality of this tenebrist period together with a development towards a more realist approach in the intense expressions of the figures. This work established the artist's reputation and earned him many commissions from the churches in Crema. Over the years Lucini's work gained in liveliness and playfulness and became less dark. This evolution towards more colour is represented in two works depicting the biblical story of the Flight into Egypt, the :File:Giovanni Battista Lucini - Christ calms the dragons.JPG|Christ calms the dragons and :File:Giovanni Battista Lucini - Mary fed by the palm.JPG|Mary fed by the palm. The works are characterised by their full-bodied and bright color and the solidity of the figures. In two works, one representing the Saints Pietro d'Alcántara and Bernardino da Feltre and the other the :File:Giovanni Battista Lucini - Miracle of Saint Peter of Alcantara.JPG|Miracle of San Pietro d'Alcantara (Museo civico di Crema e del Cremasco
