The Baroque

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The Baroque (and Rococo) 1600-1750

• Action
• Passion
• Healthy Eaters.

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• Counter Reformation was over- Catholic Church was
  strong again-Protestantism was on the defensive
• Countries at war (30 Years War, Hapsburg empire)
• Secularization of govt
• Worldwide markets (coffee, tea)-private
  wealth-buy more art!
• Baroque artists were far removed from science and
  technology unlike during the Renaissance (too
  complicated)
• Affected by the absolutist states (France,
  Germany, England)
• Rome became Baroque arts center- Popes were
  still largest patrons (aimed to make Rome the
  most beautiful city of Christendom)-ambitious
  artists flocked to Rome for commissions

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CHIROSCURO V. Tenebrism

• 1571-1610
• Remote from both Mannerism and Renaissance
• New form of art called Naturalism- a sacred
  scene painted in contemporary low life
• Story of Matthew the tax collector-figure on the
  far right is Jesus
• Light is both natural and charged with symbolic
  meaning
• Religious monumentalism would appeal to both
  Catholics and Protestants (later became
  Rembrandts influence)

Caravaggio, The Calling of St. Matthew, 1599-1602
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• Strong Light, action-packed paintings

Caravaggio, Judith, early 17th C.
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• Born into an artistic family which gave her an
  advantage over other women artists
• Became one of the leading painters and
  personalities of her day
• Subject of Judith popular during Baroque- violent
  and erotic scene
• Immortalizes feminine courage
• Very theatrical, mysterious light
• Complex composition

Artemesia Genteleschi, Judith and Maidservant,
1625
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• Became so famous, that it was considered second
  only to Michelangelo and Raphael
• Intricate narrative scenes surrounded by
  architecture
• Subject matter is the loves of the classical gods
• Color is based on the Venetians
• Balance of studies from life with a revival of
  the classics (including the Renaissance masters)
• Revived interest in illusion

Carracci, Palazzo Farnese, Rome, 1597-1601
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Carracci, Landscape with the Flight into Egypt,
1603

• Pastoral mood and soft light are influenced by
  Titian
• Figures are almost inconspicuous -like northern
  painters (Breugal)
• Early example of the ideal lasndscape

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• Ceiling Frescos became more and more popular-
  done mostly for patrons
• Illusionistic-shows the sky behind the regular
  architectural scheme
• Some figures are closer to the viewer and some
  are farther away in the sky

Cortona, Glorification of the Reign of Urban the
VIII, 1633-39
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• The decoration of the interior of St. Peters was
  a difficult task- to relate a vast space to a
  human scale
• Task fell to Bernini (1598-1680) who worked on
  St. Peters throughout his career

Interior, St. Peters, showing Berninis Throne
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• Berninis David and Michelangelos David have the
  same relationship as classical and Hellenistic
  sculpture-each drew inspiration from a different
  part of antiquity
• Bernini shares the Hellenistic view of unison of
  body and spirit, motion and emotion
• Implied presence of Goliath-the negative space is
  owned by the sculpture
• During the Baroque, sculpture merged with
  painting and architecture like in no other time
  period before

Bernini, David, 1623
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• Sensuous visual experience
• Shows the moment where St. Teresa is pierced by
  an angels arrow and felt both emotional pain and
  sweetness at the same time
• Because of the lighting, the sculpture looks
  visionary
• Some outside (from above) force is blowing their
  clothing
• Sculpture is connected in this way to a fresco
  directly above it

Bernini, The Ecstasy of St. Teresa, 1645-52
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• In the Choir of St. Peters
• Focus is a burst of heavenly light that propels
  all the figures towards the viewer

Bernini, Throne of St. Peters, 1657-66
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• Francesco Borromini- the role of the tortured
  artist- died by suicide
• Very complex and extravagant structures-dynamic
  and complex
• Play of concave and convex surfaces makes
  structure seem pulled apart
• Merges architecture and sculpture
• Plan is like a half-melted cross
• Combines Renaissance and Medieval structures

Borromini, S. Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, 1665-67
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• Great architect of late Baroque
• Central European (Vienna)
• Pantheon-like portico, columns should look
  familiar to you!!
• The power of the Christian faith to absorb and
  change the splendors of ancient art

Von Erlach, St. Charles Borromaeus, 1716-37
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• Baroque in Flanders (the Spanish Netherlands)
• Peter Paul Rubens 1577-1640
• Helped to break down artistic barriers between
  north and south
• Studied art of the High Renaissance
• Artist of major influence and education-court
  advisor to Spanish regent in Flanders
• Altarpiece
• Muscular figures of Italian art, lighting reflect
  Caravaggio
• Definitely a Flemish realist
• Tremendous dramatic force-almost bursts through
  the picture plane

Rubens, The Raising of the Cross, 1609-10
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• In the Luxembourg Palace in Paris
• Popularity of spectacle and wealth
• Not a very exciting event, but Rubens has made it
  so-Neptune rises from the sea (has protected her
  on her journey)
• Used oil sketches to prepare for his paintings-
  this was an important legacy for future artists

Rubens, Marie de-Medici, Queen of France, Landing
in Marseilles, 1622-23
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• The Utrecht School-Baroque came to Holland
  through Rubens
• Utrecht was a Catholic city- most artists
  traveled to Rome-
• Influenced by Caravaggio
• Franz Hals 1580-1666-great portrait painter
• Spontaneity- twinkling eyes, SMILE!
• Worked in dashing brushstrokes-immediacy of
  design but spent a long time (lifesize!)

Franz Hals, The Laughing Cavalier, 1630
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• Follower of Hals
• Poetic quality of life
• Celebration of self

Leyster, Self Portrait, 1630
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• Art effected by Caravaggio-sharply lit
• Painted mostly Old Testament scenes at first and
  was a well-sought-after portrait painter
• Night Watch- a group portrait-Some people say
  that people were angry for being portrayed in
  shadow so he lost popular opinion-had financial
  difficulties

Rembrandt, The Night Watch, 1642
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• Did many self portraits- always reflects the view
  of himself and his inner development
• Influenced by Titian and Van Eyke
• Use of light- hallmark of style

Rembrandt, Self Portrait, 1658
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• Most art buyers preferred landscapes and still
  lifes
• Vanitas, Vanitas!- all is vanity
• disguised symbolism is back!!!
• The passing of all earthly pleasures

Willem Claesz Heda, Still Life 1634
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• Jan Vermeer- master of the genre paintings- but
  no narrative
• Usually solitary, usually women-almost like
  still-lifes
• Light always filters in from an implied
  window-everyday world seems fresh and new
• Made up of rectangles, no undefined empty spaces
• Know very little about his life- died when he was
  43, lived in Delft
• Genius not recognized until 100 years ago

Vermeer, Girl in Blue Reading a Letter, 1663-64
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• Baroque in Spain---did not happen natively, but
  through the spread of ideas from Italy and the
  Netherlands
• Caravaggio-esque, but focused more on genre
  scenes
• This was done at the age of 20
• Moved to Madrid and became court painter-
  portraits of the royal family

Velasquez, The Water Carrier of Seville, c.1619
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• Valazquezs style at its fullest- a self
  portrait, a group portrait and a genre scene
• Mirror in the back of the room- is it on the
  canvas or behind?
• Fascination with light and its optical
  mysteries-reflected and direct
• Light creates the visual world

Velazquez, The Maids of Honor, 1656
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• France was the most powerful state in Europe-
  culturally too!
• Art center changed from Rome to Paris because of
  large projects (Versailles)
• Also called Style of Loius XIV or the Classic
  style- links to other high points in culture
• De La Tour- oriented towards Caravaggio- both a
  religious and genre scene- intimate and tender

De La Tour, Joseph the Carpenter, 1645
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• Classicism reigned supreme
• Earliest French painter in history to gain
  international fame
• Freezes action, like statues, Roman architecture
  in the background
• Shows emotion but doesnt touch the viewer
• Logical and serious
• Thought that the viewer should be able to read
  the exact emotions of each figure
• Not very accessible

Poussin, The Rape of the Sabine Women, 1636-37
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Perrault, Louvre, 1667-70

• All art had to be made to glorify the king- very
  restrictive royal style
• Design meant to link the king with Roman
  emperors-Roman temple front -ground floor serves
  as the podium
• Showed victory of French royal style over
  Italian classicism

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Lebrun, Hall of Mirrors, Palace of Versailles,
1678

• Louis XIV interested in lavish interiors rather
  than the exterior
• Entire interior decorated by Lebrun, a
  painter-became the dictator of the arts in France
• All art became for the glorification of the king-
  reflects Italian Baroque style (ceilings)

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Louis Le Vau, Hardouin Mansart, Palace of
Versailles, 1669-85

• Design grew and grew to accommodate the royal
  familys wishes
• Garden is most impressive aspect of the
  palace-meant to serve as the background for the
  Kings official appearances

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• Royal Academy- new system of educating artists
  founded in 1648-very rigid- had a grading system
  for all artists including past-Greeks came first,
  then Raphael-Flemish ranked low
• Produced no significant artists!
• Became an argument over drawing v. color
  (Poussinistes V. Rubenistes)
• educated v. lay

Watteau, Delights of Life, 1717

• Watteau was a Rubeniste-violates all academy
  canons
• Admitted to the academy anyway because it had
  lost a lot of clout by this time
• Slim and graceful rather than round like Rubens

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• Rococo Style- after the death of Louis XIV,
  people became less centralized- art made for
  interiors and private collection
• Means playful decoration
• Fragonard sensual in style and subject, lacks
  emotional depth, graceful
• Style ends with the Revolution

Fragonard, The Bolt, 1778
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Chardin, Still life, c.1731

• Rubenistes cleared way for revival of Dutch
  painting-Chardin is a master
• Sense of spatial order- each object seems very
  important-respect for everyday objects- symbols,
  but not religious- everyday people

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• Sir Christopher Wren- Very intellectual -like a
  Renaissance man but no apparent direct link
  between his scientific and artistic ideas
• design classical in nature
• Great fire of London in 1666 destroyed the old
  St. Pauls
• Named to the Royal commission for rebuilding the
  city
• Effected by the design for the Louvre
• Wanted it to be the St. Peters of England

Wren, St. Pauls Cathedra, 1675-1710l
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Hogarth, The Rakes Progress, c. 1734

• England never accepted Rococo style- became the
  object of satire
• English painting became more important than it
  had been since the Middle Ages
• William Hogarth was a Dramatist-paintings and
  prints came in sets-morality plays that espoused
  middle class virtues- very narrative in nature

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• Portraiture was constant source of income for
  English painters- Gainsborough became a master at
  this-a a favorite of high society
• Cool elegance
• Rubenesque technique
• Enlightenment- painting must include both nature
  and art- Humes Natural Man- free of excessive
  pride or humility

Thomas Gainsborough, Blue Boy
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• Great rival of Gainsborough
• Believed in the French Academys academic
  approach
• Had his own written art rules
• Painted allegorical portraits
• Rembrandt-like lighting
• Unlike Gainsborough, Reynolds believed that art
  must conform to the example of poetry, be it epic
  or tragic (Horace)
• Borrowed poses from antiquity to elevate the
  individual to a universal type

Sir Joshua Reynolds, Mrs. Siddon as the Tragic
Muse, 1784