Basic duality of style, expressive and sublime representations of the key moments in saint’s lives, almost tangible depictions of visions and apotheosis, emotional suspense and persuasive virtuosity were the Roman legacy to Baroque painting. Equally significant for the formative years, as well as for the further development of style towards High Baroque Classicism, was Bologna and the school of the Carracci family, whose pictorial language found many followers, most of whom inclined towards more idealised and exuberant religious and mythological imagery. No less influential were artists from other major Italian towns, especially Venice, where many Central European painters were educated.