Mannerism and Baroque

The Baroque era began in the year 1600, at the end of the Renaissance period (Kamien 99). The word Baroque has had several different meanings. Back in its time, the word Baroque has meant: Bizarre, Flamboyant, and Elaborately ornamented. Historians, however, used this word to indicate the particular style in all different forms of art that fills space; which includes canvas, stone, or sound (Kamien 99). The Baroque Period is also known as “the age of absolutism” because so many different rulers of the time used and abused their royal power to control their subjects. For example, in Germany, the duke of Weimar imprisoned the famous Johann Sebastian Bach into prison for a month just because Bach asked to leave his job as the Duke’s musician (Kamien 99). This era in time was also home to scientific discoveries by Newton and Galileo. The Baroque era has shaped the world, as they knew it, to what the people of the twenty-first century all know and love.

To understand most period and movements in modern art, one must first understand the context in which they occurred. When one looks at the various artistic styles, one will realize how artists react to historical and cultural changes and how artists perceive their relation to society.

Renaissance art created standards and principles that every painting and artist had to utilize in order to even be considered good, let alone great. Characteristics such as the phenomenon of natural light, one-point and linear perspective, and highly idealized religious or mythological figures changed into the Baroque techniques of manipulating light to create emphasis, dramatizing the illustrated allegory, and unidealized realism. Additionally, “… the Baroque trend dominated and gave its name to the age… [but it was the presence of both styles] that give the Italian seventeenth century its richness and diversity.” (4) Italy, and Rome especially, is home to what can

Baroque and High Renaissance are two very important periods in art history, during that time a lot of different forms of art were created which include architecture, painting, and music. Baroque is just another word for having flashy symmetrical decoration. It’s a style that started around the 1600s in Italy and with its popularity it quickly spread around Europe. High Renaissance artist displaces the importance of draftsmanship, structured, and often-centralized compositions. Many artists quickly rise to stardom during these eras. This paper compares and contrasts these two art periods with the works created by great artists such as Marcantonio Franceschini who lived during the Baroque period and Mariotto Albertinelli who lived during the High Renaissance period.

It is always interesting to know how a singular topic can be treated so differently by two different artists. There is not only the more obvious difference of the techniques that have been employed, but there is also the difference in the way they perceive the topic. There is also the era and the region and influence of their background which has a direct impact on the work of Art that they produce. In this paper, we will try to develop an understanding regarding the difference that exist between a work that was developed in the Renaissance Period and one that came out in the Italian Baroque. The paper will try to find the ground on which they coincide and those on which they differ from each other.

The Baroque period saw many influential artists and sculptors, however, for the purpose of this assignment I am going to reflect on the works of Bernini and Caravaggio. Bernini’s sculpture, The Ecstasy of St. Teresa and Caravaggio’s painting, the Crucifixion of St. Peter will be what I am going to discuss. Both artists rose to prominence during the Baroque era by employing the artistic techniques unique to the era and playing into the vast influence the Catholic Church held over creativity of this period.

The era known as the Baroque period includes the seventeenth and most of the eighteenth centuries in Europe. The Baroque style was a style in which the art and artists of the time focused upon details and intricate designs. Their art often appeals to the mind by way of the heart. During this time the portraits began to portray modern life, and artists turned their backs on classical tradition. Much of the art shows great energy and feeling, and a dramatic use of light, scale, and balance (Preble 302). Buildings were more elaborate and ornately decorated. These works of art created history and altered the progress of Western Civilization. Architecture such as the palace of Versailles, and artists like

The Renaissance and the Baroque eras created some of the most famous works of art produced in the world. The two eras expressed differences in style and theme, but they also have many characteristics in common. To better understand the similarities of the eras it will be described by the characteristics, styles and the influences of each; Renaissance and Baroque works of art. Famous artist from the Renaissance era were Leonard da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti. Famous artist from the Baroque era were Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn and Michelangelo Merisi o Amerighi da Caravaggio.

Art is a human construct, it is bound to the artist that creates it just like each person is bound to the age in which they live. Art is as much a part of the artist, as words are part of the person that spoke them. It is the Human Spirit to want to progress from your predecessor, to use your forerunner's knowledge to break away and accomplish more. Art, being intrinsically entertained with the Human Spirit follows this trend. Each style having a base of knowledge from a previous style, but instead of replicating it, taking it further. Thus art reflects the Human Spirit's want to progress as much as it reflects the artist that created it and the time it was created in.

Baroque art and paintings were meant to teach people, to educate them about the Catholic Faith (Schroeder). Paintings depicted saints and stories from the Bible. The Baroque style, furthermore, was filled with many colors and drastic light differences that caught the eye and appealed to the senses (Baroque Art). Furthermore, dramatic Baroque painting, such as a crucifixion picture, could have had great effects on people and cause great emotions to rise in people (Fiero). These emotions could lead to a greater devotion to our Lord, Mary, or a saint. Also, these painting and sculptures, with their magnificence and splendor, aided in meditation and prayer. Baroque style focused on the moment, what was happening at that specific second; this would also have had helped the faithful in their contemplation or meditation (Baroque Art). Baroque art, therefore, could also be used to deepen faith and piety. The architecture of the Baroque, for example churches, was styled with huge, magnificent buildings and great arches (Fiero). These buildings and arches reminded the soul about the greatness of God, and they pointed people towards Heaven when the people looked up. Churches were adorned with spectacular paintings and sculptures, which reminded people about how beautiful God is. On a much smaller scale, the art and architecture might have drawn some people to the Church because of the beauty of the art and churches. The Catholic Church wielded the Baroque style with great vigor and force to combat

Beginning with the Baroque period, the Baroque was an art movement in the 17th and early 18th century which comes after the Renaissance before the Enlightenment, Neoclassicism. It’s origins, like renaissance art, were in Italy and the historical context really have is two historical movements that are associated with the Baroque. First, the Counter Reformation and second, Absolutism. As far as the Baroque tradition it represents a rejection of renaissance restraint. When looking at the School of Athens by Raphael, we can see this very technically perfect painting from the Renaissance where it looks like it could’ve been posed for which is what renaissance art is, restraint, that you are supposed to think about balance in the composition, and you’re supposed to hold something back. Renaissance art was not very emotional. One thing we should note is this painting of Aneas Fleeing Burning Troy by Federico Baroccci, is not restraint. We see a bunch of running around, burning fires, it’s not balanced, and there’s more action, but at the same time we still see this framework of classical themes. When looking at Baroque art, we’ll still be able to see themes that are very religious or grounded in the Greco Roman classical traditions. More characteristics of Baroque art we can see are motion, emotion, grandeur, and contrast. A piece of work where we can see almost all of these characteristics would be St. Michael the Archangel by Guido Reni. We see St. Michael trampling the devil,

A body of instruments accompanying the concertino in an orchestra in a baroque concerto grosso

The Baroque period brought many dark historic moments throughout its decades. The counter-reformation, the Protestantism, and the people lives being controlled by the King, the Pope, and the pastors. Due to these circumstances, the artists were obliged to create arts that had religious symbolic meanings. (CBSNews / AP)The one artist that would not accept these rules was named Caravaggio. Caravaggio would later become one of the well-respected and an inspirational figure to many artists.

Indeed, it is not possible to imagine someone could compete with Gianlorenzo Bernini in feeling of the Baroque style in sculpture. Thus, the most prominent works of the artist, known for

To understand the characteristics of Baroque style is to truly understand artistic measures of the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. Baroque, a single word describing an entire period of art, can be broken down into more than one actual form of art. The new European age birthed this developing style of architecture, coming from ideas on religion and politics. Set apart in three different countries, visitors of St. Peter’s Basilica, Versailles, and Hampton Court Palace, engulf themselves in historic Baroque styles and beauty. The international style “was reinterpreted in different regions so that three distinct manifestations of the style emerged” (Matthews 392). The florid, classical, and restrained baroque design of the three different buildings gives us a historic lesson on the reasoning behind its purpose.