Baroque Period

Art Appreciation IP4

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Baroque Period

Baroque Period
Abstract
The following paper will discuss three works of religious art from the Baroque period. The
three works of art, The Conversion on the Way to Damascus, by Caravaggio, The Four
Continents, by Peter Paul Rubens, and Descent from the Cross, by Rembrandt will be discussed
in length including their similarities and different in styles, techniques, form, etc. and their
impact on 17th Century society.

Baroque Period

Baroque Period
The Baroque Period began in Italy in the beginning of the 18th Century in response to the
Protestant reformation. The Catholic Church in an attempt to stop the spread of the Protestant
religion created the Council of Trent whose job was to reeducate Catholic followers about their
faith through religious art depicting direct and dramatic scenes from the Bible. The scenes were
painted with dramatic color schemes and using intense contracts between dark and light. This
gave the art a vibrant and extravagant quality. The Baroque Period produced beautiful pieces of
work such as, The Conversion on the Way to Damascus, by Caravaggio, The Four Continents, by
Peter Paul Rubens, and Descent from the Cross, by Rembrandt.
Section B
The goal of the Baroque period was to show the greatness of God and express his power. Each
piece of art created was a divine expression of his greatness and an affirmation of his holy power.
The Conversion on the Way to Damascus, by Caravaggio was painted in 1601. The painting
depicts a scene in the Bible that represents Sauls conversion that occurred on the road towards
Damascus. The scene shows Saul on the ground with a groom and horse hovering above him. As
Saul is on the ground he hears the voice of Christ in his mind and is struck temporarily blind.

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Christ is asking him why he has forsaken him and will later become one of Jesus disciples.

Caravaggio, 1601
The painting is clearly is the Baroque style because it is vibrant and larger than life. The
painting has one key figure which is Saul. He is laying flat on his back with his arms
outstretched. A groom holds Sauls horse and stares down at the man lying on the ground with a
concerned look. The art clearly depicts a scene of the divine and uses vibrant colors to give a
dramatic effect. The outstretched arms of Saul seem to be reaching out to the heavens either
asking for forgiveness or trying to accept the holiness of Christ into his being.
The second painting chosen from the Baroque period is The Four Continents, by Peter Paul
Rubens. The painting was created during the Baroque Period and depicts the spread of
Catholicism across the four continents. The painting depicts four women clinging to four men
who represent the four great rivers while the four women depict the four different continents at
the time. The four rivers are the Danubi, Nile, Ganges, and Rio de la Plata rivers while the four
women represent England, Asia, the Americas and Africa. The painting contains rich vibrant
colors and depicts a divine scene.

Baroque Period

Peter Paul Rubens, 1615

In the painting, The Four Continents, the scene symbolizes the spread of the Catholic Church
all around the world or to all four continents (Finnan, 2012). While it does not depict an exact
scene in the Bible the purpose of the work is to reject the Protestant Reformation and show the
divinity of God. The women in the painting are representative of the continent in which they
come with the European woman having pale skin and pale hair and the woman from Africa with
black skin and dark hair. The key figures in the painting sit in a semi circle with the European
maiden and God sitting up higher than the other maidens and Gods.
The third painting is the Descent from the Cross, by Rembrandt. The work of art was created
in 1634 and consist of here separate pieces with Descent from the Cross in the center. The
painting is in the Baroque style due to the dramatic use of shadowing and light and use of more
dramatic colors. The scene shows Jesus being taken down by the cross while surrounded by
faithful women who wait to cover him the shroud that be wrapped around his body. Jesus body is
surrounded by a bright light while everything else in the picture is shrouded in darkness. The
intense shadowing of the painting and the fine details of the images give the painting a natural
and haunting appearance.

Baroque Period

Rembrandt, 1634
Section C
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio is an Italian artist credited for beginning the Baroque
style when he was hired by the Catholic Church to paint for the San Luigi dei Francesi. His first
creations were three painting depicting the life of Matthew but many were offended by the
realistic and dramatic nature of his work. Art prior to the Baroque Period was artificial and not
created in the naturalistic style. When Caravaggio began the Baroque style it was immediately
rejected by some in the art world but the Pope adopted this style in order to stop the spread of
Protestant and remind Catholic followers of the divinity of God and the sacrifices of Christ. This
is when he painted the Conversion on the Way to Damascus.
Caravaggio began to gain fame for his art despite the criticism he received but due to
criminal behavior was forced to flee Rome and hide in Naples, Italy until he could be pardoned
by the Pope (Boston College, 2011). During his exile he continued to paint but his work became
darker and more natural. After his pardon he continued to paint and moved to Milan where he
received his pardon from the Pope. He died in 1610 after being left behind by a boat that was
supposed to take him back to Rome but instead took all of his belongings leaving him destitute.
Caravaggio died two days later.
Peter Paul Rueben is known for painting historical and mythological figures based on
religious themes. Ruebens was born in Germany but his art was influenced by the Italian

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Baroque style. Raised as a Catholic, the artist painted many scenes depicting the life of Christ or
other important moments in the Bible but he also enjoyed putting a mythological twist in his
painting. The Four Continents is a perfect example of Ruebens art where the scene is designed
to honor the Catholic religion while giving a mythological twist. He was well loved in Germany
and the artist for the Hapsburg Court.
Rueben was responsible for painting the royal family and received many honors. He enjoyed
painting nudes and especially full figured women. Despite the graphic nature of many of his
paintings, his Baroque style was not criticized in German society especially amongst Catholics.
Rueben was hailed as a great artist and was commissioned by the Governor and other important
figures to create art pieces. He died at the age of 62 of grout after a long, life creating many
famous masterpieces and creating an important legacy in the Baroque period.
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn is a well known painter who is hailed as Hollands most
famous artist. Rembrandt did not study abroad but got his inspiration from Italian artists, such as
Baroque style painter Caravaggio, in order to create his masterpieces. Rembrandt was a painter
and an etcher who began his work and training at a young age. Because of his great talent in his
youth Rembrandt he was trained by great historical artist Pieter Lastman (Hochfield, 2006).
Despite this talent Rembrandt was considered by many to be an extravagant drunk who was debt
ridden.
Rembrandt began as a portraitists but he also known for his depictions of Bible scenes. He
had a successful career until 1642 when he painted a group portrait known as the Night Watch
with several other artists. Even though Rembrandt was hailed as the star of the Golden Age his
career came to an end after his wife Saskia's died and his commission complained about the

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quality of work he was providing. Rembrandt painted in the Baroque style with extreme areas of
dark and extreme area of light resulting in amazing contrast. It was believed many people
criticized his use of shadowing in his later works.
Section D
Each of the three artists from the Baroque period hails from completely different countries but
all have one thing in common, they were Catholics. Caravaggio was the only Italian and was
responsible for the creation of the Baroque style which would be emulated by Rembrandt and
Rueben. Ruben styles his work after Caravaggio but added a mythological twist to his religious
depictions while Rembrandt styles his paintings after both Caravaggio and Ruben. Caravaggio is
considered the first painter of the Baroque style and a majority of his work depicted a divine
scene. Many of Rubens art also depicted religious or divine scene but with a twist while
Rembrandt painted portraits, religious scenes, and figures of importance.
Caravaggio and Rembrandt both experienced controversy and hardships in the careers as a
artists and both died fairly young. Caravaggio was criticized for his baroque style but admired by
the Catholic Church who was seeking to put a stop to the Protestant Reformation and remind
Catholics of their faith. The scenes depicted by Caravaggio were natural and designed to shock.
Ruben was more lavishes in his depiction of the Catholic Church and loved to depict nude
women in his paintings. Many of these women were full figured but the style was similar to the
classical statues created by Italian sculptors. Rembrandts work also displayed similarities to the
Italian artists from the Baroque Period.
Section D

Baroque Period

The Conversion on the Way to Damascus, by Caravaggio fits into the Baroque style and
period because they are crafted after his works. Caravaggio established the Baroque style when
he began to paint using dramatic colors and shading of light and dark forcing the eye to look at a
specific and central scene in the painting. In his painting The Conversion on the Way to
Damascus Saul is the central figure with the horse and groom being shrouded in darkness.
During this time the Protestant Reformation was crating great concern for the Catholic Church.
As a result of Caravaggios naturalistic approach to art the Pope commissioned to paint for the
church.
The Four Continents, by Peter Paul Rubens does not depict a Bible scene but sends the
message of the Catholic Church during the Baroque period. The painting is in the Baroque style
because it applies dramatic scenes and vibrant colors but it also applies light and dark shadowing
to ensure key figures are properly highlighted (Finnan, 2012). The Descent from the Cross, by
Rembrandt was created in the Baroque style because it applied the techniques of both
Caravaggio and Reuben.
Rembrandt was not taught to create in the Baroque style by a Baroque artist but learned by
viewing the art of the great artists of the time. Rembrandts painting depicts an important
religious scene out of the Bible as was common for the period. In all three paintings the artist
connects the divine to the art.
Section E
All three works of art are similar in that they were all created in the Baroque style but
different in their styles and techniques. Each painter has applied extravagance and richness to
their paintings and applied a more naturalistic feel to the work. In each work the colors were

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used dramatically as well as dramatic contrasts between light and dark, light and shadow
(McKay 2010).The paintings by Caravaggio and Rembrandt were similar in their works in the
depictions are hauntingly real while Rueben always added a mythological or historical twist o his
baroque paintings.
In all of the pieces of art discussed in the essay central figures are highlighted through
shadowing. Light and dark is used to make other items in the picture fall back while the central
figures are clearly highlighted or basked in light. In the painting The Conversion on the Way to
Damascus, by Caravaggio and in the painting Descent from the Cross, by Rembrandt darks is
used to mask the other people or objects in the scene while specific figures in the art are
highlighted with lighter paint strokes.
Section F
Caravaggio created his art in order to express the beauty and significance of important scenes
in the Bible. He was an important figure in strengthening the faith of the followers of the
Catholic Church in the face of the Protestant reformation. Peter Paul Rueben is known for his
religious content but also his mythological or fantastical twists in his work. Rembrandt
developed his own unique style but after observing the works of great Baroque style artists.
Each of the artists applied an amazing and dramatic approach to their art that will forever
capture the attention of art lovers. The works are dramatic and stunning if not somewhat
shocking for the time. In modern times the Baroque style would not be considered shocking but
for the 17th century depicting scenes from the Bible or religious events in their natural state was
not a natural form of art. Just with any other type of art, the baroque style will be loved by some

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and not by others. In my opinion all three art works are amazingly detailed and intense creating
absolute masterpieces.

References
Boston College. (2011). Caravaggio, Michelangelo Merisi da (1573-1610). Retrieved April 11,
2014 from http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/art/bar_cvggo.html
Finnan, V. (2012). Peter Paul Rubens: The Baroque artist and Diplomat. Retrieved April 12,
2014 from http://www.italian-renaissance-art.com/Rubens.html
Hochfield, S. (2006). Rembrandt: Myth, Legend, Truth. Retrieved April 12, 2014 from
http://www.artnews.com/2006/07/01/rembrandt-myth-legend-truth/
Khan, A. (2014). 1600-1700 Baroque Style. Retrieved April 11, 2014 from

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https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-history/art-history-1600-1700-the-baroque
McCay, K. & McKay, J. (2010). The Basics of Art: The Baroque Period. Retrieved April 19,
2014 from http://www.artofmanliness.com/2010/10/18/the-basics-of-art-the-baroque-period/