Q: WHAT WAS THE IMPACT OF REFORMATION ON ART AND ARCHITECTURE IN

EUROPE? WERE THERE REGIONAL AND NATIONAL DIFFERENCES? HOW DID THE
CATHOLIC CHURCH COUNTER ITS EFFECTS?

The most Strict and doctrinal style of Christian Art which was developed in the period of c.1560-1700 is
best described by The Catholic Reformation Art. The main purpose of the stringent style of Biblical Art
was to portray the religious dissimilarities between Protestantism and Catholicism. The Stringent style of
Biblical Art was supposed to invigorate Catholic worshipers all across Europe consequently diminishing
the effects of Protestant revolt. The Roman Church started getting aid from wealthy people and the Jesuit
order started to consider works of altarpiece Art, ecclesiastical sculpture and wood carvings, fresco
paintings and new Architecture. The supporters of Catholic Art Reformation popped up day by day
increasing in number. The most prominent admirers in Europe included Italy (Caravaggio, Pietro da
Cortona, Bernini, and Andrea Pozzo), Spain (El Greco, Ribera, and Francisco de Zurbaran) and Southern
Germany.

The Reformation caused many of the things to change including Art and Architecture. The Art and
Architecture of the Protestant Churches changed drastically as they were now devoid of religious
decorations, statues, representation of Saints, relics and of traditional screens which had separated the
nave with the praying public from the choir and altar area, where priests and monks celebrated mass.
During the reformation another major change was of the subject matter of paintings.

During the 15th Century the paintings of early Renaissance became less and less religious. The priority or
the main focus of the paintings started to shift more and more towards secularism. For example, The
Tornabuoni Chapel frescoes, a master piece by Domenico Ghirlandaio is clearly focused on the city life
of bourgeois rather than conveying a religious meaning like ‘life of Virgin Mary’ showing the inclination
of the artist from religion to secularism. The nonspiritual priorities started be the main focus of the artists
who painted religious stuff for churches. For instance the Italian artist Andrea Mantegna started to get
involved with the rich families in the area like Gonzaga family.
Another great Italian artist Botticelli started to paint pagan works for
the powerful Medici family. The paintings she (Botticelli) made were
very bold as they had complete nudity. One of the paintings was ‘The
Birth of Venus’.
Girolamo Savonarola was one of the famous Dominican preacher who culminated in his Bonfire of the
vanities in 1497. Absence of Christian dedication and the growing corruption of the time was made very
evident from the art piece ‘Bonfire of the Vanities’.

Later after the introduction of Humanism in the High Renaissance period, the
situation got to an extreme as Humanism is characteristically represented by
Male and Female nudity. Humanism became one of the focal points and a
very important feature in the Renaissance aesthetics.

Increasing Humanism in the in the era in demonstrated by the statue of David

made by Michelangelo. The statue had complete nudity which was totally
against the beliefs of Christians before Reformation.

In Germany Reformation also had a huge impact on art and architecture. Martin Luther was a German
priest, monk and a professor of theology. Martin Luther worked as a catalyst in Germany to boost the
range of restricted paintings in Christianity. He encouraged the people to use secular paintings in churches
during the period of reformation.

On the other hand there was a wave of iconoclasm which can also be regarded as destruction of religious
imagery. The destruction began very early in the Reformation, when students in Erfurt destroyed a
wooden altar in Franciscan friary in 1521. Continuous hostility was shown to religious images, specially
sculptures and large paintings. Leaders who were appointed after reformation like John Calvin used their
followers to remove the imagery from churches stating those art works as idolatrous.

Much important subjects in Catholic art were disapproved by the protestant theology and were given a
very little emphasis. Consequently, the Church mostly on Northern Europe started to terminate the
commission for figurative art and the dictation of content was given entirely in the hands of artists and lay
consumers. Iconic Images of Christ and the events that took place in His life became less and less
prominent in churches. Instead narrative scenes from the bible and later moralistic depictions of modern
life were given priority. A German painter ‘Daniel Hisgen’, specialized in cycles of biblical paintings
decorating the front of the gallery parapet in Lutheran churches with an upper gallery, a less prominent
position that satisfied Lutheran scruples. Wooden organ cases were also very often painted with similar
scenes to those in Catholic Churches.
Lutherans strongly defended their sacred art from Calvinist, as Calvinist rulers tried to impose their
authority on Lutherans. In response, Lutherans exclaimed: ‘you black Calvinist, you give permission to
smash our pictures and hack our crosses; we are going to smash you and your Calvinist priest in return’.

To rebuild confidence in the authority of the Roman Catholic Church, after the twin shocks of the
Protestant Reformation and the Sack of Rome, a campaign of reform was necessary. Reformers strongly
believed in the inspirational power of visual art. So consequently, the production of religious art and
sculptures started. This step formed a base for a movement known as The Catholic Counter-Reformation
art. Out of this campaign of Counter-Reformation art emerged the anti-mannerist Bolognese School and
later an international movement came to limelight known as Baroque art, a style which lasted till almost
1700. This was a powerful and dramatic style which acted as a base to give rise to Baroque Architecture
and Baroque painting and sculpture.

A building can be considered in many different ways as an assemblage of superimposed stories or more
like a piece of sculpture, as a box defined by walls of regular shape (as Renaissance architects understood
it) or as a skeletal structure. Baroque architects understood it as a single mass to be shaped according to
specific requirements. In short, for Baroque architects a building was to some extent a kind of large
sculpture. The ground plans Baroque architects used were not simple as in Renaissance era. The Ground
plans were complex, rich and dynamic.

Other than their complex ground-plans, the curving walls were another exceptional characteristic of
Baroque buildings. Not only did they consider a building as a single piece, but they also introduced
another element of the Baroque, the idea of movement into architecture. The trend of giving movement to
an architectural element in the form of steady curves became a leading priority in Baroque art. The
Church of S. Andrea al Quirinale by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, one of the main makers of Roman Baroque is
a great example of Baroque architecture. Even columns were designed to undulation. Those of Bernini's
great baldacchino in the center of St Peter's in Rome were the first of the spiral columns to be placed in
Baroque churches. The Italian architect, Guarino Guarini, evolved and put to use in some of his buildings,
an 'Undulating order', in the form of a complete system of bases, columns, and entablatures distinguished
by continuous curves.

In Italy, Baroque architects left their mark through the construction of Catholic Churches, for example;
Church of the Gesu and Saint Peter’s Basilica. Due to their classical approach the Counter-Reformation
painters started to come to limelight. Painters like Titian, Tintoretto, and Anibal Carracci. However, the
most real Catholic art was created by the genius artist Caravaggio, whose religious figure painting was so
natural and lifelike (instantly understandable by ordinary visitors) that it served as the essential example
of Catholic Counter-Reformation painting. Caravaggio's use of street people as models for his sacred
figures, led to such realism although was criticized by conservatives for disrespect the Virgin Mary.

The Counter-Reformation grew in strength with every passing day. Rome once again started to assert its
universality to other nations. The religious order of Jesuits sent missionaries to the Americas, parts of
Africa, India and eastern Asia and used the arts as an effect to express their message of the dominance of
Catholic Church.

Finally, after fighting against the beliefs of Protestants, the Protestants again came under control of
Catholic Rule. The images from churches vanished and this was a thriving time for artists. The best
example one can get is the new Spanish Netherlands as it was the focal point of Protestantism. But later
after the Counter-Reformation Protestants were sent to the North and the area became entirely Catholic.
Counter-Reformation art spread throughout Catholic Europe and then into the abroad Spanish Catholic
colonies of Asia and the Americas.

Words: 1790
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_in_the_Protestant_Reformation_and_Counter-Reformation

 www.visual-arts-cork.com/history-of-art/baroque-painting.html

 https://artscolumbia.org/essays/protestant-reformation-impact-art-43006

 https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/culture-magazines/counter-reformations-impact-art