Baroque Art Characteristics

Baroque Art

Lesson Introduction

  • Louis XIV Painting:
    • Painted by Hyacinth Regard in 1701.
    • Characteristics:
      • Dramatic, exuberant, ornate.
      • Bold contrast of darks and lights.
      • Diagonal composition.
      • Sense of drama and opulence.
      • Expressive of lavishness and grandeur.

Lesson Objectives

  • Examine the characteristics of Baroque art.
  • Evaluate the new painting techniques used by artists in the Baroque period.
  • Analyze Baroque sculpture by Bernini.
  • Recognize Baroque architecture.

Key Terms

  • Baroque
  • Tenebrism
  • Genre paintings
  • Impasto
  • Bernini
  • Bernini's David
  • Caravaggio
  • Versailles

What Does Baroque Mean?

  • Baroque art is often characterized as exuberant, lavish, ornate, extravagant, and dramatic compared to the more restrained Renaissance styles.
  • Three distinct characteristics of Baroque art:
    • Emotional Response: Moving away from the intellectual integrity of a piece of artwork to inspire an emotional response.
    • Open Composition: Arranging figures to invite the viewer in; figures move rapidly, diagonally, expand upward, and overlap, creating a dynamic effect.
    • Unity of Form: Blending architectural, sculptural, and painterly techniques to create a theatrical, multimedia-like approach.

Ecstasy of Saint Teresa by Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini (1652)

  • Marble sculpture depicting Saint Teresa being poked by an angel's arrow, prompting spiritual and emotional ecstasy.
  • Features:
    • Open composition with a diagonal and pyramidal structure.
    • Incorporation of structural and architectural elements (rays of light).
    • Invites the viewer in, creating an immersive experience.

Still Life with Quince, Cabbage, Melon, and Cucumber by Juan Sanchez Cotin (1602)

  • Example of new artistic concepts in Baroque painting, including genre paintings and still lifes.
  • Impasto Technique: Application of paint with a palpable texture, showing the artist's hand and emphasizing the painting as a surface rather than an illusionistic world.
  • Tenebrism: Overly dark tonality of a painting that emphasizes the effect of light in certain areas.
  • Chiaroscuro: The concept of light lights and dark darks, with light often coming from a diagonal angle perpendicular to the composition.

Baroque Sculpture: David (Michelangelo vs. Bernini)

  • Comparison of Michelangelo's David (Renaissance) and Bernini's David (Baroque).
  • Michelangelo's David:
    • Calm, stoic, intellectual expression.
    • Simplistic composition.
    • Allows space between the viewer and the sculpture.
  • Bernini's David (1623):
    • Open composition, pulling the viewer in.
    • Emotional, dramatic, and dynamic.
    • Captures the moment after David throws the stone at Goliath.

Baroque Architecture: Church of San Carlo alla Quattro Fontaine

  • Designed by Borromini (1665-1667).
  • Features:
    • Undulating façade with a serpentine feeling.
    • Sculpted quality with depth and recesses.
    • Creates an emotional response, inviting the viewer in.
    • Unity of form, blending architecture and sculpture.

Baroque Architecture: Palace Of Versailles

  • Built by Louis XIV (the Sun King) between 1668 and 1685.
  • Example of pure Baroque architectural style.
  • Historical context:
    • Louis XIV ruled via absolutism (absolute power granted divinely).
    • Relocated from the Louvre in Paris to Versailles for security.
    • Architects: Louis LeBeau, Andre Le Notre, and Jules Hardouin Mansard.
  • Features:
    • Extravagance, drama, theater, and opulence.
    • Grounds (Le Parque) designed by Andre Le Notre.
    • Expressed Louis XIV's sense of overwhelming strength through architecture and art.

Objective Review

  • Review of the lesson objectives:
    • Examine the characteristics of Baroque art.
    • Evaluate new painting techniques used by artists in the Baroque period.
    • Analyze Baroque sculpture by Bernini.
    • Recognize Baroque architecture.

Bacchus by Caravaggio (1595)

  • Example of Baroque art, employing tenebrism and chiaroscuro techniques.
  • Features:
    • Diagonal composition.
    • Dark tonality with a light source coming from an angle.
    • Emotionality in the face of Bacchus.
    • Openness of composition, inviting the viewer in.
    • Incorporation of sculptural qualities, architectural qualities, and painterly techniques.