Baroque Period Essay Research Paper The Baroque

Baroque Period Essay, Research Paper

The Baroque Period

The Baroque Art began in Italy between the sixteen hundreds and the seventeen hundreds. Classicism of the High Renaissance has been replenished during the Baroque period. During the Baroque period of art, the exploration of the fundamental components of the human nature and the realm of senses and emotions were very crucial. The Baroque era was very vast and dynamic, radiant and colorful, dramatic and intense, passionate and ardent, and sensual and overpowered by emotions. The superficial form of light was fascinated during this period due to the thoughts of godlike sun or the truth of the Holy Spirit. The Baroque naturalism maintains the religious themes in content. The elements of perception in the Baroque art are how we perceived the natural human figures are in motion through space, time, and light. We present and analyze the extent of human actions and passions in all its degrees of lightness, darkness, and intensity.

One of the most well known Italian painters from the Baroque period was Annibale Carracci. One of his famous works was from the Gallery of the Palazzo Farnese in Rome. The Farnese ceiling had a big impact in the modification of High Renaissance painting. It revives the Renaissance in human themes and emotions and the concentration of human nature and anatomy; therefore, forming a connection between the Renaissance and the Baroque. It creates the naturalistic and classical art and form in the paintings. He greatly influenced another Italian painter named Carlo Dolci, who painted Virgin and Child with Saint John the Baptist. In this painting, strong feelings and emotions are being greatly expressed without words. We see that Carracci?s painting of the Farnese ceiling was painted in rich, brilliant colors, just like the Virgin and the Child?s clothing in Dolci?s painting. The emphasis of the human body and emotions are greatly displayed. Human nudity and beauty was also an important factor. The nudity of the Child embodies spiritual and abstract meaning of nature. Human nudity symbolizes purity, truth and innocence. We can comprehend that in the paintings of Carracci and Dolci that human nature and love are complement of each other and also determines the theme of the story throughout the paintings. This is some of the ways that Dolci kept Carracci?s traditions of naturalism. In my opinion, I feel that the symbolic meaning of the delicate and fragile Child in Dolci?s painting represents the birth of Christ. The facial expressions of the Virgin and the Child had a great sense of joy and love. We can actually feel the love and the unbreakable bond between the Virgin and the Child. The tilting of the Virgin?s head demonstrates the closeness and inseparable connection of the Virgin and the Child. The Virgin?s zealous expression and long devoted thoughts tells me that she treasures the Child as he was brought to this new world. The significance of the Child?s finger crossing and pointing upward gives a metaphorical meaning. As Saint John the Baptist is kneeling and praying to the Christ Child, in return, the Christ Child blessed him. The rich, radiant colors play an important role in the intensity of the light and movement of the painting. The intensity of the colors drew our attention first to the painting even before the solid figure forms. The ripples of the satin give a feeling of movement in the painting. And the colors give us the feeling of warmth. The blue and red satin was very rich and bright, reflecting the light off of it. The process of chiaroscuro is also being used among the red and blue satin. The use of modeling of light and shade gives a better three-dimensional effect and depth to the painting. There was also a hidden glowing light surrounding the Child?s head, hinting the importance of the Child. And yet, there is also a hidden ring of gold light around the Virgin?s head. The significance of light symbolizes the presence of the Divine or God. Therefore, it makes the Dolci?s painting more iconic than Stomer?s painting.

During the Baroque period, another fascinating Italian painter introduced his dark and dramatic view of religious themes. He converts both religion and the classics into a gloomy, harsh drama in a dark setting of time and place. Many of his great works were Conversion of St. Paul, Calling of St. Matthew, and Death of the Virgin. Well-known for his talent in the art industry, his name was Michelangelo Merisi, known as Caravaggio. One of his disciples that still kept his traditional view and stylistic techniques was Mathias Stomers, who painted The Judgement of Solomon. Many details in this painting were similar to Caravaggio?s works. For instance, the use of artificial light is being understood. Although the light form is from a candle, the effects of the material light throw precise shadows on the surface, giving religious intentions. The setting of the scene always seems to be taken in a mundane environment, and the time appears to be taken at nighttime. The sharp contrast of light and dark creates a naturally dramatic feature of the settings and the figures. This famous technique called tenebrism was greatly use. A keen ray of light illuminating and shattering a world of darkness and bearing a spiritual message was the central religious themes. It forces the eyes to see the figures and the scenes in greater details. Many figures cast a shadow due to the