#27 ITALIAN BAROQUE ART

ITALIAN BAROQUE ART

Trajan's Kiosk, one of the largest Ancient Egyptian temples still standing today, was built by the Roman Emperor, Trajan. — Wikimedia

Remember how the Egyptians put up huge monuments to show their power and frighten conquered people so they wouldn't even think of rebelling?

Later, the Romans created massive triumphal arches to show their might. In the Renaissance, the popes paid for great art to show off their "heavenly powers."

Across the ages, people in power have used art as a way to promote their prestige and intimidate possible opponents.

OBJECTIVES

Discuss Italy in the seventeenth century.
Identify the characteristics of Baroque art.
Discuss the work of Caravaggio, Bernini, and Velasquez.
Describe Spanish Baroque architecture.

VOCABULARY

OVERVIEW OF THE BAROQUE PERIOD

A painting of Nicholas Copernicus — Wikimedia

We're not exactly sure where the term "baroque" originated. It may have come from the Portuguese word "barocco," a description of a type of pearl with a distorted shape. It means "irregular" or "rough" and was used originally by the eighteenth-century art critics as a derogatory term to describe art produced from about 1600-1750. The term "baroque" also defines periods in literature and music.

What was happening historically in the world in the 1600s and early 1700s? For one thing, a Polish astronomer named Copernicus proved that the sun and planets did not revolve around the Earth but that the Earth was simply one of the planets revolving around the sun.

This caused quite a problem for the religious authorities who firmly believed that the Earth was the center of the universe. In addition to religious upheavals, there were political conflicts as new and exotic places were discovered. This was a period of constant war as the major European powers jockeyed for power: The French Religious Wars, the Thirty Years' War (1618 and 1648), The Franco-Spanish War (1653), The Dutch War (1672-1678) and other conflicts plagued Europe during this time.

We can boil all these events down to several factors, that affected the development of Baroque art, including:

the Catholic Church's efforts to keep people interested in the Catholic faith
scientific discoveries such as those made by Copernicus and Galileo
the development of worldwide trade, a system called mercantilism
the desire of European monarchies to display their power and wealth

BAROQUE ART AND ARTISTS

Art of the Baroque period is quite compelling in its complexity. Baroque artists were fascinated by the way the mind worked. They strove to convey the inner passions through the facial expressions and body language of the figures they portrayed in painting and sculpture.

Characteristics of Baroque art include:

sense of movement
energy
tension
realism
feeling of infinite space In painting and sculpture, light and shadow contrast to create a dramatic effect

Baroque architects and designers were also concerned with the idea of movement as well as with contrasts in light and dark. The Church of Santa Susanna in Rome is one such early Baroque building.

Instead of windows there are niches with figures that appear to be caught in the middle of movement. The rounded columns create the appearance of undulation (or movement like waves). Notice the decorative curlicues on either side of the second floor. The design is somewhat playful.

The interior is highly decorative and filled with dramatic light.

Baroque architecture in churches, which was directly connected to the counter-reformation, can be characterized by

broad, occasionally circular nave
dramatic use of light
opulent use of ornaments
large-scale ceiling frescoes

The Catholic Church sought to bring clarity, realism, and emotion into art. Baroque art in the Roman Catholic countries of Italy and Spain often centered on an intense spirituality and depicted scenes of ecstasies, martyrdoms, or miracles. Notice the intensity of the emotional expression in the statue of Saint Teresa of Avila as well as the realistic rendering of cloth and the individuality of the facial features.

"I saw an angel close by me, on my left side, in bodily form. This I am not accustomed to see, unless very rarely. Though I have visions of angels frequently, yet I see them only by intellectual vision." Saint Teresa of Avila

CARAVAGGIO

A painting by Caravaggio — Wikimedia

Michelangelo Merisi, called Caravaggio, was one of the first painters to give full expression to the Baroque period.

Caravaggio might have been what we would call a "thug" in today's parlance. Constantly in trouble, he had to leave his home in Milan after he wounded a police officer. He fled to Rome in 1592 where he stayed for about fourteen years, gaining fame and fortune for his art and notoriety for his violent behavior. He became ill and died at the age of thirty-nine while on the run from some knights who were bent on revenge; Caravaggio had allegedly killed one of their fellow knights. However, Caravaggio was also very religious and he left behind a stunning legacy of art.

Caravaggio emphasized naturalism in his paintings. He preferred to portray everyday people doing ordinary activities. In fact, his work was so realistic that some scholars believe Caravaggio used mirrors to reflect images on a surface that he used to then create works of astonishing realism.

Notice in The Musician (finished 1596) that each figure is engaged in some ordinary activity, such as reading or tuning the instrument.

Caravaggio experimented with various oil paints and achieved a look of luminosity and transparency. He was also adept at using chiaroscuro, the interplay of light and shadow as you can see in The Calling of Saint Matthew (finished 1600).

While he strove for realism, his pictures were also quite dramatic. He chose to paint scenes that would draw in the viewer with the emotional impact of the event — such as the moment of a miracle or a murder. Notice the emotions captured in his version of Judith Beheading Holofernes.

The Death of the Virgin was rejected by the monks who had commissioned it for being too shocking.

Other painters disseminated the naturalism of Caravaggio throughout Italy in the early 1600s. It later spread to France, Spain and the Netherlands.

BERNINI

Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who was also an architect and a painter, was the most important and influential Baroque sculptor in Rome. In his magnificent sculpture of the Ecstasy of St. Teresa we can see how he created multitude folds in the drapery to create shadows and contrast.

His early over-life-size sculpture, Apollo and Daphne (1622-24 ) shows how he used marble to create tension and to emphasize the contrasts of light and dark.

Gian Lorenzo Bernini Bernini's life-sized marble sculpture Apollo and Daphne — Wikimedia

Bernini was also created beautiful marble busts. His most famous example is the marble portrait of Costanza Buonarelli, with whom he had fallen in love. You can see it and read a short description at the Getty Museum (Los Angeles) website.

Pope Urban VIII gave Bernini his first commission to decorate the interior of Saint Peter's Church. His first job was to design and decorate a huge baldachin, or canopy, over the altar in St. Peter’s Basilica.

This structure was made of marble and gilded bronze. Its enormity helps create the desired impression: "God is Great, and the Catholic Church is His Home."

Fountains were treasured by the water-loving Romans from the early times. To restore the grandeur of that great city, Bernini created outstanding fountains, such as the Fountain of the Four Rivers (1648-1651) in Rome's Piazza Navona. The fountain features a tall Egyptian obelisk in the middle of statues of four river gods made of travertine.

In this detail you can see the river god Ganges. Notice the power indicated in the arms and legs and the realistic details of the belly and the beard. The fountain is an arresting site.

Italian Baroque Architecture

In addition to creating stunning sculptures, Bernini was also an architect. In 1656, he was commissioned to create an open space at St. Peter’s Basilica so that huge groups of people could receive the Pope’s blessing. To this order he designed the spectacular colonnade around the courtyard.

Bernini was not the only architect working in the Roman Baroque style. Francesco Borromini designed the San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane in Rome in1665.

The rhythmic concave and convex pattern represents the epitome of Italian Baroque architecture.

Notes

Look at the image of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane and describe it in your notes. Notice the way the front "undulates" like a wave.

Spain, like Italy, was full of religious fervor.

DE VELÁZQUEZ

Diego de Velázquez was Spain’s greatest painter of the Baroque era. When he was 23, he was invited to serve as the portrait painter for King Philip IV.

This portrait of the king is richly detailed with a red background that seems to have the texture of velvet.

His greatest painting is Las Meninas, or The Maids of Honor, painted in 1656. The painter himself is visible in this portrait along with the royal family and staff. Notice the different planes of action -- foreground, mid-ground, and background. Each one is meticulously detailed.

Notes

Read the article about Diego Velazquez.

Spanish Baroque Architecture

Baroque architecture eventually made its way over from Italy into Spain. The Palace of Madrid is a magnificent example of this Spanish Baroque style. Notice the rows of Tuscan pillars and the ornate decorations along the top of the building.

A style of ornament specific to Spain developed called Churrigueresque, popularized by the sculptor Benito de Churriguera. It is a wild and exuberant style, exemplified in the Cathedral of Santiago.

The style can be seen in cities such as Barcelona, Salamanca, and even Mexico City. Notice the ornate towers of this cathedral.

LET'S REVIEW!

In this lesson, you have covered the following subjects:

the contradiction and conflict of the Baroque period
the beginnings of the scientific revolution, as defined by the prominence of Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton
the flourishing of religious art despite enhanced secularization
motion, energy, and drama in Baroque art
Caravaggio's extreme realism

Complete the following quiz.

#27 ITALIAN BAROQUE ART QUIZ

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