Painting. Baroque – features and the most important examples of works

Painting. Baroque in visual arts

What was the essence of new painting? in the visual arts, he replaced the Renaissance need for harmony and appropriate proportions with the desire to dazzle and influence emotions. New trends were heralded by the works of some Renaissance painters, such as Michelangelo’s The Last Judgment. Italy remained the center of new art, but important artists were also active in France and the Netherlands. It should be remembered that the Catholic Church willingly used them, but the patronage was also distinguished by monarchs and the powerful, especially where there was a time of economic or political prosperity (France, the Netherlands).

The sensual richness of this art, the use of chiaroscuro, illusionism and rich symbolism can be seen in the developed topics from the religious, mythological, allegorical and historical representations. Portraits and still lifes were also popular.

The most important features of baroque painting

What were the most important features of Baroque painting? It can be said that the visual arts of this period went hand in hand with architecture. In the past, harmony, realism, anatomy and rationality of representations were important. What mattered in the new play was emotions, stimulating feelings, drama, bold use of colors and shadows. The effect of strong contrasts – for example between light and shadow, was highly appreciated. Ecstatic themes, references to death, the passage of time, conversions and emotional situations were often manifested in religious and secular painting.

Pictures – baroque, artists and their works

Who ordered the baroque paintings in the first place? Baroque and its art became a tool in the hands of the Catholic Church, which needed a weapon in the ideological fight against various Protestant denominations. However, the patronage was also exercised by rulers, especially absolutists – among them the leader was Louis XIV, known as the “Sun King”. The rulers of smaller countries were also happy to order works that were supposed to have a propaganda significance or constitute an ornament. This also applied to the powerful – the political economic elite in individual countries. An example may be the greatest magnates of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth who paid for baroque artists.

Rembrandt. Dr. Tulp’s Anatomy Lesson (1632) Wikimedia Commons

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Baroque paintings – examples

Who painted baroque pictures in the first place? Examples of great works can be found in galleries and museums all over Europe. The most important names, however, are undoubtedly:

• Michelangelo Caravaggio (1771-1610) – the greatest artist of Italy, author of, among others ” Bacchus ”, ” Card players ”, ” Calling St. Matthew ”, ” Supper at Emmaus ” and ” Ecce Homo ”
• (1606-1669) – the most important Dutch painter of the ‘golden age’, author of ‘The Resurrection of Lazarus’, ‘Doctor Tulp’s Anatomy Lessons’, ‘The Sacrifice of Isaac’, ‘The Return of the Prodigal Son’ and many others
• Diego Velazquez (1599-1660) – an outstanding portraitist, who also painted religious, mythological and genre scenes, author of “The Triumph of Bacchus”, “Surrender of Breda” or “Portrait of Pope Innocent X”
• (1577-1640) – a Flemish author who created, for example, ‘The Pictures from the Cross’, ‘The Kidnapping of Leukipp’s Daughters’, ‘Adoration of the Magi’, ‘The Court of Paris’ and ‘The Three Graces’ .

Peter Paul Rubens. The Three Graces, 1637-1638 The Prado in Google Earth / Wikimedia commons

Baroque painting in Poland

How did baroque painting develop in Poland? Baroque paintings were also appreciated in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Their purchase and creation on request was favored not only by the royal but also the magnate patronage. The role of the Catholic Church was also very important. Gdańsk also played an important role as the center of baroque painting. Religious works dominated, but allegorical paintings and portraits were also painted. An unusual example of a baroque style in the Commonwealth was the Sarmatian coffin portrait. Painted on tin plates, they were an important element of noble funeral ceremonies, and later often decorated the walls of churches. The most important artists were:

• Tommaso Dolabella
• Daniel Schultz
• Herman Han
• Bartłomiej Strobel
• Michelangelo Palloni
• Franciszek Lekszycki
• Andrzej Stech

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