DMIM1013

History of Art
Baroque Art
Lesson Outline
• Baroque art
• Sculpture
• Baroque painting period (4 periods)
• Painting (5 categories)
Baroque
1600-1700
Baroque

•The Baroque is a period of artistic

style that started around 1600 in
Rome , Italy, and spread throughout
the majority of Europe during the
17th and 18th centuries.

•In informal usage, the

word baroque describes something
that is elaborate and highly detailed.
• The most important factors during the Baroque era were the Reformation and the
Counter-Reformation, with the development of the Baroque style considered to be
linked closely with the Catholic Church.

• The popularity of the style was in fact encouraged by the Catholic Church, which had
decided at the Council of Trent that the arts should communicate religious themes
and direct emotional involvement in response to the Protestant Reformation.

• Baroque art manifested itself differently in various European countries owing to their
unique political and cultural climates.
Key Terms

• Counter-Reformation: The period of Catholic revival beginning with the Council of

Trent (1545–1563) and ending at the close of the Thirty Years’ War (1648); sometimes
considered a response to the Protestant Reformation.

• Reformation: The religious movement initiated by Martin Luther in the 16th century
to reform the Roman Catholic Church.
Characteristic

•The Baroque style is characterized

by exaggerated motion and clear
detail used to produce drama,
exuberance, and grandeur in
sculpture, painting, architecture,
literature, dance, and music.

•Baroque iconography was direct,

obvious, and dramatic, intending to
appeal above all to the senses and
the emotions.
• The use of the chiaroscuro
technique is a well known trait of
Baroque art.

• This technique refers to the

interplay between light and dark
and is often used in paintings of
dimly lit scenes to produce a very
high-contrast, dramatic
atmosphere.
• The chiaroscuro technique
is visible in the painting The
Massacre of the
Innocents by Peter Paul
Rubens.

• Other important Baroque

painters include Caravaggio
(who is thought to be a
precursor to the movement
and is known for work
characterized by close-up
action and strong diagonals)
and Rembrandt.
Chiaroscuro refers to the interplay between light and dark and is a technique often used in paintings of dimly lit scenes to produce a very high-
contrast, dramatic atmosphere. This technique is visible in this painting by Peter Paul Rubens.
Sculpture of the Italian Sculpture
Baroque Period
• Baroque sculpture is associated with the
Baroque cultural movement in 17th century
Europe.

• In Baroque sculpture, groups of figures

assumed new importance, and there was a
dynamic movement and energy of human
forms—they spiraled around an empty
central vortex or reached outwards into the
surrounding space. Baroque sculpture often
had multiple ideal viewing angles and
reflected a general continuation of the
Renaissance’s move away from relief to
sculpture created in the round .

• They were typically designed to be placed in

the middle of a large space.
• A great deal of Baroque sculpture added extra-sculptural elements; for example,
concealed lighting, water fountains, or fused sculpture and architecture that created a
transformative experience for the viewer .

• Artists saw themselves as working in the classical tradition and admired Hellenistic
and later Roman sculpture.
The Work of
Bernini

• Gian Lorenzo Bernini was the dominating

figure of the age.

• Bernini’s sculptural output was immense

and varied.

• The Ecstasy of St. Theresa in the Cornaro

Chapel, Santa Maria della Vittoria, and
the now-hidden Constantine at the base
of the Scala Regia (which he designed)
were among his best known works.
Bernini was also given the commission for
the Tomb of Pope Urban VIII in St Peters.
 Painting of the
Baroque Period

• Italian Painting in the

Baroque Period
• Spanish Painting in the
Baroque Period
• French Painting in the
Baroque Period
• Flemish Painting in the
Baroque Period

Nicolas Poussin, The Abduction of the Sabine Women

Italian Painting in the Baroque
Period

• Baroque painting is associated with the Baroque cultural movement, which began in
Italy in the 17th century.

• It encompasses a great range of styles , as most important and major painting during
the period beginning around 1600 and continuing into the early 18th century is
identified today as Baroque painting.

• In its most typical manifestations, Baroque art is characterized by great drama, rich,
deep color, and intense light and dark shadows.
Relevant Italian Painters

Caravaggio

• He was known for painting figures, even those of classical or religious themes, in
contemporary clothing, or as ordinary men and women.

• His inclusion of the seedier side of life was in marked contrast to the trends of the
time. He used tenebrism and sharp contrasts between partially lit figures and dark
backgrounds to dramatize the effect.
•The Calling of Saint Matthew by
Caravaggio: The Calling of Saint
Matthew shows Caravaggio’s use of
tenebrism and stark contrasts between
partially lit figures and dark backgrounds to
dramatize the effect.
•Ecce Homoc by Caravaggio, 1605:
Example of a Baroque painting by
Caravaggio
Spanish Painting in the Baroque
Period

• The Spanish Golden Age is a period of flourishing in arts and literature in Spain,
coinciding with the Baroque era and the political rise and decline of the Spanish
Habsburg dynasty

• Spanish art, particularly that of Morales, contained a strong mark of mysticism and
religion that was encouraged by the Counter-Reformation and the patronage of
Spain’s strongly Catholic monarchs and aristocracy.
Artist of the Golden Age of Spain

Diego Velázquez

• He was an individualistic artist of the

contemporary Baroque period and most
well-known as a portrait artist.

Philip IV in Brown and Silver, 1632: Velázquez

is perhaps most well-known for his many famous
portraits, including this one of King Philip IV.
 Velazquez’s most famous painting, however, is the
celebrated Las Meninas (1656), in which the artist
includes himself as one of the subjects.

Las Meninas (Spanish for “The Ladies in Waiting”) is

a painting with complex and enigmatic composition
that raises questions about reality and illusion,
creating an uncertain relationship between the
viewer and the figures depicted.

Because of these complexities, Las Meninas has

been one of the most widely analyzed works in
Western painting.

Las Meninas, 1656 (English: The Ladies in

Waiting): In his most celebrated painting,
Valzquez’s self-portrait is included on the left.
 French Painting in the
Baroque Period

• 17th century painting

in France was
influenced by Italian
Baroque sensibilities
as well as the
Classical tastes of the
powerful monarchy.

French baroque painting by Nicolas Lancret

featuring the dancer Marie Anne de Cupis de
Camargo
Influential French Painters

Simon Vouet and Charles Le Brun

• Simon Vouet is known for introducing Baroque style painting to France. He studied in
Italy and learned the techniques of the Italian masters, which he imbued with his own
sensibilities.

• Charles Le Brun was Vouet’s most influential pupil and was to become an important
painter in the court of King Louis XIV. Mostly producing battle pieces and altarpieces ,
Le Brun’s paintings exemplify a synthesis of Baroque and Classical styles.
•Charles Le Brun, The Conquest of
Franche-Comté: Charles Le Brun
worked primarily for King Louis XIV,
and his most important works reside
at the Palace of Versailles. Mostly
producing battle pieces and
altarpieces, Le Brun’s paintings
exemplify a synthesis of Baroque
and Classical styles.
Flemish Painting in the Baroque
Period

• The style of painting produced in Flanders during the 17th century is known as
Flemish Baroque.

• This style was produced between about 1585, when the Dutch Republic split from the
Habsburg Spain regions of the south, until about 1700, when the Habsburg rule ended
after the death of King Charles II.
• Flemish Baroque painting is notable for the fact that it was separated into different
thematic categories, and artists of the time tended to specialize in one of these areas.

• These genres included

History
Portraiture
Genre
Landscape
still life paintings.
Historical
Wolf and
Fox Hunt by
Peter Paul
Rubens: Wol
f and Fox
Hunt is an
example of
the
monumental
hunting
scene
Rubens
introduced to
painting.
Portraiture

The Portrait of Marchesa Brigida Spinola-Doria is an

oil-on-canvas painting by Flemish artist Sir Peter Paul
Rubens,
Genre

Genre paintings depict

scenes from everyday life
and were very common in
17th century Flanders.

These paintings feature

figures with no specific
identity, commonly engaged
in activities associated with
“the peasant life.”

Village Lawyer by Peter Brueghel: A genre

painting by Peter Brueghel.
 Landscape
• The style developed
from earlier 16th
century Flemish
landscape paintings,
which were not
particularly realistic
and employed the
semi-aerial view
typical of Peter
Brueghel the Elder.

Carlos de Haes - Flemish Landscape

Still Life

• Floral still life painting was widespread in 17th century Flanders, popularized by
Brueghel the Elder around 1600.

• His sons, Jan Brueghel the Younger and Ambrosius Brueghel, were also known flower
specialists of the time.

• Other subjects or subcategories of still life painting included the banquet still life, the
animal still life, and garland scenes.
• Still life paintings often had an underlying moralistic message concerning the brevity
of life, a trait exemplified by the “vanitas.”

• A vanitas is a symbolic still life painting that is meant to illustrate the meaninglessness
of earthly life and the transience of all earthly pursuits.

• Vanitas paintings were very popular in 17th century Flemish and Dutch work, and they
often depict symbols such as skulls, flowers, rotting fruit, clocks, watches, smoke, and
hourglasses, all of which are meant to convey the ephemeral nature of life on earth.
•Vanitas Painting: An example of a
vanitas from the 17th century by
Franciscus Gysbrechts.
In-Class Exercise

• 1. Artwork Identification and Interpretation

• Activity Details:
• Preparation: Select one of these iconic Baroque artworks:
• Caravaggio’s The Calling of St. Matthew – for its dramatic chiaroscuro (light-dark).
• Wolf and Fox Hunt by Peter Paul Rubens– for its emotional intensity and movement.
• Marie Anne de Cupis de Camargo by Nicolas Lancret -– for its vibrant color and liveliness.
• Task:
• Provide a PPT presentation answering these questions:
• What are the most prominent features of this artwork?
• How does the artist use light and shadow?
• What emotions do you feel, and what do you think the artist intended?

• Class Discussion: Each group has to present your findings in 5 minutes, focusing on analysis of the Baroque
characteristics and emotional impact.
Thank You…
Reference
• https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-arthistory/chapter/painting-of-the-baroq
ue-period/

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flemish_Baroque_painting