Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries

     The Renaissance, which began around 1400, gave way to a new style around 1600.  The new style was called "Baroque", which means "overly elaborate".  Just as the Greeks had distinct phases in their art history, Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic, art had distinct phases after the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise to power of the Christian church.  These phases were Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and Neo-Classical.  While there are some sub-headings (like Rococo) within these classifications, and of course many other "isms" that would follow, the primary focuses of this chapter are the Baroque period, which began around 1600, and the Neo-classical period, which began near the end of the eighteenth century. 

     In Baroque art, everything is very exaggerated.  If it is a sculpture, the subjects seem to be over-acting, as in the swooning death-pose of Bernini's Ludovica.  In painting, the contrast between light and dark is very strong, and colors are more intense.  It's almost as if Elvis was a painter, taking everything to extremes.

     In the Neo-Classical period, the emphasis was on Greek and Roman themes, with attention to fine detail in painting.  The paintings were blended so that no brush strokes were visible, often resulting in a photographic-looking appearance in the subjects, as in David's Napoleon.  Of course, this was before the invention of photography, which would happen in 1826.  Neo-Classicism would give way to several other "isms" in the nineteenth century, such as Romanticism, Realism, and Impressionism.  After that, all hell broke loose.

I am in the progress of changing this page so that there will be a hyperlink to each featured artist's page, rather than the present system of having all the pictures on the same page.  I have Caravaggio's, Bernini's, Gentileschi's, La Tour's, and Rembrandt's pages done.  Here are there links.  I plan to add others.  However, with these pages and the images that are already on the current page, you will have everything you will need to study for the test on chapter 17 next week.  Scroll down to the bottom of this page to see the Neo-classicists. Remember, by learning to recognize the style and subject matter of each artist, you can recognize anything that I can throw at you on a test.  You must go over and over the pictures until recalling them is as easy as eating a piece of cake.  Also, practice repeating out loud the story behind each artist.  If it's important, work for it. 

• Caravaggio

• Bernini

• Gentileschi

• La Tour

• Rembrandt