Baroque Era

The Baroque Era

Landscape with Nymph and Satyr Dancing (1641)

    The Baroque era was a period of grand, dramatic, and extremely detailed art and architecture lasting from the 17th century into the middle of the 18th century. Paintings were of course a main art form during this time, but so were sculptures and theater. Originating in Italy, the art is known for its movement, drama, and how color and light are used to create a sense of illusionism and evoke emotion. Some important artists from this time were Bernini, Sir Peter Paul Rubens, and Sir Anthony Van Dyck.

Influences

    During the Baroque era, there was a mix of religious tensions, political rivalries and power struggles within the holy roman empire that created the thirty years' war that spread across Europe. So many groups were at war with each other within Europe, the Catholics and Protestants were two main groups within the war who were fighting against each other because of deep religious divisions growing in Europe since the protestant reformation. The war ended because of exhaustion and shifting priorities. After 30 years of disease, starvation and bloodshed, all sides of the war were drained and didn't have anymore resources to continue, the focus on religion turned into a power struggle, especially between France and the Habsburgs. during this time, the Catholic Church used art to inspire faith and awe. Some artists were creating breathtaking religious works of art and using sexual influences to entice people to follow the faith of the church, like for example, the Ecstasy of St. Teresa which is a sculpture by Gian Lorenzo Bernini that displays a moment of spiritual ecstasy between St. Teresa and an angel. Bernini was a very prominent figure during this time, as he created many sculptures that grasped the concept of movement within the human body as well as the contrast between light and dark. His sculpture of David is my favorite from this era because he was able to use the irregular stance of the body to add depth and contours to create an illusion of light and darkness that intensifies the quality of the piece. Another one of my favorite big influencers during this time was Claude Lorrain, who was a French artist who combined natural beauty with classical architecture and mythological or biblical themes. The "Landscape with Nymph and Satyr Dancing" (the picture at the top of this post) is an oil painting that Lorrain created during this time period that demonstrates the bold contrasts between light and dark, a defining characteristic of the Baroque era. The movement in the piece is also a defining characteristic from this time period, the bodies were painted in a way that makes the piece feel like a still picture capturing a moment in time. 

"David" By Bernini

                                                    

    Here are a couple different angles of the sculpture "David" by Bernini. David has a makeshift sling-shot in his hand and is seen pulling the sling-shot back, getting ready to release. This piece depicts the moment right before the young shepherd David is about to shoot a rock at Goliath the giant during a battle. In the close up picture, you can see so much detail in the expression on his face. The tension in his face expression and body creates a moment of movement, while the twist in his body creates dark, shadowed areas of contour that give the illusion of light vs. dark contrast. Somehow, Bernini was able to create the feeling of tension with David's face expression and body position and I find it so interesting, especially how people were able to create such smooth sculptures out of such tough materials during this time period. 

Resources

“Claude Lorrain.” Claude Lorrain (Gellee). n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2025.

Exconde, James Christopher. “An Analysis of Bernini’s Masterpiece, His Sculpture of David.” Medium. Medium, 5 May 2023. Web. 25 Feb. 2025.

Parkes, Reaia. “The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa.” Art History News. 10 Dec. 2020. Web. 25 Feb. 2025.

“Thirty Years’ War.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, 9 Nov. 2009. Web. 25 Feb. 2025.