Italian Painting in the Baroque Period

Baroque painting emerged in the 16th century and became extremely popular in the
17th century; the Roman High Baroque lasted from 1623 to 1667.

Key Points

 Baroque painting is the painting associated with the Baroque cultural movement,
which began in Italy in the 17th century.
 In its most typical manifestations, Baroque painting is characterized by great
drama, rich, deep color, and intense light and dark shadows.
 Caravaggio was an important figure in early Baroque painting during the 16th
and 17th centuries and inspired many mimics, known as Caravaggisti .
 Pietro da Cortona was the most influential painter of the High Baroque Period.
 In the later 17th century, artists such as Giordano increasingly produced
monumental ceiling frescoes .

Key Terms

 tenebrism: A style of painting using very pronounced light contrast (chiaroscuro),

with darkness a dominating feature of the image
 fresco: In painting, the technique of applying water-based pigment to wet or
fresh lime mortar or plaster.

Overview: Baroque Painting

Baroque painting is associated with the Baroque cultural movement, which began in Italy in the
17th century. It encompasses a great range of styles , as most important and major painting
during the period beginning around 1600 and continuing into the early 18th century is
identified today as Baroque painting. In its most typical manifestations, Baroque art is
characterized by great drama, rich, deep color, and intense light and dark shadows.

Relevant Italian Painters of the Time

Caravaggio

Caravaggio (1571–1610), born and trained in Milan, stands as one of the most original and
influential contributors to late 16th century and early 17th century European painting. He was
known for painting figures, even those of classical or religious themes, in contemporary
clothing, or as ordinary men and women. His inclusion of the seedier side of life was in marked
contrast to the trends of the time. He used tenebrism and stark contrasts between partially lit
figures and dark backgrounds to dramatize the effect.

Some of Caravaggio’s most famous paintings include The Calling of St. Mathew, St. Thomas, The
Conversion of St. Paul, The Entombment, and The Crowning of the Christ. His use of light and
shadow was emulated by the Caravaggisti, the followers of Caravaggio, such as Orazio
Gentileschi (1563–1639), Artemisia Gentileschi (1592–1652/3), Mattia Preti, Carlo Saraceni, and
Bartolomeo Manfredi.

Spanish Painting in the Baroque Period

The Spanish Golden Age is a period of flourishing in arts, coinciding with the political
rise and decline of the Spanish Habsburg dynasty.

Key Points

 The Spanish Golden Age began in 1492, with the end of the Reconquista and the
sea voyages of Christopher Columbus to the New World . Politically, it ended no
later than 1659, with the Treaty of the Pyrenees ratified between France and
Habsburg , Spain.
 The Italian holdings and relationships made by Queen Isabella’s husband and
later Spain’s sole monarch, Ferdinand of Aragon, launched a steady traffic of
intellectuals across the Mediterranean between Valencia, Seville, and Florence.
 Spanish art contained a strong mark of mysticism and religion that was
encouraged by the Counter-Reformation and the patronage of Spain’s strongly
Catholic monarchs and aristocracy. The Habsburgs, both in Spain and Austria,
were great patrons of art in their countries.
 Diego Velázquez and Francisco de Zurbarán are often considered by scholars as
the influential founders of a uniquely Spanish style of painting during the Baroque
era.

Key Terms

 Counter-Reformation: The period of Catholic revival beginning with the Council

of Trent (1545–1563) and ending at the close of the Thirty Years’ War (1648);
sometimes considered a response to the Protestant Reformation.
  Habsburg: A Swabian noble family named after it, which became the ruling
(hereditary) dynasty of Austria, at times other countries (mainly in Iberia and the
former Burgundian territories), and supplied successive (elected) emperors of the
Holy Roman Empire.

Overview: The Spanish Golden Age

The Spanish Golden Age is a period of flourishing in arts and literature in Spain,
coinciding with the Baroque era and the political rise and decline of the Spanish
Habsburg dynasty . It began no earlier than 1492 with the end of
the Reconquista (Reconquest), the sea voyages of Christopher Columbus to the New
World, and the publication of Antonio de Nebrija’s Gramática de la lengua
castellana (Grammar of the Castilian Language). Politically, it ended no later than 1659
with the Treaty of the Pyrenees, ratified between France and Habsburg, Spain.

French Painting in the Baroque Period

17th century painting in France was influenced by Italian Baroque sensibilities as well
as the Classical tastes of the powerful monarchy.

Key Points

 King Louis XIV established the Academy of Painting and Sculpture, which
propagated a style of art with distinctly Classical affectation. Important painters of
17th century France include Simon Vouet, Charles Le Brun, Nicolas Poussin,
Claude Lorrain, and Georges de la Tour.
 Simon Vouet is known for introducing Baroque style painting to France. Charles
Le Brun was a student of Vouet and the most important painter in the court of King
Louis XIV. He was responsible for the interior decoration at the Palace of
Versailles.
 Nicolas Poussin is known for his Classical style paintings that favor clarity, logic,
order, and clean lines over color. Claude Lorrain is known particularly for his work
in landscape paintings.
 Georges de la Tour was a French Baroque painter known for painting religious
chiaroscuro scenes.

Key Terms

 chiaroscuro: An artistic technique popularized during the Renaissance, referring

to the use of exaggerated light contrasts in order to create the illusion of volume.
 altarpiece: A work of art suspended above and behind a table used for religious
purposes; (altar) in a church.
Overview: The Baroque Era in France

17th century painting in France was influenced by Italian Baroque sensibilities as well
as the Classical tastes of the powerful monarchy. These two strong influences resulted
in a style that was unique to France and culminated in the art produced for King Louis
XIV. The reign of Louis XIV saw a shift from Mannerist and Baroque styles popular in
the early part of the century, during the reign of Louis XIII, toward a more prescribed
Classical style. Louis XIV established royal control over artisanal production in France,
prohibiting the purchase of luxury goods from abroad. He also established the Academy
of Painting and Sculpture, which maintained a hierarchy of genres in painting and a
distinctly Classical flavor.

Flemish Painting in the Baroque Period

The style of painting produced in Flanders during the 17th century is known as Flemish
Baroque.

Key Points

 Flemish Baroque painting is notable for the fact that it was separated into the
different thematic categories of history, portraiture, genre , landscape, and still
life .
 Peter Paul Rubens was the preeminent painter of the Flemish Baroque style ; he
was the dominant artist of history painting  and drew influence from Italian
painting.
 The paintings of Adriaen Brouwer exemplified the genre painting of 17th century
Flanders . They depicted scenes of the everyday life of peasants and were
notable for their expressive facial studies.
 The vanitas , a type of still life painting that is meant to illustrate the
meaninglessness of earthly life and the transience of all earthly pursuits, became
very popular in 17th century Flemish painting.

Key Terms

 monumental: Large, grand, and imposing.

Overview: Flemish Baroque

The style of painting produced in Flanders during the 17th century is known as Flemish
Baroque. This style was produced between about 1585, when the Dutch Republic split
from the Habsburg Spain regions of the south, until about 1700, when the Habsburg
rule ended after the death of King Charles II. Antwerp—the home of Peter Paul Rubens,
Anthony Van Dyck, and Jacob Jordaens—figured prominently as a point of artistic
production during this time, as did Brussels and Ghent to a lesser extent. Peter Paul
Rubens, the preeminent painter of the Flemish Baroque style, had a strong influence on
the artistic aesthetic of the 17th century.

Categories of Flemish Painting

Flemish Baroque painting is notable for the fact that it was separated into different
thematic categories, and artists of the time tended to specialize in one of these areas.
These genres included history, portraiture, genre, landscape, and still life paintings.