Baroque Era Research Paper

In 1517 when Martin Luther penned his 95 Theses, he set off a movement that would forever change the world: the Protestant Reformation. Martin criticized the Catholic Church and argued for things like the supreme authority of the Scriptures and justification by faith alone would spread throughout Europe via the printing press, making converts and starting new Protestant denominations. During this reformation a new era emerged called the Baroque Era. In the Baroque Era new styles of art and music emerged as well as new painters supporting the reformation and showing the world through their perspective. Baroque Era paintings were really important during this period as they showed dramatic use of color, contrasts between light and dark, light …show more content…
Each artist showed a different genre of art distinguishing themselves during the Protestant reformation. In Europe the Baroque era was very significant, as it produced a new science and new forms of religion. The styles used later during the Baroque era gradually moved onto the Rococo era, making it more decorative, through contrast, further defines Baroque. The intensity and immediacy of baroque art and its individualism and detail, make it one of the most compelling periods of Western art (“Rembrandt Biography”). The styles, genres and extreme detail and complexity in his art work made Rembrandt a famous painter during the Baroque Era. Set aside from all the painters during the Baroque era, Rembrandt van Rijn was the most important and famous painter of that …show more content…
Another aspect to why Rembrandt’s work was so important back then and now, is the type of genre he painted in. When Rembrandt left school to paint he was taught by two master painters; Jacob van Swanenburgh and Pieter Lastman. His first teacher that taught him was Jacob van Swanenburgh, he was taught the fundamentals of an artist. Jacob specialized in scenes of hell and the underworld, and he would paint fire manipulating with the light in the paintings, also similar to the “chiaroscuro” technique. Rembrandt would later use this idea of lighting and apply it to his works later on in the future. His second teacher, Pieter Lastman, taught him how to master genre. The genre included placing figures from biblical, historical and allegorical scenes in complex settings ("Rembrandt Biography"). Many works that Rembrandt did included figures from the bible, such as the etching he did of Jesus Christ called “Christ preaching”. Rembrandt repeatedly turned to the bible for inspiration. Rembrandt was a very religious man and his way of comfort during the dark times of his life was through his paintings he did, especially the ones where biblical figures were involved. The period of Rembrandt’s religious art reveals a great deal about the artist and illustrates what inspired him (Corbett). Mostly Rembrandt’s paintings were based