5 Unique Paintings From The Baroque Era That Are A ‘Must-to-Know’ For Art Enthusiasts

What come to the minds of many people when they hear the term ‘baroque’ is probably dark, gloomy yet dramatic paintings. While these assumptions may hold some truth , baroque art is not limited to paintings that have dark backgrounds, dramatic scenes and ‘random’ skulls that are meticulously placed in the frame .

Caravaggio , Saint Jerome Writing, 1606, oil on canvas

The name ‘baroque’ actually comes from the Portuguese origin . The word ‘barroco’ which means ‘a flawed pearl’ has sparked an inspiration to name this style of art.  The erratic form of a pearl has influenced people to give the name for the art style that emerged in the early 17th century. Artists started to seek new ways for artistic expression in the beginning of the 17th century, then the style of baroque has been emerged with artists like Caravaggio, Ribera, Velazquez . The Baroque style is naturally not limited to paintings but includes architecture , sculpture , music and even dance.Starting in Rome , baroque style has been spreaded across the Europe influencing more artists through time until the midst of the 18th century. In each country , a different manifestation of the baroque style is observed due to the different political and cultural states in each country.

When it comes to identifying art pieces of baroque style, it surely helps to know the era in which the piece has painted. Baroque has influenced the art scene in Europe between the years of 1600 and 1740 greatly. However ; there are other important characteristics particular to the baroque style that may help one along the way of differentiating it. One of the important factors that have effected the art scene within the era was The Catholic  Church’s role.The baroque style was encouraged by the catholic church at the time due to counter-reformation movement that is held by the church itself as a reaction for the reformation started by Marthin Luther. This allowed there to be great religously affected paintings , a very famous one being Andrea Pozzo’s ceiling painting in Church of Sant’Ignazio in Rome which is the 3rd piece in the list below.

Caravaggio, Judith Beheading Holofernes, 1602, oil on canvas

To describe the characteristics of the baroque style paintings furthermore ,although it shows changes from country to country across Europe, it can be said that most paintigs include clearly displayed emotions , facial expressions and/or motions reflected in an emotionally touching manner. The other characteristic would be that the paintings display immensely clear details. The dramatic scenes are created to appeal to people’s emotions. The paintings include the contrast between light and dark , which creates deep shadows in the painting that enhances the dramatic , exaggerated features of the painting.

Queluz National Palace, Portugal

All-in-all , the baroque style has influenced many artists from a wide range of domains such as sculpture, music, painting and dance for one and a half century with its main focus on evoking deep emotions within people using contrast with light and dark , exaggerated expressions and dramatic scenes. To this day, baroque stye has been associated with melancholy by many people due to its characteristics. However ; it is a degrading way to describe the era as many pieces have created and many variations of the style have been explored from country to country.

Here below are 5 unique examples of Baroque style paintings listed that hold great significance in art history :

1) The Merry Family – Jan Steen (1668)

Jan Steen is known for portraying the daily lives of the middle-class family in a comedic way. In this painting ; we see a family celebration. On the left, a father figure is drinking wine and singing, the mother and the grandmother are joining him. On the left, while on of the childeren is playing the flute, the other one smokes a pipe.On the top left of the painting; an old idiom is hanged: ‘Children whistle to the song their parents sing’.

2) The Rape of The Daughters of Leucippus – Peter Paul Rubens (1618)

Peter Paul Rubens is considered as one of the most important and influencial artists that has associated with Baroque. Influenced by antique greek mythology , ‘The Rape of The Dauthers of Leuccipus’ is one of the most famous paintings by the artist. The motions are portrayed in a sculpture-esque way. Between the light skins and blonde hairs of the daughters and darker skin tones and brunette hairs that abductors have, there is a contrast.

3) The Saint Ignatius’ Church Ceiling – Andrea Pozzo (1691)

The very famous ceiling of Saint Ignatius Church is created by one of the most influencial artists in Italy at the time: the Baroque decorative artist Andrea Pozzo. The magnificent painting creates a unique upwards perspective starting from the wall towards the ceiling.

4) The Nightswatch – Rembrandt van Rijn (1642)

Rembrandt is considered to be one of the prominent figures in Dutch Golden Age. He is known for his ability to display human characters in a strikingly clear way. This painting is intended to be a portrait of Captain Frans Banning Cocq, which stands in the forefront of the painting in all black uniform.

5) The Anatomy Lesson of Dr.Nicolaes Tulp – Rembrandt Van Rijn (1632)

This painting may be counted as the most popular painting of Rembrandt today. The scene is clear as the name suggests it, the anatomy proffessor of the time in Amsterdam, gives lectures for students. Light is directly reflected onto the body of the dead subject, exaggerating his pale skin color. Students have interested yet rather cold facial expressions.

Resources

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Anatomy_Lesson_of_Dr._Nicolaes_Tulp
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baroque#Origin_of_the_word
3. https://serkanhizli.wordpress.com/2015/05/13/the-merry-family-neseli-aile-1668-ressam-jan-steen/
4. Buchholz, E.L.&Bühler, G.&Hille,K. Başvuru Kitapları: Sanat , NTV Yayınları
5. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-arthistory/chapter/the-baroque-period/
6. https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gece_Devriyesi