Baroque
Peter Paul Rubens, Caravaggio
http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/b/baroque.html
Baroque period, era in the history of the Western arts roughly coinciding with the 17th century. Its earliest manifestations, which occurred in Italy, date from the latter decades of the 16th century, while in some regions, notably Germany and colonial South America, certain of its culminating achievements did not occur until the 18th century. The work that distinguishes the Baroque period is stylistically complex, even contradictory. In general, however, the desire to evoke emotional states by appealing to the senses, often in dramatic ways, underlies its manifestations. Some of the qualities most frequently associated with the Baroque are grandeur, sensuous richness, drama, vitality, movement, tension, emotional exuberance, and a tendency to blur distinctions between the various arts.
Things to Look for in Baroque Art:
http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/b/baroque.html
Baroque period, era in the history of the Western arts roughly coinciding with the 17th century. Its earliest manifestations, which occurred in Italy, date from the latter decades of the 16th century, while in some regions, notably Germany and colonial South America, certain of its culminating achievements did not occur until the 18th century. The work that distinguishes the Baroque period is stylistically complex, even contradictory. In general, however, the desire to evoke emotional states by appealing to the senses, often in dramatic ways, underlies its manifestations. Some of the qualities most frequently associated with the Baroque are grandeur, sensuous richness, drama, vitality, movement, tension, emotional exuberance, and a tendency to blur distinctions between the various arts.
Things to Look for in Baroque Art:
- Images are direct, obvious, and dramatic.
- Tries to draw the viewer in to participate in the scene.
- Depictions feel physically and psychologically real. Emotionally intense.
- Extravagant settings and ornamentation.
- Dramatic use of color.
- Dramatic contrasts between light and dark, light and shadow.
- As opposed to Renaissance art with its clearly defined planes, with each figure placed in isolation from each other, Baroque art has continuous overlapping of figures and elements.
- Common themes: grandiose visions, ecstasies and conversions, martyrdom and death, intense light, intense psychological moments.
- Primarily, it designates the dominant style of European art between Mannerism and Rococo. This style originated in Rome and is associated with the Catholic Counter-Reformation, its salient characteristics--overt rhetoric and dynamic movement--being well suited to expressing the self-confidence and proselytizing spirit of the reinvigorated Catholic Church. It is by no means exclusively associated with religious art, however, and aspects of the Baroque can be seen even in works that have nothing to do with emotional display--for example in the dynamic lines of certain Dutch still-life paintings.
- Secondly, it is used as a general label for the period when this style flourished, broadly speaking, the 17th century and in certain areas much of the 18th century. Hence thus phrases as `the age of Baroque', `Baroque politics', `Baroque science', and so on.
- Thirdly, the term `Baroque' (often written without the initial capital) is applied to art of any time or place that shows the qualities of vigorous movement and emotional intensity associated with Baroque art in its primary meaning. Much Hellenistic sculpture could therefore be described as `baroque'.
Mannerism
Mannerism
If we look closely at some figures by Michelangelo (and even some paintings by Raphael) we notice some characteristics that do not fit in with what we know about the Renaissance style. We could say that Michelangelo and Raphael both show signs of moving past the style of the Renaissance into a new style we call Mannerism! For example, take this Ignudo by Michelangelo from the Sistine Ceiling. Remember that the primary characteristic of the Renaissance is Naturalism—the idea that figures not only look realistic, but actually move in ways that make sense. If you were to go home and sit on your couch, would you sit in this position? Try even sitting like this right now. The shoulders are frontal, the head is in profile, the legs, like the head, are viewed in profile. The foot of the front leg tucks under the calf of the back leg, and the back arm comes forward to rest on the front knee. Pretty complicated. And not very naturalistic. The figure seems posed, and rather artificial.
The High Renaissance always involved a sense of elegance and gracefulness. Here it seems as though that elegance is the very subject of the work of art! This is one of the primary characteristics of the style that becomes dominant after the death of Raphael in 1520. In fact it is Raphael's students who become the first Mannerist painters.
What are the key characteristics of Mannerism? (from arthistory.about.com)
Parmigianino,Madonna of the Long Neck,Self-Portrait in a Convex MirrorPontormoEntombmentRosso FiorentinoThe Dead Christ with AngelsBronzinoPortraitsPortrait of Eleonora di Toledo with her son GiovanniCelliniPerseus with the Head of MedusaEl GrecoAdoration of the Shepherds
If we look closely at some figures by Michelangelo (and even some paintings by Raphael) we notice some characteristics that do not fit in with what we know about the Renaissance style. We could say that Michelangelo and Raphael both show signs of moving past the style of the Renaissance into a new style we call Mannerism! For example, take this Ignudo by Michelangelo from the Sistine Ceiling. Remember that the primary characteristic of the Renaissance is Naturalism—the idea that figures not only look realistic, but actually move in ways that make sense. If you were to go home and sit on your couch, would you sit in this position? Try even sitting like this right now. The shoulders are frontal, the head is in profile, the legs, like the head, are viewed in profile. The foot of the front leg tucks under the calf of the back leg, and the back arm comes forward to rest on the front knee. Pretty complicated. And not very naturalistic. The figure seems posed, and rather artificial.
The High Renaissance always involved a sense of elegance and gracefulness. Here it seems as though that elegance is the very subject of the work of art! This is one of the primary characteristics of the style that becomes dominant after the death of Raphael in 1520. In fact it is Raphael's students who become the first Mannerist painters.
What are the key characteristics of Mannerism? (from arthistory.about.com)
- On the plus side, artists had gained lots of technical knowledge during the Renaissance (such as the use of oil paints and perspective) which would never again be lost to a "dark" age.
Another new development at this time was rudimentary archaeology. The Mannerist artists now had actual works, from antiquity, to study. No longer did they need to use their respective imagination when it came to Classical stylization.
That said, they (the Mannerist artists) almost seemed determined to use their powers for evil. Where High Renaissance art was natural, graceful, balanced and harmonious, the art of Mannerism was quite different. While technically masterful, Mannerist compositions were full of clashing colors, disquieting figures with abnormally elongated limbs, (often torturous-looking) emotion and bizarre themes that combined Classicism, Christianity and mythology.
The nude, which had been rediscovered during the Early Renaissance, was still present during the Late but, heavens - the poses in which it found itself! Leaving compositional instability out of the picture (pun intended), no human could have maintained positions such as those depicted - clothed or otherwise.
Landscapes suffered a similar fate. If the sky in any given scene wasn't a menacing color, it was filled with flying animals, malevolent putti, Grecian columns or some other unnecessary busy-ness. Or all of the above.
Parmigianino,Madonna of the Long Neck,Self-Portrait in a Convex MirrorPontormoEntombmentRosso FiorentinoThe Dead Christ with AngelsBronzinoPortraitsPortrait of Eleonora di Toledo with her son GiovanniCelliniPerseus with the Head of MedusaEl GrecoAdoration of the Shepherds