From the Baroque period through the romantic age

Abstract

Most of the artistic development that took place within the 17^th century in Europe can be easily attributed to the Baroque revolution. The main changes in Baroque art can be summarized into Baroque sculpture, paintings and architecture. Of the three, paintings and related artwork have had the biggest impact in Europe and the rest of the world. The paintings had various themes ranging from secular to religious Catholic works of art. The unique aesthetic qualities, artists’ philosophies and historical background of the paintings form the major part of the discussion.

From the Baroque period through the romantic age

The Baroque era refers to a period that was filled with artistic developments that applied different new styles such as drama, architecture and music in most of Europe. The earliest recording of the establishment of the Baroque era was in 1600 in Rome. The Roman church was particularly central toward the advancement and growth of the Baroque era. The church had insisted that all works of art should represent religious themes. The focus by the church on most of the art shifted the appeal of the Baroque art from the intellectuals to works that are more intuitive. Baroque art shifted to tendencies that are more heroic for example works of Annibale Carracci, Caravaggio, Correggio and Federico Barocci (Timberlake, 2012).

The Baroque era also covers the period of development in European music that was between 1600 to around 170. Initially, baroque implied abnormality, extravagance and strangeness and applied more to art than to music. The increased significance of baroque in music developed in the 20^th century when it referred to a period in musical history. Baroque music has been compared by many critics and musicians as being intense, ornate and texturized in nature. Most of the music was characterized by highly decorated melodic line as well as rich counterpoints. The belief in the doctrine of affections was also entrenched during the Baroque era. It allowed people to express what they felt in their works of art. Baroque music was a polite contrast of the harsh Medieval and Renaissance style of music in that it focused on the use of instrumental color and vocals.

Baroque sculpture

Baroque sculptures took on a new and more important meaning that was accompanied by a dynamic movement. They often had many angles and ways of perceptions. The unique aspect of Baroque sculptures was that they had added sculptural elements such as water fountains and hidden lighting. A unique contributor toward Baroque sculpture was the Brazilian, Aleijadinho who sculpted the Santuário de Bom Jesus de Matosinhos in Congonhas that consisted of Old Testament prophets carved out of soapstone. Most of the sculptor made busts and statues of prominent leaders such as Popes, kings and princes. The Rococo style was preferred for smaller works of art such as the Franz Anton Bustelli. The distinct features of Baroque sculpture include extravagant effects such as gliding characters, rich decoration and swirling drapes.

Baroque architecture

Baroque architecture refers to the building style s of the Baroque period across Italy and the rest of Europe. The architecture was slightly different from the Renaissance era in that while Renaissance architecture drew its inspiration from the power and wealth of the Italian tycoons and combined religious and secular themes, Baroque architecture drew its inspiration from the power and influence of the Church. Some of the distinct features that distinguish Baroque architecture from other types are that the broader naves were developed and even given oval shapes. The designers also sometimes deliberately or unconsciously mad incomplete elements. The artists also used light in a dramatic way by balancing light and dark shades.

Within the Baroque architecture, more improvements were made on the domes, the bold massing and the colonnades. The stairs was also modified to be monumental and this idea was greatly duplicated across Europe (In Bohn & Saslow, 2012). Central Germany was notably aggressive in the development of their Baroque architecture and produced works such as Ludwigsburg Palace. Other examples of Baroque architecture are found in Latin America and England where town planning was characterized by radiating avenues, new shapes and themes (Henning et al, 2008).

Baroque painting

Painting was one of the forms of art that developed over the Baroque era. In this period, painting was associated with absolutism and the Catholic Revival which spread to most of Europe in a similarly fashion to the other forms of arts. The major developments in painting started at around 1600 and went on up to the 17^th century. It was characterized by deep, rich colors, drama and intense dark and light shadows. The main change from the Renaissance art was also evident in the way the Baroque paintings captured different things (Gillgren & Snickare, 2012). While Renaissance art displayed events before they actually took place, Baroque art selected the dramatic parts when the event was actually happening. An example of such style can be found in Michelangelo during the Renaissance period showed David before his great fight with Goliath while Bernini shows avid in the process of throwing the stone at Goliath in a baroque painting (Gardner & Kleiner, 2012).

The true meaning of Baroque painting can be found in the works by Peter Paul Rubens. Most of Baroque paintings exhibited concepts such as the depictions of movement and space, compositions and the handling of paint. Baroque painting had a sense of artistic expression that used a lot of lighting and had mixed emotions. The paintings avoided showing the current lifestyle of the communities at the time and instead focused on reaffirming the Catholic faith and the monarchy (Kevorkian, 2012). Most of the paintings expressed the power and influence of the church and the king. Among the artists during the Baroque era, there were also variations in the way in which they produced paintings. While Caravaggio and Cortona both painted similar works of art, they had conflicting views on approaching emotive dynamism. Works by Bernini especially the painting Saint Theresa in Ecstasy was also inclusive of sculpture, theatre and architecture into one (Dixon, 2002).

The Fall of Phaeton

Most of the paintings by Peter Paul Rubens focused on Roman folklore. The painting consists of Helios, the Roman sun god who drives a chariot across the skyline. The storyline behind the painting shows a struggle between a father and his son over the proof of parentage. (Carl & Charles, 2009). This painting exhibited energetic brushwork, lively compositions and rich colors that were common of baroque art. Unique to Peter Rubens was the usage of restless motion and dynamism in the painting as it shows all the conflicts between Helios, Zeus and Phaeton. Rubens also used the same strong colors and shades of light as other artists during the Baroque period.

Peter Paul Rubens made the painting The Fall of Phaeton during his studies in Italy from 1600 to 1608. Apart from being a painter, Rubens was also conversant with the legal system as his own father was a lawyer. It was during his practice as a lawyer that he worked in many courts as a diplomat (Koay, 2012). Rubens was also a linguist and a noted scholar in history and other old forms of language (Cameron, 2012). During these many trips to negotiate on behalf of the Italian government, Rubens encountered and shared knowledge with various other artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci.

Christ in the House of Martha and Mary

The painting, Christ in the House of Martha and Mary was the result of collaboration between Jan Brueghel II and Peter Paul Rubens. Jan Brueghel II was responsible for painting the still life and the landscape while Rubens was responsible for the whole work of art. The picture was set in an interior scene that was a move by the two artists from their usual outdoor scenes to an outdoor terrace. In the background of the painting, the Château de Mariemont, the summer residence of the Spanish regents Albert and Isabella Both were visible. The two artists were indeed painters for the regents that would have explained why the work was classified as having been done for an aristocratic customer (Bissell et al, 2005).

The high quality of the painting alongside the fact that it was classical made the work of art highly famous. The painting had strong themes of religion that found acceptance within most of the Western countries. Most of the other paintings were similarly religious in their nature or background for example illustrations of the crucifixion and the resurrection. Apart from Christ in the House of Martha and Mary, Peter Paul Rubens also painted landscapes and altarpieces. Most of his drawings were quite forceful but carried huge volumes of detail. The painting, for instance, captured the full expression of interest and awareness of Martha and Mary (Buci-Glucksmann, 2012).

Starry Night

Starry nights was a famous painting done by Vincent Van Gogh that comprised of the night sky that was littered with numerous clouds that were enveloped in the luminescence of stars as well as a bright crescent moon in the background. These features are amplified making the starry scene familiar to almost everybody and which makes people at ease and comfortable. A look at the painting keeps the eyes roaming while other factors dominate. The left side of the painting has a massive dark structure which brings out a sense of separation from the rest of the images in the painting. The Starry Nights also has aspects of religion in it as the eleven stars in the picture can be interpreted as Joseph’s eleven brothers in the book of Genesis in the bible. (Bauer et al, 2006).

Conclusion

All the three paintings had a similarity in that they all borrowed heavily from historical events and occurrences. The paintings were done by artists who had a wholesome view of Europe and had toured most of the continent. Paintings by Rococo also displayed comfortable lifestyles and luxury while other artists captured real events. In terms of their aesthetic value, all the three paintings touched on areas that would be fascinating and appealing to most people as they were realistic in nature. However, it is evident that all these artists developed new Baroque art as a response to the Renaissance art that fell short of expressing the true work of artists and to capture the realest form of an entity (Bailey, 2012).

Peter Paul Rubens. “The Fall of Phaeton”

Vincent Van Gogh – Starry Night

Christ in the House of Martha and Mary by Jan Brueghel II and Peter Paul Rubens

A fantastic with Odysseus and Calypso by Jan Breughel the Elder

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