Section Seven:

Baroque Art of the Seventeenth Century:

“The Dramatic Efflorescence of Renaissance Illusionism”

 

 

(I) Proto-Baroque Art: 1580-1600, including most 16th century Venetian art

IN390. The Burial of Count Orgas, El Greco (1541-1614) Greek, Church of Santo Tome; Toledo, Spain, 1586. ( In Spanish, El Greco means, "the Greek"; whereas, the artist's actual Greek name was, Dome'nikos Theotoko'poulis),

IN391. The Assumption, "El Greco," oil on wooden panel, Art Institute of Chicago; Chicago, Illinois, c.1580. Relate to -

IN392. The Assumption, Titian (1485-1576) Italian, oil on wooden panel, 22’ 6” x 11’ 10", monumental altarpiece for the Church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari; Venice, Italy, 1516-1518.

(a) Other Examples of 16th Century Venetian Oil Painting:

IN393. The Tempest, Giorgione (1478?-1510) Italian, oil on canvas, 30 ¼” x 28 ¾”, Galleria dell Academ'ia; Venice, Italy, 1506.

IN397. Pieta', Titian (1485-1576) Italian, oil on canvas; Academy of Fine Arts, Venice, 11’ 6 ” x 12’ 9”, c. 1576.

(b) St. Peter's Basilica:

*Note well - The first architect of the present St. Peter's Basilica in Rome was Donato Bramante, (Bramante used a central, Greek-cross plan.

IN397a. Bramante, Raphael, from the lower right section of Raphael's fresco the, School of Athens, Vatican Museum: Rome, Italy, 1509. (Though Bramante is shown resenting Euclid, bending over to draw on a slate, Bramante's features and bald head are clearly apparent).

IN398. Design for St. Peter’s Basilica, Michelangelo, (Note, Michelangelo continued the central plan initiated by Bramante. However, Michelangelo gave greater unity to Bramante's exterior design and also designed the dome basically as it appears today), 1569.

IN398a. St. Peter’s Basilica, Bramante/Michelangelo/Maderno, seen from a raised point of view, thus the foreshortened perspective allows the viewer the impression of what the building would have looked like if Bramante's central plan-plan was kept, *Photographed by Dr. Robert Prestiano (c).

IN399. Interior of St. Peter’s, from an eighteenth century engraving by Piranesi (1720-78). Though the interior design of the basilica is basically that of Bramante, - Carlo Maderno (c.1556-1629) Italian, the last architect of the building, changed the plan from Bramante's central, greek-cross type to a longitudinal extension . Maderno did this by extending the western arm, thus creating a Latin-cross plan. The completed basilica now measures approximately 800’ in length and remains the largest free-standing church in the world).

IN400. Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica, Michelangelo, exterior view, Vatican City; Rome, Italy.

IN401. Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica,Michelangelo, interior View of the Dome, *Photographed by Dr. Robert Prestiano (c).

IN401a. Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica,Michelangelo, interior View of the Dome, another version,

 

(II) Baroque Art, approximately 1600-1700:

Architecture and Sculpture of - Gianlorenzo Bernini (1598-1680):

IN402. Self-Portrait, Gianlorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), oil on canvas.
IN403. View of St. Peter’s Colonnade, Bernini, Vatican City; Rome, Italy, begun 1656. (The colonnade was commissioned by Pope Alexander VII of the Roman Chigi family. It is said that Bernini intended the colonnade to symbolize the arms of the Church, reaching out to embrace the world In the view shown here, one can see, looking from colonnade down into the city: (a) the Tiber River at right center; (b) at left center, the cylindrical Castle Sant’ Angelo, originally the mausoleum of the Roman emperor Hadrian; and (c) in the distance to the right, the low-lying dome of the Pantheon, the circular Roman temple, built in the early second century CE., based on a design by Hardian).

IN401a. Aerial view of St. Peter's complex.

IN404. Interior of St. Peter’s, mainly based on the design of Bramante, extended west by carlo Maderno. The view is from interior western entrance, looking down the nave to Bernini's Baldacchino that strands over the high altar in the sanctuary.

IN405. Baldacchino, Bernini, bronze gilded with gold, located over the main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica, 93’ 6”h, 1624-1633.
IN406. Baldacchino, view of the upper section, as seen from below, *Photographed by Dr. Robert Prestiano (c).

IN407. Cathedra-Petri, Bernini, gilded bronze and stain glass, apse of St. Peter’s Basilica; Rome, Italy, 1656-1666.

Example of Architecture of - Francesco Borromini (1599 - 1667):

IN408. San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, architect Francesco Borromini (1599 - 1667) Italian; Rome, Italy, mid 17th century.
IN409. San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, interior, looking up into the dome, *photographed by Dr. Robert Prestiano (c).

Marble Sculpture and Sculptural Complexes designed by Bernini:

IN410. David, Gianlorenzo Bernini, marble, life-size, Galleria Borghese; Rome; Italy, 1623-24.

*Contrast with -

IN411. David, Michelangelo, approximately. 14’ h; Academia; Florence, Italy, 1501-4.

IN411a. David, Michelangelo, closer view of the right side, *photographed by Dr. Robert Prestiano (c).

IN412. Apollo and Daphne, Bernini, marble, 8’ h, Galleria Borghese; Rome, Italy, 1622-1625.

IN413. Cornaro Chapel, Bernini, church of Santa Maria della Vittoria; Rome, Italy, 1645-1652.
IN414. Cornaro Chapel, marble, detail, showing Box-Seat.
IN415. Cornaro Chapel, detail showing the central group of St. Theresa in Ecstasy; marble group, gilded bronze with use of a hidden window that allows natural light to illuminate the sculpture. The central figure group measures 11’ 6”h.
IN415a. Cornaro Chapel, closer view, showing St. Theresa and the angel.
IN416. Cornaro Chapel, detail showing the angel’s face.
IN417. Cornaro Chapel, detail showing St. Theresa’s face.

Works of Other Italian Baroque Artists:

IN418. The Triumph of St. Ignatius, Andrea del Pozzo, (1642-1709) Italian, quadratura, (an illusionistic Baroque ceiling painting), church of San Ignatio; Rome, Italy, 1691-94. *Contrast with-

IN419. Sistine Chapel Ceiling, Michelangelo, 1501-04.

Examples of Paintings by - Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio:

IN420. Conversion of St. Paul, Caravaggio, (1571 –1610) Italian, oil on canvas, 7’ 6 1/2” x 5 ’ 10”, Cerasi Chapel, church of Santa Maria del Popolo; Rome, Italy, 1600-01.
IN421. Entombment of Christ, oil on canvas, 9’ 10 1/4” x 6’ 8”, church of Santa Maria in Vallicella; Rome, Italy, 1603-1604.
IN422. Christ with the Doubting Thomas, oil on canvas, 42 1/8” x 57 ½”, Nues Palast; Potsdam, Germany, 1602-3.
IN423. The Calling of St. Matthew, oil on canvas, church of San Luigi in Francesi; Rome, Italy, c. 1605.

Artemisia Gentileschi, one of the many Baroque artists influenced by Caravaggio's style:

Two examples of the same subject:

IN424. Judith and her Maidservant Beheading Holerfernes, Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1652) Italian, oil on canvas, Detroit Institute of Arts; Detroit, Michigan, c. 1625. *(Note the influence of Caravaggio’s intense use of chiaroscuro. Artemisia was one of the first and most successful female artists of the 17th century).
IN425. Judith and her Maidservant Beheading Holerfernes, Artemisia Gentileschi, oil on canvas, 78 3/8" x 64", Galleria Uffizi;
Florence, Italy.

 

(III) The Spread of the Baroque:

SPAIN:

Works by - Diego Velasquez (1599-1660):

IN426. Water Carrier, oil on canvas, 41½” x 31½”, Wellington Museum; London, England, c. 1619.

IN427. Las Meninas, “Maids of Honor," oil on canvas, 10’ 5” x 9’, Museo del Prado; Madrid, Spain, 1656.

IN427a. " ", detail, closer view of the young princess.

IN427c. " ", detail, view of the princess' face.

IN427b. " ", detail, image of Velasquez painting, Las Meninas.

 

BELIGIUM:

Examples of Works by - Peter Paul Rubens, (June 28, 1577-May 30, 1640):

Notable Secular Works:

IN428. The Debarkation of Maria de Medici at Marseilles, oil on canvas, 13’ x 10’, Louvre; Paris, France, 1622-1626.

IN429. Garden of Love, oil on canvas, 78" x 111 3/8," Prado; Madrid, Spain, c. 1630-32. *Contrast with -
IN276. The Garden of Earthly Delights, Hieronymous, Bosch, oil on wood, 1510, (painted over 100 years before Ruben's, Garden of Love).

Notable Sacred Works:

IN429a. Raising of the Cross, oil on canvas; Antwerp, Holland, 1610.

IN429b. Deposition, oil on canvas; Antwerp, Holland, 1612-14.

 

HOLLAND:

(Note - Four New Categories of Subject Matter, influenced by the Protestant Calvinistic and capitalistic society of the time):

(1) Genre Subjects:

IN433. Bean Feast, Jan Steen (c. 1625-1679), oil on canvas, c. 1668.

IN433a. A Maidservant Pouring Milk, Jan Vermeer (1632-1675), oil on canvas, Rijksmuseum; Amsterdam, Holland, c.1660.

(2) Still-life:

IN434. Still-life, Willem Claesz Heda, (c. 1594-1680), oil on canvas, 1633.

(3) Group Portraiture:

IN435. The Syndics of the Cloth makers Guild, Rembrandt van Rijn, (1606-1669), oil on canvas, Rijksmuseum; Amsterdam, Holland, 1662.

(4) Landscape:

IN431. Landscape with Chateau Steen, Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) Flemish,oil on canvas, 51 5/8” x 7’ 6¼”, National Gallery; London, c.1630. (Though Rubens was Flemish, such dramatic landscapes were also very typical of Dutch Baroque art).

Other Works by - Rembrandt (1606-1669):

IN438. Supper at Emmaus, Rembrandt, oil on canvas; 1648, (mystically introspective type ).

*Contrast with -

IN438a. Supper at Emmaus, Caravaggio Italian, (dramatically theatrical type), c.1598.

IN436. Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulip, Rembrandt, oil on canvas; c.1655.
IN437. Militia Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq, (more commonly known as the, Night Watch), Rembrandt, oil on canvas, 12’ 2” x 14’ 7”, Rijksmuseum; Amsterdam, Holland, 1642.

IN439. Comparative Group of Self-portraits, (There are approximately sixty extant self-portraits that were painted by Rembrandt, a number far higher than those painted by any other artist. Vincent Van Gogh ranks second, having painted about forty).

IN439a. Self-portrait 1640; IN439b. Self-portrait, 1659; IN539c. Self-portrait, 1659; IN439d. Self-portrait, 1669.

Examples of Rembrandt's Etchings:

IN442. Little Children being brought to Jesus, etching etching and dry point, Rijksmuseum; Amsterdam, Holland, 1647-1649.
IN443. Three Crosses, etching, 15” x 18”, British Museum; London, Eng., 1653.

 

FRANCE:

(a) Examples of French "Classical Baroque" Style:

IN444. The Ashes of Phocion Collected by His Widow, Nicolas Poussin, (1594-1665), oil on canvas, 47” x 70 1/2”, 1648.
IN445. Shepherds of Arcadia, Nicolas Poussin, oil, 34”x48,” Louvre; Paris, Fr., 1660.

 

(b) An example of a French "Proto-Romantic Landscape:"

IN444a. Landscape with Dancing Figures, Claude Lorraine (1600 - 1682), Louvre; Paris, France, 1645.

 

(b) Example of Caravaggio's Influence on French Baroque Painting:

IN445a. The Death of St. Sebastian, George de LaTour (1593-1652), oil on canvas, 1634.

 

(c) Example of French Baroque "Genre" Painting:

IN446. Peasant Family, Louis LeNain (c.1603-1648), oil on canvas, 44” x 62”, Louvre; Paris, France, c. 1640.

 

(d) Examples of the official French Court Style:

IN446a. Portrait of Louis IV, Hyacinthe Rigaud (1659-1743), oil on canvas, Louvre: Paris, France.
IN447. Garden Facade, Versailles, Jules Hardouin Mansart (1646-1708) and Louis Le Vau (1612-1670); and landscape architect, Andre Le’ Notre (1613-1700), seen from the sw; Versailles, France, 1669-1685, *photographed by Robert Prestiano (c).
IN448. Hall of Mirrors, Versailles, France, Charles Lebrun (1739-1824),director of work; Versailles, France, 1680.  

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(IV) "Rococo" Style of the late 17th and early 18th Centuries:

FRANCE:

IN449. Self-portrait with Her Daughter Julie, Elizabeth Vigee Lebrun (1755-1842), oil on wood, c. 1780. (Elizabeth Lebrun was one of the finest portrait painters of the 18th century. She often was commissioned to paint portraits of the French royal family).

IN450. The Swing, Jean_Honore' Fragonard (1732-1806), oil on canvas, 13 1/8” x 25½”, Wallace Collection; London, England, 1766.

IN452. Bathers, Jean_Honore' Fragonard (1732-1806), oil on canvas, approx. 2’ 11” x 2 ’8.”

IN451. Embarkation for the Island of Cythera, Jean-Antoine Watteau, (1684-1721), oil on can., 4’ 3’ x 6’ 4 ½”, Louvre; Paris, France, 1717.

 

ENGLAND:

IN453. Marriage A’ La Mode, Scene II, William Hogarth (1697-1764), oil on canvas, 27 ½” x 35 ¼”, National Gallery; London, England, 1743.

IN454. Portrait of Sarah Siddons, Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788), oil on canvas; 49¼” x 39¼”, National Gallery; London, England, 1783-1785.

 

UNITED STATES:

IN454a. Portrait of Paul Revere, John Singleton Copley (1738-1815), oil on canvas, Museum of Fine Arts; Boston, Mass., c.1768-70.