THE BAROQUE 1600-1700 _____________________
The artists we will look at for the Baroque Period (1600-1700) are Caravaggio and Bernini.
The most significant historical factor that shaped the Baroque style was the Protestant Reformation. The Protestant Reformation was a challenge to the spiritual and political power of the Church in Rome. The Protestants broke away from the Catholic Church because they wanted to reform it. This began in 1517, when Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the door of a Church in Wittenberg, Germany. These theses were a list of statements that challenged certain Church practices largely the sale of indulgences but also other, deeper concerns that Luther had with Church doctrine.
As a result, the Church held meetings over a period of 18 years (the Council of Trent) to counter the effects of Protestantism. This is known as the Counter-Reformation. Aside from reaffirming Church doctrines, Counter-Reformation initiatives also directed Church officials to control the way artists used religious images. The Church decided it was important to reach their worshippers by evoking emotional empathy.This became the art of the Baroque Period.
1a.) In Caravaggios painting Deposition (or Entombment), discuss some of the Counter Reformation techniques Caravaggio uses.
https://smarthistory.org/caravaggio-deposition/
1b.) Explain how Caravaggio uses both chiaroscuro and tenebrism in this painting:
2.) Berninis Ecstasy of St. Theresa evokes emotional empathy within the viewer. Describe the Cornaro Chapel for which this statue was created; and the many effects Bernini uses to engage his e ` viewers.
https://smarthistory.org/bernini-ecstasy-of-st-teresa/
3.) Describe the differences between Donatellos David (Early Renaissance), Michelangelos David (High Renaissance), and Berninis David (Counter Reformation/Baroque). Describe each statue and explain how each represents the ideals of the time periods in which they were created.
https://smarthistory.org/donatello-david/
https://smarthistory.org/michelangelo-david/
https://smarthistory.org/bernini-david-2/
Terms:
tenebrism: extreme contrasts of dark and light; extreme use of chiaroscuro; e.g. black background with spot-light effect.
evoke: (in our lesson) to call forth
empathy: the ability to understand and share the feelings of another
visceral: to feel with your gut, rather than your intellect
: Ukiyo-e / Japan Edo Period, 1615-1868
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/plea/hd_plea.htm
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/jpon/hd_jpon.htm
What does the word Ukiyo-e mean?
For whom were Ukiyo-e prints produced?
What were some of the themes of the Ukiyo-e prints?
What aspects of Japanese Ukiyo-e prints inspired 19th century artists in Europe, such as the Impressionists Mary Cassatt and Edgar?
Realism/ Impressionism / France, 1853-1900
1.) In his painting Olympia, Edouard Manet is responding to some of the social issues Paris is experiencing at this moment of time: 1863. Manet is also challenging the traditions of painting in this epoch.
Compare and contrast Manets painting Olympia with the Renaissance painter Titians Venus of Urbino. Provide a detailed description of each painting and explain how Manet is using realism by pointing out elements in his painting that challenge 1) the societal ills of his time and 2) the way painting was judged in Paris at the time by the official art school in Paris (Academie de Beaux Arts and its Salon). https://smarthistory.org/edouard-manet-olympia/ and
https://smarthistory.org/titian-venus-of-urbino/
2.) The Impressionists were a group of artists in France who exhibited together between 1874 and 1886. They experimented with the effects of light and color, which is a hallmark of Impressionism. Aside from the dappled effect of light that Auguste Renoir uses in his painting Le Moulin de la Galette (1876) explain how this work of art exhibits many of the other characteristics of an Impressionist painting. https://smarthistory.org/auguste-renoir-moulin-de-la-galette/