Baroque And Rococo

1. Baroque And Rococo

2. Baroque in Italy and GermanyBasic History • Artists are highly competent at drawing and painting the human figure from every possible angle. • Artists delighted in the theatrical and extravagant. • In Italy it came about under the patronage of the Catholic Church. • In Germany it is seen in its churches (very exuberant and festive).

3. Bernini • Most influential artist of this time. • A Renaissance Man: sculptor, painter, architect, stage designer, dramatist and composer. • His work surrounds St. Peter’s in Rome. • Piazza and Colonnade of St. Peter’s • Trapezoidal plaza in front of the basilica’s façade. • Opens to a huge oval area framed by massive Doric columns. • In the center stands an Egyptian obelisk. • Classic style, but the curves make it Baroque.

4. Bernini • Ecstasy of Saint Theresa • Captures the Baroque spirit. • Commemorates a mystical event involving Saint Theresa. • She floats on a marble cloud that seems to suspend in the air. • Rays of bronze shower down from the ceiling. • Enhanced the sensation of light by including a hidden window to let in real light.

5. Caravaggio • The first giant of Baroque. • Was considered a rebel against conventional society. • Focused solely on painting • Shocked his patrons by placing his religious figures in very common, earthly settings. • Created intense drama with naturalism, intense value contrasts and hard-edged painting. • A master of foreshortening, color, light, drama, and still life's. • Used tenebrism – the exaggerated contrast of darks and lights.

6. Artemisia Gentileschi • Followed the style of Caravaggio • Taught by her father and other important artists. • Judith and Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes • Focuses on the escape from enemy camp, not the killing. • Candle is single source of light, creating deep shadows and brilliant lights.

7. Dominikus Zimmerman • German architect • Die Wies • Exterior is plain and influenced by Italian buildings. • Interior is a sudden burst of heavenly energy. • Color and light combine with swirling decoration causing visual movement. • White walls and gold decoration seem to reflect the brilliance of the sun.

8. Baroque in FranceBasic History • Paris began to take over the role of the capitol of the arts. • Louis XIV sets the tone for the arts in France. • They favor a more balanced and Classical Baroque style.

9. Nicolas Poussin • Stressed to elimination of unnecessary detail and put emphasis on composition, balance and other Classical qualities. • Often constructed a model stage filled with wax figures. • Felt his subject matter should be grand, heroic or divine. • Holy Family on the Steps • The subject is divine. • The setting is classical. • The composition is triangle and perfectly calculated.

10. Versailles • Europe’s greatest palace. • Originally a symbol of the glory of the king, but later became a symbol of excesses of the monarchy, and helped bring about the French Revolution. • Louis Le Vau began work; Jules-Hardouin Mansart finalized it. • During peak construction, more than 30,000 men and 6,000 horses were needed to build it. • Would cost 10 billion today. • Surrounded by formal gardens and a mile-long Grand Canal.

11. Versailles • Hall of Mirrors • Has 17 large windows overlooking the park • The opposite wall holds 17 large mirrors to offset the windows. • The ceiling sparkles with light reflected off the elaborate gold decoration.

12. Baroque in Flanders and HollandBasic History • Paintings are prominent. • Rule changed and the church, the court, and nobility were no longer art patrons. • Middle class buying paintings.

13. Judith Leyster • Best-known female painter in 17th century. • Self-Taught • Self-Portrait • Obvious ease in her pose. • Remarkable animation in both the artist and the violinist.

14. Peter Paul Rubens • Produced over 2000 paintings • Assistants painted in still life’s, flowers and landscapes. • Charged by how much work he did on the painting. • His style was one of swirling physical movement, marvelous color and energetic brushwork. • Castle of Steen • His favorite • Landscape with broad receding spaces flooded with light.

15. Peter Paul Rubens • Lion Hunt • Violent activity as twisting, turning bodies of horses, lions and humans are intertwined in a complicated knot • Swords and straight lances lead the viewer’s eye back to center. • Foreshortening is handled with mastery.

16. Jan Vermeer • Little is known about this artist. • Used camera obscura – similar to a modern camera, a box with a small opening on one side through which an image was transferred in reverse onto the opposite wall. • Woman Holding a Balance • Design elements are carefully planned • Focus is on woman, objects are slightly unfocused. • Light coming from window.

17. Rembrandt • Made over 600 paintings, 300 etching, and over 2000 drawings. • Painted many self-portraits.

18. Rembrandt • The Shooting Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq. • Group portrait • Foreground figures are life-size • Painting was once brighter but soot and oxidation of colors darkened the values – often called The Night Watch. • Was originally larger, but someone cut off 3 feet from the left side and a foot off the right to allow it to fit through doors. • This changes the composition and balance of the work.

19. Baroque in SpainBasic History • Based on developments in Italy and the Netherlands. • Is the “Golden Age” of Spanish painting.

20. Diego Rodriquez de Silva y Velazquez • Painted the family and court of King Phillip IV • Focused on portraiture and what was real. • Las Meninas (The Maids of Honor) • Artist is seen in front of a large canvas. • King and Queen reflected on far wall in mirror. • The five-year-old princess with her two ladies-in-waiting, her favorite dwarfs and large dog. • Spots, patches of color, and light are used to define forms.

21. RococoBasic History • Emerges and is centered in France. • Focuses on lavishness.

22. Antoine Watteau • An artist above all others in Rococo. • Created shimmering surfaces that sparkle with life. • Work in general shows scenes of elegant society or comedic actors in park like settings. • The Gamut of Love • Successive stages of love: courtship, marriage, and children. • Painted an under color with pearly whites, blues and pinks. • Quickly brushed on trees and background with a thin wash. • Added the important figures in impastos of jewel-like colors.