Baroque Italy/Spain

Rome

Florence

Protestant reformation of the north influence art of Spain

Spanish Inquisition:

• more active in France (more protestant activity in France than Spain becuase it is further north)

• art can serve as propaganda for the church thorugh emotional message portrayed

→ eventually used by kings/monarchs

Characteristics of baroque art

• diagonals

• exagerated chaioscuro (lighitng contrast)

• lots of action and drama

• emotional and psychological activity drawn from viewer

art education becomes codifeid

• art academies begin appeariing (Florencine Academy)

• artists are looked upon as professionals

Italy

• breaks from renaissance

• response to protestant reformation (protestants avoided art in their religious sites), counter reformation emerges as catholic art

Bernini;

• counter reforamtion

  • engagning viewers emotionally, spiritually, dramatic and theatric style

• very religious hiimself

• infuses rome with boroque style

• heavily commissioned because father was pope’s favorite artist

• funerary chapel

• baldican/baldacino: canopy cover over sculpture

• Teresa Avila: spanish mystic

  • establishes a lot of convents despite being in a male dominated setting, wrote a lot

• religious ecstasy

  • provokes emotional response

  • erotic

• baldacchino: bronze canopy

  • houses bones of St. Peter (the first pope)

  • solomonic columns: twisting columns

  • 93 tons of bronze

symbolism:

• prestige

• noted child bearing

• bees on it symbolized family Pope Barberini

• dropped lizards into wax to be cast into bronze

• boroque ideal:

  • very emotional

• looks older than what most davids are depicted as