Baroque Art
(If it ain’t Baroque, don’t fix it)
Quick Art Update
• The end of Renaissance Art is marked
officially by Michelangelo’s “Last
Judgment” in the Sistine Chapel, which
was painted from 1536-1541
• So what came next? Mannerism…
Renaissance vs. Mannerism
Raphael’s “Cowper Madonna” and Parmigianino’s “Madonna of the Long Neck” 1534
Renaissance vs. Mannerism
Raphael’s “School of Athens” and El Greco’s “The Burial of
Count Orgasz” 1586
Renaissance vs. Mannerism
Renaissance
Mannerism
Content
Humans—normal or idealized
Abnormal and Strange
Events
Narrative
Direct, easy to understand
Difficult to Comprehend
Space
Harmonious, Measured,
Controlled
Disjointed, Spasmodic
Composition Harmonious, Centralized
Conflicting, Pushed to the
Side
Proportions
Realistic
Stretched or Compacted,
Unnatural
Figures
Posed naturally, Move easily
Tensely and/or Strangely
Positioned
Color
Bright but Balanced, Natural
Contrasting, Irritating,
Acidic, Unexpected
So Where does Baroque Fit?
• The 17th Century—Baroque follows
Mannerism and is a reaction to this style
as well as a continuation of it.
• The change from Mannerism was
prompted by the Council of Trent, which
reaffirmed the significance of artistic works
(especially those with religious themes)
and increased patronage.
Renaissance Davids: Donatello and Michelangelo
The Baroque David: Gianlorenzo Bernini1623-4
Bernini, Rape of
Persephone, Villa
Borghese, Rome,
1621-2
“St. Theresa in Ecstasy” Bernini 1647-52
“This too was completely original, for
no one before had combined together,
in a single artistic design, and on the
largest possible scale, marble and
stone, brass and gilt, gold and silver,
plain and stained glass, all wrought
together to produce a single emotional
spasm. The divine dove descends,
skeletons arise from the pavement,
angels swirl around and crown the
scene with flowers, while all the time, in
the centre, Teresa writhes with joy. It is
an amazing composition which drew
admirers from all over Europe, and was
imitated by all who had the means.”
From artchive.com
“Baldacchino” in St. Peter’s Basilica Bernini 1624-33
“He placed four immense
marble bases at each corner,
and on them constructed
colossal gilt bronze columns,
wrought into spirals and joined
by a cornice, with angels, each
twice life-size, guarding its
crowned superstructure. It is a
work of complete originality, for
nothing like it has been built
before or since (apart from
smaller copies).”
From artchive.com
• “ To enjoy and admire Bernini one must accept
the minute core of detail within the hugeness of
scale, the roundness of every line as if an angle
would hurt the eye, and perhaps hardest of all,
the suppliant of suffering poses, eyes turned to
heaven, limbs contorted by passion. The
magnificent exaggeration tells us that in any
given instant everything in heaven and on earth
is at stake.” Barzun
“The Calling of St. Matthew” Caravaggio 1599-1600
“Judith Beheading Holofernes” Caravaggio 1598
“Judith and her
Maidservant”
Artemesia Gentileschi
1612-13
“The Arrival of
Marie de Medici
at Marseilles”
Peter Paul
Rubens
1622-26
“The Dance of the Villagers” Rubens 1636
General Characteristics of Baroque Art
• HUGE SIZE—impressive and sometimes
overwhelming
• Movement
Drama
Emotion
• Use of Diagonal lines in composition
• Religious Content that is popularized for the
masses—more dramatic and emotional and
very human in content
• Proportions that are realistic but exaggerated—
somewhere between the perfection of the
Renaissance and the exaggeration of
Mannerism