Baroque, Rococo, Enlightenment, Neo-Classical, Romanticism

1. 17th and 18th
Century Art

2. Baroque Art

3. The term Baroque once had a negative
meaning.
The name is derived from Baroque pearls –
pearls with unusual, odd shapes
Compared to Renaissance art, it was
considered to be “over-dramatic” and the
architecture, “overly decorated”.

4. Baroque Pearl

5. Baroque Style
Dramatic
Strong Contrast of Light and Dark
Dynamic Composition
Architecture is decorative / many details

6. Roman Catholic Church supported Baroque art style
in response to the Protestant Reformation (movement to
reform Catholic Church) – communication of religious
themes with viewer's direct and emotional involvement
Aristocracy adopted Baroque style to impress visitors
and to express triumphant power and control

7. Baroque Style spread throughout Europe,
including Italy, Holland, France, and Spain.

8. Caravaggio
Calling of St. Matthew
1597 – 1601
Oil on Canvas
322 cm × 340 cm

9. Christ enters from the
right to summon Levi (a
Roman tax collector) to a
“higher calling”
Bland street scene
(“normal, everyday life”)
Caravaggio’s signature
style of strong light and
shadow
Light as a symbol of God
Caravaggio, Calling of St. Matthew,
1597 – 1601, Oil on Canvas, 322
cm × 340 cm

10. Comparison

11. Gianlorenzo Bernini
Baldacchino, St. Peter’s (Vatican, Rome)
1624 – 1633, Gilded Bronze, 30 Meters Tall

12. Bronze “canopy” over the
tomb of St. Peter
Focal point of cathedral
Made from Bronze of doors
of the Pantheon (Ancient
Roman Temple)
Commissioned by the
Barberini Family (symbol of
bees on the Baldacchino that
represent the family)
Gianlorenzo Bernini,
Baldacchino
St. Peter’s (Vatican, Rome)
1624 – 1633
Gilded Bronze
30 Meters Tall

13. St. Peter's, Rome exterior – late Renaissance
(Completed 1690) designed in part by
Michelangelo
Largest interior of any Catholic Church in world –
holds up to 60, 000 people

14. Ancient Roman Pantheon,
125 – 28 CE

15. Diego Valazquez
Las Meninas (The
Maids of Honor)
1656
Oil on Canvas
3.18 m x 2.76 m

16. • Informal family portrait
• Theme “Mystery of the Visual
World”
• Young Princess in middle
“Infantata”
• Maids in waiting helping her
• Her favorite dwarfs and her dog
• Valasquez is working on large
canvas (portrait of King Philip IV
and Queen Mariana (reflections in
mirror)
• Man framed in doorway
Diego Valazquez
Las Meninas (The Maids
of Honor), 1656, Oil on
Canvas, 3.18 m x 2.76 m

17. Comparison

18. Diego Velazquez, Surrender of Breda, 1634 – 1635, Oil on Canvas, 3.07 m x 3.67 m

19. Made for King Philip IV
Spanish Victory over Dutch in
1625
Spanish troops on right
(organized - victory)
Dutch troops on left
(disorganized – defeat)
Spanish General patting the
back of Dutch General
Diego Velazquez
Surrender of Breda
1634 – 1635
Oil on Canvas
3.07 m x 3.67 m

20. Johannes Vermeer, Girl with a Pearl Earring,
Oil Painting, 1665, 44 cm x 39 cm

21. Tradition of portrait painting in
Northern Europe
Symbolism of the turban
headdress and pearl
Involvement of the viewer
Dramatic light and shadow
Vermeer’s signature color:
ultramarine blue
Johannes Vermeer
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Oil Painting
1665
44 cm x 39 cm

22. Rembrandt van Rijn
Self-Portrait in a Cap
Etching
1630
5.3 x 4.4 cm

23. • Created when Rembrandt
was a student
• A moment in time captured
• Exercise in lighting, expression
• Rembrandt created at least 70
self-portraits during his lifetime
(oil paintings and etchings) Rembrandt van Rijn
Self-Portrait in a Cap,
Etching, 1630, 5.3 x 4.4 cm

24. Rembrandt Self-Portraits

25. Comparison

26. Anthony van Dyck
Charles I Dismounted
1635
Oil on Canvas
14.22 m x 18.49 m

27. Van Dyck – portrait artist (full body
portraits)
Portrait of King of England
King as a nobleman riding a horse in
park
King higher up
Landscape in background
Anthony van Dyck,
Charles I Dismounted
1635, Oil on Canvas
14.22 m x 18.49 m

28. Hyacinthe Rigaud
Portrait of Louis XIV,
1701, Oil on Canvas,
2.77 m x 1.84 m

29. Grand Portrait of King
Commissioned by King
himself
Absolute Monarchy
Wore high heels to make him
taller (5’4”)
Fleur-de-lis symbol
Haute Couture fashion
Hyacinthe Rigaud
Portrait of Louis XIV,
1701, Oil on Canvas,
2.77 m x 1.84 m

30. Jules Hardouin-Mansart and Charles Le Brun, Hall of
Mirrors (Palace of Versailles), 1680, interior architecture

31. Hall of Mirrors in King Louis
XIV’s Palace of Versailles
Mirror – Baroque source of
illusion
100’s of rooms in palace
Rich decoration (Gold /
Crystal)
Jules Hardouin-Mansart and
Charles Le Brun
Hall of Mirrors (Palace of Versailles)
1680, interior architecture

32. Palace of Versailles, France

33. Rococo Art

34. After the reign of Louis XIV in the 18th Century, the wealthy and
aristocratic moved back to Paris from Versailles and began
decorating their homes in the new Rococo style that was
associated with King Louis XV.
The Rococo style became prevalent in painting, sculpture, interior
design, and the decorative arts. Rococo style was a reaction to
the rigidity of Baroque style and was frivolous and playful.
Rococo style in painting echoes the qualities evident in other
manifestations of the style including serpentine lines, heavy use of
ornament as well as themes revolving around playfulness, love,
and nature.

35. Germain Boffrand, Princess Salon, Hôtel de Soubise, Paris, 1737- 40

36. Germain Boffrand
Princess Salon, Hôtel de
Soubise, Paris (Interior Design)
1737- 40
In French, the word salon simply means
living room or parlor.
Rococo salons are characterized by their
elaborate detail, serpentine design work,
asymmetry, and lighter, pastel, and gold-
based color palettes.
Furniture design rose to new heights
during the Rococo period to reflect
status.
Furniture became physically lighter, so
as to be easily moved around for
gatherings.
Interior ornament included the use of
sculpted forms on ceilings and walls,
often somewhat abstract or employing leafy
or shell-like textures.

37. Jean-Honoré Fragonard
The Swing
Oil on Canvas
1767
81cm x 64cm

38. Jean-Honoré Fragonard
The Swing
Oil on Canvas
1767
81cm x 64cm
A shift away from the monarchy toward the
aristocracy characterizes the art of
this period.
As with most Rococo paintings, the
subject of Fragonard's The Swing is
not very complicated.
The scene in the painting is meant to
be playful and titillating: an older fellow
pushes the young lady in the swing while
her lover hides in the bushes. The idea is
that as she goes up in the swing, her
lover can get a view up her skirt.
Sense of movement and a prominent
diagonal line similar to Baroque style
painting — the painting lacks the
seriousness of Baroque art.

39. The
Enlightenment

40. A new enlightened way of thinking critically
about the world and about humankind,
independent of religion, myth, or tradition

41. Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet)
(1694 – 1778)
One of the most important figures of the
Enlightenment. He was a French writer and
philosopher critical of the rule of Kings and
the selfish privileges of the nobility and the
church
Voltaire protested for freedom of thought
and religion

42. Jean-Antoine Houdon
Voltaire Seated
1781
Terra Cotta model for
marble sculpture
Height 120 cm

43. Smile of Voltaire shows his
satisfaction in his old age that
he helped change France with
his activism.
Voltaire helped pave the way
for the French Revolution
(1789 – 1799)
Voltaire believed “all men are
created equal”
Classic elements – white robe
and chair with classic details
Jean-Antoine Houdon
Voltaire Seated, 1781,
Terra Cotta model for
marble sculpture,
Height 120 cm

44. The Enlightenment was grounded in
empirical evidence
(using reason and needing evidence)
Scientific Questioning

45. Joseph Wright of Derby, An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump,
1768, Oil on Canvas, 1.83 m x 2.44 m

46. Drama of candlelit scene
The wonders of scientific
knowledge
Need to prove ideas
scientifically / evidence
Air Pump related to
discovery of oxygen /
“power of steam” – steam
engines used in England for
industrial revolution
Joseph Wright of Derby, An
Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump,
1768, Oil on Canvas, 1.83 m x
2.44 m

47. Comparison

48. Neo-Classicism

49. Renewed interest in “Classical” ancient
Greek and Roman art and culture

50. Jacques-Louis David
The Death of Marat
1793
Oil on Canvas
165 cm × 128 cm

51. “Neo-classical spareness” – cold,
empty space above
Inspired by French Revolution
Assassination of Jean-Paul
Marat (revolutionary radical and
friend of David – stabbed to death)
Symbols to tell narrative – the
knife, the would, the blood, the
letter
Jacques-Louis David
The Death of Marat,
1793, Oil on Canvas,
165 cm × 128 cm

52. Antonio Canova
Cupid and Psyche
1787
Marble Sculpture
1.55 m x 1.68 m

53. Illustrates story from Greek
Mythology (Love story
between a human and a God
involving jealousy)
Classic elements – marble,
draped cloth, Roman god
Psyche – beautiful human
daughter of King and Queen
Cupid – Roman god – son of
Venus – Venus jealous of
Psyche’s beauty
Antonio Canova
Cupid and Psyche
1787, Marble,
1.55 m x 1.68 m

54. Romanticism

55. Interest in Personal Freedoms (freedom of thought,
freedom of feeling, freedom of action, freedom of
speech, etc.)
“Feeling is all”
- German Philosopher, Johann Wolfgang Goethe
(1749 – 1832)

56. William Blake
The Ancient of Days
1794
Illustration (Hand-
colored etching)
23.3 x 16.8 cm

57. Artist – visionary poet,
painter and engraver
Blake visited by “spirits” in
his dreams
Classical references (ideal,
classical anatomy of figure) –
Blake admired ancient Greek
art
Energy and Movement –
Ancient of Days leans forward
unleashing power into rays of
light - wind through his hair and
beard
William Blake, The
Ancient of Days, 1794,
Illustration (Hand-
colored etching), 23.3 x
16.8 cm

58. Francisco Goya
The Sleep of Reason
Produces Monsters
1799
Graphic Arts (Etching
and Aquatint)
21.2 x 15.1 cm

59. If you forget reason, “monsters
will appear” (connection to
Enlightenment)
Goya, himself, asleep
Attacked by owls and bats
The unleashing of imagination,
emotion, and nightmares
Francisco Goya, The
Sleep of Reason
Produces Monsters,
1799, Graphic Arts
(Etching and Aquatint),
21.2 x15.1 cm