Annibale Carracci was a student of his first cousin, Lodovico Carracci. In his early twenties, Annibale helped to form the Academia del Incamminati with his brother Agostino and their cousin Lodovico, thereby establishing a highly influential school concentrating on the acquisition of drawing skills based on copying the works of the masters, in particular Michelangelo and Raphael, in addition to drawing from antique sculpture and working from the live model. Annibale’s complex and imaginative work consisted of both religious subjects and elaborate mythological subjects, where he merged his naturalistic drawing skills with a grand, monumental style. His students trained as studio assistants, helping Annibale complete his vast fresco inventions.