baroque
Rembrandt
- Dutch Baroque Painter from the Durch Golden Age in the 17th century
- Father was a prosperous miller. He earned a considerable income as an artist, yet fell out with the elite patrons after he aged and experienced financial difficulties. He attended school, but wasn’t interested
- Known for use of chiaroscuro and portraits (for merchant class) portrait/character studies/genre, religious scenes (mostly old testament), group portraits, and landscapes
- From the Netherlands, born in Leiden, did most of his work in Amsterdam
Velazquez
- Spanish Baroque painter from the Spanish Golden Age in the 17th century
- His father was a Notary. He was in born into the middle class. His social status was elevated when he worked for the king. He was not school educated
- Had a slave whom he liberated: the painter Juan de Pareja
- To achive a higher rank at the royal court, he joined a competition to paint a scene of the expulsion of the Moriscos (Muslim) (do not assume that one repressed minority will be kind towards another repressed minority)
- He wanted to be ennobled to overcome his jewish blood
- Served as the court painter to King Philip IV of Spain, painting many portraits for the Spanish royal family. Painted in Italy too
Bernini
- Italian sculptor, architect, and artist from the Baroque era in the 17th century
- Counter-reformation de-emphasizes the body in religious art and drapery is the main challenge. The additive process with an open form. He dified his hard stone material, incoperating illusionism and naturalism. Hellenistic carving technique
- He made clay sketches
- From Naples, Italy, most of his work in Rome
Pedro de Mena
- Spanish sculptor from the Spanish Baroque period in the 17th century
- often worked with polychrome wood creating life-like depictions of saints, Christ, and the Virgin Mary, known for naturalism and attention to detail
- From Granada, Spain
Gregorio Fernandez
- Spanish religious sculptor from the Baroque era in the 17th century
- often worked with polychrome wood creating life-like depictions of saints, Christ, and the Virgin Mary
- worked in the city of Valladolid, Spain
Pozzo
- Italian Jesuit priest, baroque painter, and architect in the 17th century
- He attended school. As a Jesuit priest and renowned artist, Pozzo was a member of the clergy, having a relatively high social status
- Best known for his significant contributions to the art of perspective and for his work as a fresco painter
- Worked in various parts of Italy, most prominently in Rome (northern italy)
Carracci
- Italian Baroque painter from the 17th century
- His father was a tailor. He did not attend school, however created an art academy with his brother an uncle
- Known for his contributions to fresco painting and other genres including portraiture and landscapes. He used figure drawings
- Worked in Bologna, Italy (northern Italy)
Caravaggio
- Italian Baroque painter from the 17th century
- His father was a stonemason. He came from a relatively humble background, often described as being from a lower social class. He did not attend school and rejected the art establishment.
- When he became a Knight, he was given two slaves by the Knights of Malta.
- Known for his dramatic baroque style of painting, with intense chiaroscuro (contrast between light and dark), realistic depictions of religious figures, and naturalistic/realistic approach, often making controversial paintings
- Mostly worked in Rome, Italy, however, his unconventional and provocative style often caused him conflicts with authorities, forcing him to move around (northern Italy)
Rubens
- Flemish baroque painting from the 17th century
- His father was a lawyer of high social class. He attended school.
- Renowned for his skill in depicting the human form, creating numerous religious and mythological paintings, and portraits and landscapes. He made compositional drawings.
- He made altarpieces, palace decorations, portraits (notably royalty, upper classes)
- From Flanders, did most of his work in Antwerp (1609-1640), which is in present-day Belgium, Germany. He work in Italy as well (1600-1608)
Artemisia Gentileschi
- Italian Baroque painter of the 17th century
- Best known for her chiaroscuro technique, often featuring strong, dynamic women as central figures, reflecting her own experiences and themes of female empowerment
- Raped by her father's friend, Agostino Tassi (painter), then faced a trial where she was tortured to prove she was telling the truth.
- Worked in various cities in Italy including Rome, Florance, and Naples
Kehinde Wiley
- Contemporary American painter from the 20th and 21st century
- Known for portraits that often feature African Americans in poses and settings inspired by traditional European portraiture, challenging the conventional notions of race, gender, and power in art and society
- He lives and works in New York, USA; he was born in Los Angeles
What is (western) sculptural “canon”? when was it established (in writings on art)? Why was the 18th c. another turning point for the canon
- Broadly, a canon is defined as the ideal standard by which other things are measured. In art history, this means the canon is defined by bodies of works that are of “indisputable quality” within a culture or have passed an ambiguous test of value that deem the works worthy for study.
Polychrome wood sculpture
- Exported from the Netherlands to Spain (in 15th century)
- Spanish sculptors developed technique
- Naturalism to realism
- Positive reaction of Spanish viewers, realistic sculptures of religious figures, made people feel the sculptures were real, having a greater reaction to the sculpture as if it wasn’t just a sculpture
Colonial Latin America (17th-18th c.)
- Spain’s dressed statues to Colonial Latin America (santos vestidos)
o Religious symbolism: representing saints, the virgin mary, and other religious figures. Served as an important focal point for religious devotion, often being placed in churches, chapels, public areas, etc. often represented wealth, status, and piety of the individuals/communities who owned them.
o Indigenous and European cultures: impact on the cultural exchange that occurred in colonial Latin America. Indigenous and mestizo (mixed-race) artists and craftsmen created clothing/accessories for statutes, blending indigenous and European artistic traditions, representing the cultural and religious melding during the colonial period
- Paintings of statues in Colonial Latin America
o Depictions of religious statues and sculptures reflected a strong influence of Catholicism and religious devotion in the region, documenting religious art, conveying religious stories, emphasizing importance of the dressed sculptures.
o Ratoblos common subject of painting; elaborate, multi-paneled altarpieces that often featured painting images of religious figures, scenes and statues.
Heavily dressed ladies?
- Sculptures in diverse materials imported to Colonial Latin America
o Caffa (Italian), St. Rose of Lima, ca. 1650, marble- Lima cathedral, Peru
o Montanes (Spanish), crucifix polychrome wood, 17th c. Lima Cathedral, Peru
The painting captured diversity with colour
- In the Baroque era, which spanned the 17th century and parts of the 18th century, art was influenced by the social, political, and cultural context of the time. Racial difference and the depiction of different ethnic and racial groups in art were themes that emerged in this period, although they were often shaped by the prevailing attitudes and biases of the time.
o 1. Portraiture and Racial Difference: Portraiture was a significant genre in Baroque art, and it often depicted individuals from diverse racial backgrounds. Notably, the European colonial expansion during this period led to increased contact with non-European cultures, resulting in an interest in representing the people from these regions in art. Artists often created portraits of foreign dignitaries, explorers, and traders, emphasizing their distinctive physical features.
o 3. Slave and Servant Portraits: The Baroque era saw the rise of the transatlantic slave trade, which resulted in the forced migration of Africans to the Americas. Some portraits from this time depicted enslaved individuals who were often portrayed in a servile manner, reinforcing the power dynamics of the time. These depictions can be seen as capturing racial difference through the lens of servitude and colonialism.
Adoration of the Maji, Retablo (altarpiece), Convent of Santa Isabel (Valladolid), ca. 1610
Materials to express racial difference
- Bronze
o Monument to grand duke Ferdinand I Medici (of Tuscany with four “moors”), ca. 1620, Italy (Pietro Tacca, black African slave)
- Marble (the noble material in spite of racial difference
o Bernini represents black Africans in white marble, he used facial features to convey difference.
“why are you washing an Ethiopian in vain? Oh, do stop. No one can turn the shades of black night to light.” Attempt to reinforce racial stereotyping
Fresco
- Significant painting medium in baroque art, used to decorate wall and ceilings of churches, palaces, public buildings, etc. during the 17th and 18th c., emphasizing emotion, drama, and grandeur. Aimed to elicit a strong, emotional response of the viewer by incorporating religious themes.
- Church decoration: depicted religious scenes and allegories in the interiors of churches and cathedrals. They were designed to inspire awe and covey religious devotion.
- Illusion ceiling frescoes techniques of perspective and foreshortening used to create depth and optical illusion of three-dimensional architectural elements or figures. Exp., making the ceiling/dome appear open to the heavens with scenes of floating figures and clouds.
- Dynamic compositions: dramatic use of light and shadow, often featuring swirling, energetic compositions, creating movement and theatricality.