Italian and Flemish Baroque Art

Caravaggio, Cardsharps, 1594

Content: oil, cellar lighting, bought by Cardinal del Monte, prodigal son reference, fresh faced and naive → unaware of cheating, feathers, genre scene, dramatic lighting, place at the table, and no background

Caravaggio, Bacchus, 1596

Content: classical history painting, Roman Wine God, youthful, wine and fruit association, offerings to the audience, not idealized (tan, rotting fruit, dirty nails), Cardinal del Monte, movement of wine, tenebrisim, bounty (beware of excess)

Caravaggio, Fortune Teller, 1597

Content: palm reading, sleight of hand with the ring, cardinal, romani outfit and association, sword towards us, no background, cellar lighting, feathers

Caravaggio, Supper at Emmaus, 1598-1600

Content: seat at the table, cellar lighting and tenebrism, I am Christ to Luke, freaked tf out, not idealized (sunburn, waiter, torn clothes, scruffy), shell = pilgrimage badge, simplified, Christ is illuminated

Caravaggio, Incredulity of Thomas, 1594

Content: Post crucifixion, Thomas is skeptical, Cardinal del Monte owned it, scruffy and old apostles, in the wound, tenebrism, illuminated Christ, lack of faith/needed physical proof

Caravaggio, Calling of St. Matthew, 1598-1602

Contarelli Chapel (first public commission)

Content: full figures, tax collector turned apostle, tenebrism and cellar lighting, Christ and Paul pointing to Mathew, diagonal figures to Matthew, Michelangelo hand, spiritual blindness = glasses, negative tax collectors (netherlands), halo on Christ, 

Caravaggio, Martyrdom of St. Matthew, 1598-1602

Contarelli Chapel (first public commission)

Content: attempted assassination from an Ethiopian king’s swordsman (thwarted lust), killed at the altar while praying, highly dramatic subject and dynamism of additional subjects (chaos), dark and not clear where they are at (except for the half cross), subjects at the front of the plane, light is focusing on Matthew and the assailant, angel with the palm frond (martyrs palm) which shows divine subject, hands to the angel + heaven, self portrait in audience

Caravaggio, St. Matthew and the Angel, 1598-1602

Contarelli Chapel, Denied

Content: too close to the divine, writing for him like he is stupid, feet right at the altar, too indecorous and not saintly

Caravaggio, St. Matthew and the Angel, 1598-1602

Contarelli Chapel, Accepted

Content: more of a divide, only inspired, not aided, golden light, more dramatic, halo

Caravaggio, Conversion of Paul, 1600-01

Cerasi Chapel (second public commission)

Content: Transformative moment, used to persecute Christians, went blind/struck by lightning, and god helped/returned sight in Damascus, arms outstretched to heaven, strong movement of the horse, tenebrism, illumination of the transformation, on the front of the plane, peacefulness and acceptance,

Caravaggio, Crucifixion of St. Peter, 1600-01

Cerasi Chapel (opposite of Paul)

Content: upside down because he did not want to be killed the same way as Christ, diagonals going against the cross, realism (dirty feet and butt at the front), and dynamism, lots of effort to bring up that cross, Peter looking at the altar

Caravaggio, Death of the Virgin, 1605-06

Santa Maria della Scala → Rejected,

Content: high shadow and darkness, written in the Golden legend (expanded on the saints’ lives), traditionally presented as sleeping not dead, not on a traditional bed, all apostles were teleported back in Mary’s final moments, prostitute as model (not proper), limp and in pain, undone bodice, heads hung in despair, feet shown and hair is a mess, no divine presence, light illuminates her, drapery is elevated, Mary Magdalene carrying for Mary in the last moments, devastated

Iconography

The visual images and symbols used in a work of art to represent something

Studying these symbols

Council of Trent

1545, the Catholic Church held a council to respond to the protestant reformation

Protestant Reformation

Goes against the catholic church because of the proposed idolatry, too theoretical/not common sermons,

Counter Reformation

The Catholic Church’s response to the protestants, they clarified catholic doctrines and reformed the institutions and practices

Iconoclasm

rejection or destruction of religious images as heretical, Flanders churches, sparked majorly by Calvin

Pronouncements on Art

Rules on how to make and use art, make sure they are not misused, made an inquisition

1. accessible to the viewer

2. clear to the audience (not like inventive michealangelos)

3. believable and realistic

4. Teaching and didactic

5. impactful of emotions/move people (drama)

Genre Painting

depicting scenes of everyday/domestic life, 17th century dutch and flemish artists

Tenebrism

extreme use of contrast of light and dark contrast, predominantly dark setting

Alla Prima

completing the painting in one sitting, no sketches, wet paint on wet paint

avoiding “most intellectual” step

Martin Luther

German Theologian/monk, major critique of catholicism, 95 Theses of what was corrupt, wanted to talk but was then excommunicated, called out buying indulgences, idolatry, role of mary and the saints, relics, and mysticism

Jean Calvin

French theologian, protestant reformer in the 16th century, made a sect known as Calvinism, idolatrous imagery, sparked iconoclasm

Cavalier d’Arpino

Italian Mannerist painter, Caravaggio’s first teacher in Rome

Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte

italian cardinal and connoisseur of the arts, patron of Caravaggio

St. Philip Neri

Italian priest, influenced Caravaggio’s religious works, focused on humility, equality, the common man, and relatable artwork

Baroque Classicism, Carracci, The Choice of Hercules, 1597

Camerino, Palazzo Farnese → Farnese’s study

Content: reminder of the choice between virtue and vice, personification, vice (easy road with music, arts, and pleasure), and virtue (rocky, pegasus/fame at the top, laurel/award), situated more towards virtue, classical type, crossroads, poet ready to write about the virtuous, diagonal towards fame

Baroque Classicism, Carracci, Triumph of Bacchus, 1597

Ceiling, Palazzo Farnese → public part of the palace

Content: Pleasure of the Gods, frieze-like compositions, love of the Gods (ariadne) → Ovids Metamorphoses, quadro riportato and plaster for an illusion, sistine chapel inspiration, party and chaos (Bacchus), dynamic and celebratory, symmetry, complex poses, reliefs

Baroque Classicism, Carracci, Assumption of the Virgin, 1601

Cerasi Chapel → Replaced Caravaggio

Content: traditional assumption to heaven of her body (angels helping lift her), Counter-Reformation → reassert the importance of Mary (idolatry?), exuberant and divine lighting, immediacy of the apostles, mary leaves the picture, less division of station, moment in time

Baroque Classicism, Reni, Aurora, 1613-14,

Casino dell’Aurora, Rome → ceiling of Borghese’s summer home

Content: personification of dawn and the hours, classical gods/mythology and body types (graceful), lively energy and diagonals, frieze-like composition (across the horizontal), quadro riportato, illusionistic, Borghese’s summer home, heavily idealized and decorative, dancing = passing of times, classical education at the academy of the initiated, fresco, aurora is half light and half shadows, angel is the personified morning star, breezes, heavenly → earthly, dynamism and drama

Baroque Classicism, Reni, Massacre of the Innocents, 1611,

Content: perfect eye roll back to the heavens, Harrod (present in the tower) orders all babies (potential threats) to be killed, angels tell them to flee, idealized to make it easier to view, graceful line and movement, formula of facial expressions, eyes looking up, not a realistic portrayal, classical architecture, smiling angels, handing out martyr palms

Baroque Classicism, Reni, The Abduction of Helen, 1631,

Content: too idealized, Helen of Troy (most beautiful woman in greece) was abducted from her husband, set sail and destroyed the city, no fighting (too calm), courtship not kidnapped, no distress, exotic monkey and dog playing, puto carrying a torch adn cupid smiles (match made in heaven)

Italian Baroque Sculpture, Bernini, Pluto & Persephone, 1620-22,

Content: highly interactive, still idealized forms, but has realistic body movement, dynamic poses that engage with the space (a moment in time), crown, exact moment of entering hell (Cerebus), ideal viewpoint for the most emotional impact, high manipulation of marble and attention to detail, dramatic lighting on the statue

Italian Baroque Sculpture, Bernini, David, 1623,

Content: Moment in time, armor and lyre at his feet to reference who he is, realistic size, right as the person comes in (interaction), very clear in who he is, where we are, and his message, dynamic pose, determined face, tousled hair, concentration

Italian Baroque Sculpture, Bernini, Cardinal Scipione Borghese, 1632,

Content: speaking portraiture, informal for patron and friend, casual moment to show his character, natural curve of garment, his hat and robes are not pristine, did not perfect the skin or dress, enjoyed his pleasures, light and dark in the eyes

Italian Baroque Sculpture, Bernini, Louis XIV, 1665,

Content: regal (propagandistic), perfect curl, idealized → divinely chosen, gaze upward, ethereal drapery, grandized, strength in the armor, timeless representation not a moment,  

Italian Baroque Sculpture, Bernini, St. Longinus, 1629-38

St. Peter’s, Vatican City,

Content: a transformation of one of Christ’s aggravators, holds a part of his lance, filled with spirit (windblown hair and garments), eyes to the heaven/cross at the top of the Baldicchino), open embrace, traditional Roman dress, 14 and a half feet tall (multiple blocks and years), framed with the old canopy

Italian Baroque Sculpture, Bernini, Baldacchino, 1624-33

St. Peter’s, Vatican City,

Content: Urban VIII commissioned a new one to mark Peter’s Grave, long tradition, 100ft tall, bronze, lots of iconography, legitimize the papacy and Peter’s successors, celebrate the Barberini family (bees), baroque energy of the spirals, dove = holy spirit, laurel leaf = triumph of the church, reassert authority, look of cloth at the top (difficult), orb (world) with cross, angels bringing power and the keys, Papal crown, post convergence for power, central axis of the church

Italian Baroque Sculpture, Bernini, Cathedra Petri, 1657-66

St. Peter’s, Vatican City,

Content: framed by the baldacchino, show of power of God and the Church, secondary altar deeper in the church, burst through the architecture, the Throne of Peter (church tradition), bronze, plaster, stained glass, a reliquary of the original chair, the heavens upper levels, rays of light break into our space, dove of the holy spirit,angels holding the keys and the papal tiara, care for the sheep, position at the valudes 2 from the east (none) and 2 from the west (hats)

Italian Baroque Sculpture, Bernini, Ecstasy of St. Theresa, 1645-52

Cornaro Chapel, Rome,

Content: Patron → cornaro, family chapel in the nave of the church, pictorial and framed, heavens into the church, no ceiling look, flow over of the clouds, heavens to the earthly realm,plaster over architecture, light enhanced by concealed window, marble and columns frame, green to white contrast, dynamic lines of the arches, angel on fire, bestowed spirit and love of god upon her, midway between heaven and earth, drapery on angel is thin and beautiful, theresa is more coarse and down pulled, heavy and asleep, shows pain, observers

Quadro Riportato

transported painting, look like a framed and painted easel,

Personification

making an inanimate object into a person

Fresco

Adding paint to wet plaster to make the mural textured

Reliquary

the container for holy relics

Academia degli Incamminati (Academy of the Initiated)

formed by Caracci, Reni went, studied anatomy through live models, emphasized classics and idealism, Michelangelo, Raphael, Tishini, perfecting nature

Cardinal Odoardo Farnese

italian cardinal, patron of caracci

Pope Urban VIII (Barberini)

Barberini Family, Pope at the time of Bernini’s recreation of art at St. Peter’s Basilica

Ovid, Metamorpheses (1st Century BC)

poems detailing classical narratives of ancient greece and rome

Golden Legend, Jacobus de Voragine (1265)

widely read in the late middle ages, about religious tales, saints lives

Flemish Baroque, Reubens, The Elevation of the Cross Altarpiece, 1610-11

St. Walburga, Antwerp

Content: redoing what was destroyed during the iconoclasm (older style), huge!, cross turned more towards the heavens, tree brings immediacy, less traditional, more dramatic struggle, weight of the world’s sins v. 9 men, ready to pop out, right- semicircle of grieving left- the aggressors (last judgement), idealized body, warmth despite gore, st. loginus → not fully aggressive, dramatic lighting (intentional shadow and illumination) reinforce church with contemporary clothes

Flemish Baroque, Reubens, Education of Marie, 1622-25

Marie de Medici Cycle

Content: Classical gods influence, taught by Athena (wisdom) and Apollo (arts), Hermes to personify reason and eloquence, 3 graces bestowing a flower crown, idealized figures and setting, Apollo’s Sacred Grove (Mont Parnassus)

Flemish Baroque, Reubens, Presentation of the Portrait, 1622-25

Marie de Medici Cycle

Content: Match overlooked by Zeus and Hera, presented to the suitor, and he was immediately smitten, on the battlefield with France, everyone wants her and supports, Cupid and Hymen, warmth and life

Flemish Baroque, Reubens, Debarkation at Marseilles, 1622-25

Marie de Medici Cycle

Context: Marie de Medici being welcomed to France, Medici symbols and crest, ostentatious, proper stance, Neptune and Tritons leading her safe travel, personification of fame and France, Canopy/baldacchino, high-ranking knight of Malta escorting her/showing catholicism, wealth on full display, assert position and power, red carpet, female types (full and voluptuous)

Flemish Baroque, Reubens, Garden of Love, 1632-34

Content: new life after the death of his wife, inspired by his country estate, Celebratory, medieval court love (enclosed garden = chastity), eat, drink, and be merry, socialization, cupid pushing them in, connected doves, pouti diagonals leading them in to the fun, music and harmony, Venus statue (fertility), graceful and elegant

Flemish Baroque, Reubens, Allegory of the Outbreak of War, 1638

Content: Patron Archduke Ferdinand, commentary on the 30-year war, Black Armor (Ares), and pulling him back is Aphrodite, trying to stop war, women crying is Europe personified, a demented figure is fury/alecto/vengeance pulling war in, monsters everywhere, stomping on books, broken lute, families fleeing chaos, cherubs pulling her away, temple of Janus(two face God) (doors open during non peace times), loosened up for style, broken up colors, frieze-like composition, caracci but with dramatic lighting

Flemish Baroque, Rubens, Andromeda, 1638-40

Content: Rubenesque body type, faintly see Perseus and sea monster, Andromeda is Antwerp and Perseus is Ferdinand, puto points to say help is on the way, classical representation

Flemish Baroque, Van Dyck, Elena Grimaldi, 1625

Content: Genoese Nobility, canopy above her head to show importance, held by an African slave → another show of wealth, an orange blossom to represent chastity, a slender Corinthian column to represent her importance and status, land, less antique or classical, inspired by rubens, harsh expression, curve of the dress

Flemish Baroque, Van Dyck, James Stuart, Duke of Richmond and Lennox, 1634-35

Content: dog saved him during a boar hunt (emphasizes loyalty and devotion), high order of knight (the order of the garter), his emblem and pendant (greatest honor), represents his nobility, confident pose, muted color of the drapery → represents his importance but is quiet and reserved, pillar → reliability and strength

Flemish Baroque, Van Dyck, Queen Henrietta Maria with Sir Jefferey Hudson, 1633

Content: hunting garb, still central and on an elevated surface, nobility → hunting and land, orange trees (chastity, Italian gardening, Medici), Crown to assert her role despite the unaccepting public, luxury and status of the drapery, column (stable and important), equality and friendship with Sir Jeffery Hudson (companion and confidant), love of the exotic, more hidden symbolism, monkey= control over animalistic nature and passions

Flemish Baroque, Van Dyck, Equestrian Portrait of Charles 1, 1638

Content: horse = power and control, traditional and formal, confident/proud, medallion of the order, warrior in armor with sword, attendant in the shadow with a helmet, canopy with the tree, plaque says king of Great Britain, not just England (which has not been formed yet, surveying his country, James 1 of England and James VI of Scotland 

Triptych

three paneled altarpiece

Archduke Albert and Archduchess Isabella

Spanish governors of Flanders, patrons of Rubens

Archduke Ferdinand

replacement after Albert and Isabella died in chaos, the 30-year war

Thirty Years War 

Spain, France, and Germany, religious conflict over catholic supremacy, also political because of diminishing Spanish and Habsburg power, many mercenaries, high civilian casualties, devestated Europe