Kelley Williamson 10-16-06 Flat Art Baroque Art

What is Baroque? There is a lot of written controversy by art historians over the question of how do we define Baroque to the common person? Baroque is so loaded in meaning and definition that it is often rejected completely in some cases, but the term is still shown in many historical texts. To define it in the simplest terms, or the most common: The word Baroque comes from the Portuguese word barocco or the Spanish word barueco for a pearl that is not round but an elaborate shape. In a word Baroque is considered elaborate. The word itself, however, does not accurately capture the period in which it refers to. Baroque was an artistic period and style between 1600 1750 and in some cases continued into the 18th century. Baroque, however, was not a universal style that described all works of art in the seventeenth century, but it is the most prevalent style when discussing this time period. As is the case in many other art movements the title Baroque was coined to this period in the eighteenth century and was commented as being the end of the Renaissance. Baroque art is a unified style that encompasses all forms of art such as painting, sculpture, music, poetry, architecture, and theatre. Baroque art in all forms is known as naturalistic. Naturalism is a view of the world through creativity to depict nature and mans relationship to it resembling reality in its purest form. Artists at this time drew from life and studied the body to replicate it to the best of their ability. Sometimes using cadavers as a model or study tool. Religion and science influenced the formation of Baroque art greatly during this time as well as artists like Caravaggio who was one of the first to react artistically to the current religious events. Religion and Mannerism period In the Renaissance, works of art were mainly religious in subject manner and there were technical improvements of the arts through perspective, shadows, and a greater understanding of anatomy. The Catholic Church commissioned most of the work, but some pieces were also available for commission to private individuals who demanded an increase in secular art. Following the High Renaissance, a short period called Mannerism occurred in central Italy from 1520-1600, which reflected the anxiety felt by the protestant reformation and the dwindling authority of the catholic church. The Mannerist artist rejected the classical Renaissance canon by distorting its figures through elongation, color, pattern like composition, and perspective. Mannerism or in Italian Maniera (meaning style) in art refers to a refinement or abstraction of nature. Artists dramatically abstracted their figures with exaggerated poses and elongated bodies shunning the previously used classical space of the picture plane and creating an imaginary view into an unknown arena. Mannerism is the opposite of naturalism that is depicted in the Baroque period, which corrects this artificiality and gives a sense of realness and emotion. Benedetto Varchi, an Italian historian, once defined artistic creation as an artificial imitation of nature,(Shearman, 18.) which was the view of many artists during the Mannerist period.

An example of this new artificial form of beauty, which is known as Mannerism, is best represented in Francesco Parmigianinos work. Parmigianino was known for his disproportion and odd perspective. The viewer cannot relate to his paintings with a sense of realness and the stand of measure in his figures is highly unnatural. In a work done in 1535 Madonna with the Long Neck, the body of baby Jesus is long in comparison with the other figures. He seems to be drooping from his mothers lap as a result of this. His hands, feet, and head are the only proportionate extremities that resemble a childlike form. Most Mannerist paintings are suggestive of emotion but do not communicate a strong sense of emotion to the viewer. The settings are unclear and the backgrounds are often pointless. The figures all suggest a sense of movement, which is common in the Mannerist style, which is the reason for their disproportion. Michelangelo and his followers describe this style as a way to show movement through a twodimensional plane, with curvature and grace. Although these images look unnatural they curve and elongate to suggest movement, which are common mannerist qualities. Baroque artists also adopted a mannerist-like sense of movement. Baroque artists, however, did not artificially distort their figures but changed aspects of a common scene, and added movement to make them more realistic, keeping with the naturalistic approach. The classical view of many military scenes represented a strong upright sense of power and strength with rigid arms and legs to accentuate the muscles. When Baroque artist, Peter Paul Rubens curved the legs and arms to suggest movement and make the image realistic his critics were appalled. The anticlassical view was not customarily done in this way and they believed that although the image looked more realistic, masters such as Michelangelo didnt use this view in the past so it should not be used at all. Some critics, however, praised him for his bold attempt. Commenting on Peter Paul Rubens use of naturalistic movement, French critic Roger de Piles (1677) states that there has never been a painter who has observed and who has known better then he how to give to objects their true and distinctive characterAn he carried this knowledge so far, with a bold but wise and skillful exaggeration of these characteristics, that he rendered painting more alive and more natural, so to speak, than nature itself (Martin, 45). Rubens negative critics were unsuccessful in their demanding of a classical view. It was the shift in religious upheaval, however, that made this anticlassical view accepted by the general public in 1600. In 1600 by the request of Pope Gregory XIII The Roman Catholic Church began a counter reformation intended to modernize Rome and increase the amount of churches. The church called on the arts to communicate religious themes in Rome. The guidelines for these works of painting and sculpture were that they had to be clear and straightforward to appeal the common public as well as exaggerate the realism in Christs suffering. As a result Baroque art became known as naturalistic and emotionally driven to create dramatic, and shock-like reactions. This would not only impress the churchgoers but art would become more common than ever in a religious setting. Although the churchs intentions for their request relied mainly on gaining power, it did give these artists the freedom to take back the realism of the Renaissance in their own way and get more exposure. These artists gathered in northern Italy away from their Mannerist foes.

Mannerism vs. Baroque In comparing Mannerist and Baroque art depicting the same scene, there are numerous differences in style and composition. The Mannerist image concentrates more on the positioning of the individuals than the emotion that it should portray. There are often no identifiable light sources but an overall light that seems to come from all directions. There is also a pattern in the juxtaposition of the figures that sit weightlessly and with little or no emotional attachment to the viewer. The Baroque image emotionally attracts the viewer with its naturalistic point of view, often showing so much intensity or gruesomeness that the reaction to it is unexpected and shocking. The composition is well planned out in order to invite the viewer into the picture plane and concentrates less on the pattern of the figures and more on a linear and realistic positioning. And almost always there is a light source seeping into the scene from one direction. One of the first and possibly the most influential Baroque painters to reject the Mannerist ideal and use these techniques was Caravaggio. Caravaggio Prior to the 1600s, Caravaggios work depicted nature and he used common people as models for important religious figures. He was against the traditional Mannerist style and at times the commissioners of his work were so enraged at how he depicted religious figures that they requested the work to be redone. A common theme of Caravaggios work was using biblical images into a common setting. This gave the viewer a fresh glance at religious subjects and allowed them to relate to the scene. This became a theme in Baroque art bringing the divine into a modern setting and suggesting that these biblical events are not in the past but in an ordinary experience. In his painting The Calling of St. Matthew, we can see that the only figures in antique cloaks are Jesus and his Disciple on the right of the picture plane. The others are in modern 17th century dress, which is uncommon for images leading up to this point. Most religious images prior to this were shown in a setting unfamiliar to the viewer unless they were familiar with the Bible and religious events. Even then this scene could not be visited in a modern time. Caravaggio made it possible to envision holy figures in modern times. This scene is also a good example of Caravaggios cecular light source or illumination. A strong light that falls from an unseen source. This also shows that this light (above Jesus) suggests visually we are looking at Jesus or a holy figure. To do this in his studio he hung a single lantern in a corner that caste upon his models to guide him in painting the illuminated figures. Some of his shocking and sometimes gruesome paintings reflected his turbulent life. Caravaggio was known for carrying around a sword, getting in fights, and in 1606 he had to escape Rome after killing a man over a tennis game argument. His last years were spent wandering from place to place until finally he died of malaria in 1610. Although his life was a bit of a mess Caravaggio contributed greatly to the baroque period by his use of space, light, and even time. Stylistic Themes in Baroque Art Space:

The seventeenth century was a time in which science changed our perspective of the world. It was found that those on earth were experiencing the same law of gravity that the earth was and that the universe was ultimately connected. This discovery influenced the Baroque artists toward a new view of how art is created and observed through its use of space. Artists began to question our place in the universe and expressed it through their creative processes by breaking the barrier between here and there, reality and the work of art. Their method is to conceive of the subject represented as existing in a space coextensive with that of the observer (Martin, 155). Baroque artists like Diego Velazquez broke the barrier between the images in art and the viewer. In this way anyone could become one with the artistic plane and feel as though they are apart of the painting. Some of these paintings give us the illusion that we are interrupting on a personal event, seeing something we shouldnt, or the illusion that we are in fact part of the picture. As is the case in The Maids of Honor. This large-scale painting by Velazquez is 105 X 9. The scene is questionable because it can be depicted in so many different ways. One explanation is that this is an event that actually happened, or that Valazquez was painting the royal couple when the princess interrupted. I think there is no definite explanation but a lack of one is the point of the image. In any case we see Velazquez on the left observing his subjects with a paintbrush in his hand. The princess is taking a glass of water from her maid in the center; the princess dwarf is on the right, and a marshal shown through the doorframe. The most important part of the image, however, is the reflection of the king and queen in the mirror on the back wall. It is suggested that we the viewer are looking at a two-dimensional image of a scene but at the same time Velazquez removes the space between the painting and the viewer by that reflection. We are the subjects being painted at the same time we are viewing the painting. Baroque art broke the boundary between the pictorial space and the viewers space in this way. Mirrors were also used symbolically as a tool to allow the viewers to reflect upon themselves in the same sense as the work of art. Baroque landscapes sometimes show a historical event but in a much different style than that of prior works. The figures in the piece are small in comparison to the endless landscape before them. The event seems to be forgotten. This is not so much the intention of the Baroque artist but more of a comment on the relationship between man and his surroundings. The art left less focus on man as the center of all that is important, sometimes removing figures completely and shifting that focus to the vast land that man inhabits. Time: With the new scientific findings of the seventeenth century not only was space an infinite possibility that brought with it creative genius but for the same reason time played a big role in art as well. Galileos theory of motion concentrated on the physics of weighted objects and time. He found that the pendulum could be used to set clocks, and keep time. Although this project failed in its attempt it was later refined and built in 1656 by Christian Huygens. Huygens also created the spiral balance for watches, which explains the increase in watches and the symbol of time in many paintings and sculptures. Man was also confronted with the knowledge of the passing of time relating to the movement of the planets. He himself was unable to control the passing of life but was forced to live day by day with the acceptance of his unknown future and

untimely dead. Time in many still lifes is often shown as a morbid reminder of death. Symbolically displayed as a skeleton, with a scythe, and hourglass. Other works display a revolution of time through birth, death, and possibility of the continuation of life, the change in seasons, and plays on light that represent day to night. Light: As Ive already discussed Caravaggios use of light affected the life-like quality of his work. Much of his art employs a high contrast with an unidentifiable light sources that illuminates the figures in the shadows. These extreme darks and lights vividly define the features of importance. This style is called chiaroscuro or tenebrism. With such contrast in light, the darkness of the image is what gives the light in the picture its power and significance. Light can also be used to signify the divine light. Light from one direction can represent a supernatural force, often exploding from the sky into the darkness of our world. This light can be seen above holy figures to signify their greatness or down from the sky illuminating a figure to represent the presence of God or vision of Him. Johannes Van Vermeers use of the chiaroscuro technique is resonant in almost all of his 40 some paintings. The setting of his work is often placed in his studio with an illuminating light from the left by two large windows. Often covering the source of light from the viewer by means of a curtain Vermeer gave a mysteriousness to the painting, teasing us by drawing us into the room by its bright figures but removing its source completely. Baroque- International As Baroque art spread internationally the same themes of space, time, and light were used. Beginning in Rome it spread to Germany, Flanders, Holland, Spain, France, and England. All areas used these areas of importance similarly by including them in their work but with the difference in religious practices, and cultural differences the scenes depicted changed dramatically. Vermeer and other Dutch artists differ from Catholic artists mainly because of their religion and location. The Catholic Church commissioned large-scale paintings of religious scenes. Protestants in Holland (like Vermeer) were middle class farmers and merchants. Because the church did not commission their work, Dutch artists relied solely on private collectors for their income. In comparison the art is on a much smaller scale to fit in the common Dutch home. In the image The Artist in his Studio is 52 1/8 x 431/4 in. compared to Valazquezs The Maids of Honor, which is 10ft x 9ft. The Dutch Baroque art depicted common everyday events to appeal to their local commissioners and town folk. These artists studied close to home and often used models that they interacted with daily. The commissioner and artist relationship in this way was highly personal because their audience could relate to these events on a personal level. Being their main source of income most works were done quickly. Albrecht Durer claimed that a picture he sold in Venice took a mere five days to complete. Vermeer, however, worked slowly and with perfection. Most of his work takes place in his studio shown by the same room organized with different still lifes to change the setting.

Georges de La Tour The last artist Id like to cover sums up the Baroque style and use of light, space, and time. La Tour often painted several versions of the same scene, all differing in symbolism by his positioning of still lifes. Some items he placed in the picture plane were, skulls to symbolise death and the reminder of the fragility of death, books and fire to refer to religion, and mirrors that act as a way for the audience to reflect upon themselves in relation to the scene depicted. In the painting Mary Magdalene Meditating we are aware of the deep emotional state of Mary. Her still position envokes a sense of silence and makes us feel as though she is deep in thought and there is something weighing upon her. Holding the skull, she is aware of the thin line between life and death. This was a common theme as well in most of La Tours paintings. Death and the afterlife. La Tour constructs the space of the image to connect the viewer by the illusion that we are present in the picture plane. His positioning of Mary gives us a full view of her body. Turning her head away from us it seems as though we have entered and she is not aware of our presence. La tour captures the essence of time by the candles presense. Marys meditation would be distrubed by the burning out of the candle and the precious time she has before this occures. This moment is brief, but captured, we are aware that time is of the essence and as her hand has been positioned on top of the skull we are also aware that time relates closely with death. Lastly, the Baroque technique of the chiaroscuro method is best represented by La Tour. Mary and the objects around her are only illuminated by the single candlelight. They emerge from the shadows defined and contrast drastically with the darkness of the room. As I said earlier the darkness gives the light such strength and importance. In closing Ill return to the question historians have pondered when defining Baroque. How do we define Baroque to the common person? they might ask. My definition of Baroque art in all forms is a removal of the classical two dimensional field, bringing the viewer into an emotional state of experiencing the subject matter. The audience is drawn into the plane by the artist to question the expanse of time and our presense in the universe. The use of chiaroscuro became one of the main themes in identifying Baroque pieces and it enforced the use of light so dramatically that the figures shot into our space and our reality. The figures depicted are apart of our world and they ask us to question, as Baroque artists did in their time, where does the boundary between life and art begin and how can we manipulate that distance through technique. Baroque artists used common settings in religious pieces making holy events and figures recognizable to their audience. Familiarity with a common scene lets us believe that these events are possible and relevant in the present. Naturalistic qualities of the scene made these pieces real and undisturbed by any mannerist-like shift in how we see the world. Catching the viewer with its realistic qualities, the purpose for the piece was easily understanded to appeal to the common viewer. The naturalistic emotion caught them as well by representing the change in feeling as a process of life. The emotions of the figures were catalysts to the emotion envoked by the piece and instead of avoiding natural emotion artists pushed it into every scene. The questions that we ask when we view a Baroque painting were intended by the artist to ask of ourselves. Why are we here? Where are we in the universe? Is our perception of the world correct? And how can we manipulate our reality or our art to create change?

Annotated Bibliography 1. Janson, H.W. (1977). The History of Art. Harry N. Abrams, INC., New York. This textbook gives an overview and chronological timeline of the events, art, and artists, in all time periods. This will give me a background to work from as I piece my research together. 2. Snow, Edward A. (1979). A Study Of Vermeer. Berkeley: University of California Press. Snow is studying the art of Johannes Van Vermeer. With so little known about Vermeers life, this book is less about Vermeer as a man but more of how his pieces spoke for him. Through studying his artwork I think this book will give a lot of information on how Dutch painters at that time worked in the Baroque era. 3. Garrard, Mary D. (2001). Artemisia Gentileschi Around 1622. Berkeley: University of California Press. This book is about the life and art of Artemisia Gentileschi. Being the best known female artist in this time period I thought it would be interesting to show her work and compare it with the male artists of that time. 4. Friedlaender, Walter F. (1965). Mannerism and anti-mannerism in Italian painting. Schocken Books, New York. This book points out the points and counterpoints by artists, either mannerist or anti-mannerist. This will be useful in understanding the controversy around this point in art history. 5. Shearman, John K.G. (1967). Mannerism. Penguin, Harmondsworth. This book covers the questions that we face when understanding Mannerism, such as why did it happen, what happened, and how? He also covers the reasons why many historians disregard Mannerism. Being a positive author about the subject I think this book will be useful in asking these questions in my project and answering them. 6. Martin, John Rupert. (1977). Baroque. New York: Harper. This text gives an overview of the Baroque style, culture, and era through art, architecture, and sculpture. With the 200 illustrations throughout the text this book will come in handy when relating an artist or style to the information given. 7. Kren Emil (1996). Caravaggio Biography. Retrieved Sep. 2006 from [Link] This web site helped me get a basic understanding of Caravaggios background and artistic direction. I thought that because he was such an influential artist of the Baroque period I should discuss a bit of his personal history. 8. Siscom (2003). 16th and 17th century Europe. Retrieved Sep. 2006 from [Link] This site gave me a short description of each movement from the 16th to 17th century. I used this to compare the Renaissance, Mannerist, and Baroque periods. 9. La Tours Madgalenes. Retrieved Oct. 2006 from [Link] This site was important to understanding George La Tours history. Little was known about his life but this helped me to understand and in the end teach the symbolism behind La Tours work.