17 th and 18 th Century

 The term Baroque once had a negative meaning.
 The name is derived from Baroque pearls
◦ pearls with unusual, odd shapes
 Compared to Renaissance art, it was considered to be
◦ “over-dramatic”
◦ The architecture, “overly decorated”.

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 Baroque style is Dramatic
 Strong Contrast of Light and Dark
 Dynamic Composition
 Architecture is decorative / many details

 Roman Catholic Church supported Baroque art style in response to the Protestant Reformation (movement to reform Catholic Church)
◦ communication of religious themes with viewer's direct and emotional involvement
 Aristocracy adopted Baroque style
◦ to impress visitors and to express triumphant power and control

 Baroque Style spread throughout Europe
◦
Italy, Holland, France, Spain, and England.

Baroque Art – 1600-1750
Catholic Countries : Italy, Flanders
(Flemish),
Spain,
France
Common Traits that reflect the values of the time:
Gigantic religious works to display their faith’s triumph and to over-whelm and attract new worshippers.
-Massive displays of wealth by absolute monarchs to enchant and impress visitors.

Baroque Art – 1600-1750
Catholic Countries : Italy, Flanders
(Flemish),
Spain,
France
What to look for:
-Use of light – harsh light from single source to concentrate your eye (chiaroscuro but for focal point…).
-Saints and miracles looking like ordinary people and events

Baroque Art – 1600-1750
Catholic Countries : Italy, Flanders
(Flemish),
Spain,
France
What to look for:
-Use of light – harsh light from single source to concentrate your eye (chiaroscuro but for focal point…).
-Saints and miracles looking like ordinary people and events
-dynamic explosion of energy – images captured at height of action
-VERY voluptuous female nudes
-portraits – posed to show refinement but looked “real”
-huge clouds in landscapes

Baroque Art – 1600-1750
Two distinct “schools” of Baroque Art:
1. Catholic Countries : Italy, Flanders
(Flemish or
Austrian/Spanish Netherlands),
Spain, France
2. Protestant Countries : England & Holland
(Dutch)

Baroque

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Annibale Carracci , Loves of the Gods , 1597 – 1601, Ceiling Fresco

 Commissioned by
Cardinal Farnese to celebrate the wedding of his brother
 Various Gods and
Humans in love“quadro riportato” – looks like framed easel paintings
 Inspired by Italian
Renaissance art
(Michelangelo, Raphael,
Titian)
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Annibale Carracci , Loves of the Gods

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Comparison
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Baroque fresco
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Renaissance fresco

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Caravaggio , Conversion of St. Paul , 1601, Oil on Canvas

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 Story of Pharisee Saul converting to
Christianity
 Appears to be an accident in the horse stable
(everyday life)
 Caravaggio used strong light and dark / shadowy style (greatly influenced
European art)
 Perspective and
Chiaroscuro (light and shadow) used to bring the viewer closer to the event

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Caravaggio , Calling of St. Matthew , 1597 – 1601, Oil on Canvas

 Christ enters from the right to summon Levi
(a Roman tax collector) to a “higher calling”
 Bland street scene
(“normal, everyday life”)

Caravaggio’s style of strong light and shadowLight as a symbol of God
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Comparison
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Caravaggio, Crucifixion of St. Peter


Caravaggio, Judith Slaying Holofernes

Artemisia Gentileschi
Judith Slaying Holofernes

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Gianlorenzo Bernini , Baldacchino , 1624 – 1633, Gilded Bronze

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
Bronze “canopy” over the tomb of St. Peter
 Focal point of church
 Made from Bronze of doors of the ancient
Roman Pantheon
(Pantheon was a temple for Pagan religion)
 Commissioned by the
Barberini Family

Bernini
•Expressive
•Dynamic
•Energetic
David

David

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 St. Peter's, Rome exterior – late Renaissance
(Completed 1690) designed in part by Michelangelo
 Largest interior of any Catholic Church in world – holds up to 60, 000 people

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 Ancient Roman Pantheon, 125 – 28 CE

Bernini
Italian
The Ecstasy of St.
Theresa

Bernini
Italian
Baldachin of St. Peter’s Cathedral
This supreme example of Baroque art was the first masterpiece that the twenty-six year old genius, Gianlorenzo Bernini made for St. Peter's Basilica. It is impossible not to admire this fantastic, sumptuous bronze canopy supported by four spiral columns, richly decorated with gold, as it majestically rises upward. It is the largest known bronze artwork. He sent most of his life working on St. Peter’s Cathedral

Pietro da Corton, The Triumph of Divine Providence

Baroque

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Diego Valazquez , Las Meninas (The Maids of Honor),1656

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

Informal family portrait
Theme “Mystery of the Visual
World”
 Young Princess in middle
“Infantata”
 Maids in waiting helping her
 Her favorite dwarfs and her dog
 Valasquez is working on large canvas (portrait of King Philip IV and Queen Mariana (reflections in mirror)
 Man framed in doorway

Diego Valazquez , Surrender of Breda , 1634 – 1635,

 Made for King Philip IV
 Spanish Victory over
Dutch in 1625
 Spanish troops on right
(organized - victory)
 Dutch troops on left
(disorganized – defeat)
 Spanish General patting the back of Dutch General
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Francisco de Zurbaran , Saint Serpion , 1628,

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 St. Serpion (Martyr)
– tied to a tree and tortured (devotion to religion)
 St. Serpion - monk born in
England -
◦ “commoner”
 De Zurbaran inspired by
Caravaggio’s light and shadow
 Figure fills the foreground
(close to viewer)

Baroque

Baroque Art – 1600-1750
Protestant Countries : Holland
(Dutch)
& England
Common Traits that reflect the values of the time:
-Still lifes
-Landscapes
-Portraits
-Very little to no religious imagery


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Independence from Spain
Trade and Banking = Patrons of Art
Protestant rejected religious art, traded for portraits, genre scenes, and landscapes

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 Created when he was a student
 Exercise in lighting, expression
 Rembrandt created at least 70 self-portraits during his lifetime (oil paintings and etchings)
Rembrandt van Rijn
Self-Portrait in a Cap,
Etching, 1630

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Rembrandt van Rijn , Return of the Prodigal Son ,
1665,

 Stillness / inward contemplation (less dramatic than Italian
Baroque paintings)
 Humility and humanity of Christ
 Father and Son relationship (father forgiving Christ)
 Light mixed with shadow
 Light focused on father and son
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
Rembrant, Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp

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Frans Hals , The Women of the Regents of the Old
Men’s Home at Haarlem , 1664

 Somber and Serious
 Very orderly composition
 Monochromatic Color
Palette (black and white and gray)
 Women look out of painting (2 look at viewer)
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Vermeer
Dutch
The Geographer

Baroque

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Louis XIV expanded the
Louve and extended expenses for the building and completion of versailles
Hyancinthe Rigaud , Louis XIV , 1701,

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 King Louis XIV
 Grandiose
 Absolute Monarchy
 Wore high heels to make him taller (5’4”)

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Jules Hardouin-Mansart and Charles Le Brun , Hall of Mirrors (Palace of Versailles), 1680, interior architecture

 Hall of Mirrors in
King Louis XIV’s
Palace of Versailles
 Mirror – Baroque source of illusion

100’s of rooms in palace
 Rich decoration / details
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
Means pebble, or shell
Refined, fanciful, playful style fashionable in France due to Louis XIV’s pampered lifestyle.
1700-1789
Scenes showed the luxuries and leisurely pursuits of aristocrats and the wealthy
More decorative and non-functional then Baroque


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Pastel colors
Delicately curving forms
Dainty figures,
Light hearted
Sensual and erotic

Jean Baptiste Simeon, Boy Blowing Soap Bubbles


Antoine Watteau, L’Indifferent


Anotine Watteau, Return from Cythera


Francois Boucher, Cupid a Captive

Jean-Onore Fragonard, The Swing

William Hogarth, Breakfast Scene, from Marriage a la Mode

Jean Honore Fragonard, The Secret Meeting

Jean Honore Fragonard ,The Lover Crowned

Jean Honore Fragonard , The Bathers

Jean Honore Fragonard , Marquise de Pompadour

• Compare and Contrast each “David”.
• Discuss the Artist, Time Period, and Materials used
• Discuss what style characteristics are evident in each piece and how does it compare to the others?
• Discuss the theme and situation that the statue portrays. How
Does it fit in the time period?
David

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

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Compare the artwork of Baroque and Rococo.
What characteristics of style did they have in common? In contrast?
What were the themes of Baroque? Of Rococo?
What was going on in society when Baroque was popular?
What was going on in society during the
Rococo period?