The Baroque Period

Front 1

The Calling of Saint Matthew

Back 1

Carvaggio

His first important Roman commission, one of 3 paintings.
The stern hand of Jesus is summoning Matthew who shrinks back into the darkness.
Apparent use of chiaroscuro.
Controversial in that the religious figures are wearing 16th century clothes and Jesus is not in the center.
Unknown as to whether the scene is outside or inside a tavern

Front 2

The Martyrdom of St. Matthew

Back 2

Carvaggio

Used his own experience of suffering to portray that of Matthew. A very pessimistic scene lightened by the angel swooping in from above.

Front 3

Madonna of Loreto

Back 3

Carvaggio

Depiction of a Roman mother.
Some found the picture of the Madonna as lacking devotion and respect.

Front 4

Judith and Holofernes

Back 4

Gentileschi

Done in chiaroscuro, the painting conveys a sense of great violence.
Contrast between the violence and the silken bed, jewlery, and drapery.
Gentileschi poured her passion onto the work as she herself was a victim of rape in her youth.

Front 5

Flight into Egypt

Back 5

Carracci

Scene of Rome's countryside with the river Tiber in the foreground.
The small human figures are perfectly porportioned in the natural setting; balanced by the castle and located at the meeting point of the diagnol lines.

Front 6

David

Back 6

Bernini

The face of this life size statue is said to be a portrait of the sculptor himself.
Unlike the prior Davids' this one is in action. Personifies energy with contrasts of light and dark through deep cuts in the marble.

Front 7

St. Teresa in Ecstasy

Back 7

Bernini

Uses a combonation of architecture, sculpture, and natural light to depict the saints vision of the angel.
St. Teresa is torn by violent emotion.
This is a supreme masterpiece of Baroque art.

Front 8

Church of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane

Back 8

Borromini

Rivaling with Bernini, he concentrated on elaborate details and complex structures.
This was his most influential work. The facade flows in sinuous curves as it includes columns, niches, arches, and statues.
In direct opposition of Bernini's style, but expresses another elaborate Baroque approach.

Front 9

The Lamentation over St. Sebastian

Back 9

Georges de La Tour

French Baroque, is a candlelit with humbly dressed figures.
Shows ample restraint in emotion and violence, typical of French style.

Front 10

Et in Arcadia Ego (1630)

Back 10

Poussin

His most poignant early work showcasing 4 country dwellers gathered at a large tomb in an idyllic landscape.
The inscription on the tomb is a reminder that death exists even in places of beauty.
An imaginative scene from Poussin

Front 11

Rape of the Sabine Women

Back 11

Poussin

Depicts a highly dramatic scene as the Sabine women are ransacked by Roman soldiers.
Intense violence and emotion.

Front 12

Et in Arcadia Ego (1638-1639)

Back 12

Poussin

Another version of his earlier work, depicting the same country dwellers studying the same tomb but with a deep mood of stillness.
This version lacks the urgency and poetry of its prior form.
Poussin creats a philosophical calm and aims to capture antiquity.

Front 13

The Martyrdom of St. Bartholomew

Back 13

Ribera

Similar to that of Carvaggio in using peasant figures with strong contrasts of light and dark.
Unlike Carvaggio in that there is no primary difference in the St. and his executioners, no heavenly intervention either.

Front 14

Las Meninas

Back 14

Valezquez

His finest and most complex work depicting his actual painting of The Maids of Honor.
It is a very complex work with imense detail that is not distracting as everything flows evenly with a mood of intimacy.
This is the first case of a painting within another. There are 2 other paintings in the background including a mythological one by Ruben.

Front 15

The Rape of the Daughters of Leuccipes

Back 15

Rubens

Depicting a mythological scene, every part is filled with movement (typical of Ruben being that his style is that of restless energy)
The sensuous nudity and voluptuos shape of the women is typical of Ruben - Rubenesque

This myth of the twin sons of Zeus is representative of passion.

Front 16

The Night Watch

Back 16

Rembrandt

Composed with great subtlety and complexity in the year of his wife's death.
Great sense of depth and meticulous arrangment of figures showcase his talent.

Front 17

Old Self-Portrait

Back 17

Rembrandt

One of many depicting his inner life journey. Done after the death of his wife which left him desolate. This mood is evident in the portrait.
Analysis of his own feelings and an avid expression thereof.