Baroque Art in 17th Century Europe: Painting and Power
Seventeenth-Century Background: Two Types of Power
There were two types of powers in 17th-century Europe:
- The Papacy: The Catholic Church, after the Council of Trent, sought to counter the growing influence of Protestant nations. The Church’s power was reflected in the wealth of its temples.
- Royal Power: Absolutism brought about a court and an administration that created a new type of city: the capital of the state. This development enhanced urban planning.
The Baroque style was born as an instrument of the Catholic Church and absolute monarchies, who used this art to present their power and a sensation of glory. Sensation came to supplement reason.
Painting in Italy, Flanders, and the Netherlands
Gloomy Italian Painting
Started by Caravaggio, this style postulated the representation of things as they are, in their luminous and spatial link to reality. His subjects have a strong naturalism, with violent foreshortening similar to that of Tintoretto. His compositions often have a tight, enclosed feeling, reflecting his revolutionary temperament.
Flemish School
Peter Paul Rubens gave a peculiar character to pictorial art, focusing on the pleasurable aspects of life, customs, and food. His diplomatic trips to Spain and Italy gave his brushwork a classicist tone. His style can be summarized as colorful, dynamic, and thick, with great movement. Notable works include:
- Religious: The Elevation of the Cross
- Mythological: The Three Graces
- Portraits: Maria de’ Medici
Painting in the Netherlands
Holland’s personality is largely defined by the sea, and the intensity of its light is poetically transmuted in its paintings. With Rembrandt, Dutch painting reached its maximum height. Born in Leiden, he married Saskia. In 1642, he suffered a setback with The Night Watch. His first wife died, and he later met Hendrickje Stoffels, but the deaths of both her and his son Titus increased his loneliness, poverty, and illness. Notable works include:
- Portraits: The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp
- Religious: The Elevation of the Cross
- Mythological: The Abduction of Ganymede
- Landscapes: Scenes of autumn and winter
Painting in Spain
Characteristics
Spanish Baroque painting is characterized by a certain privacy, balanced naturalism, simple compositions, a predominance of religious themes, a lack of sensuality, and the practice of Italian tenebrism.
Notable Authors
José de Ribera
José de Ribera entered the world with his themes of suffering beggars. His style fuses religious emotion with mastery of color and light. He is dramatic, possesses a sober art, and has a great eagerness for humanity. In Ixion, he stands out in the mythological theme, and in Saint Andrew, in the religious genre. He is one of the highest exponents of the Spanish Baroque, known for his piety and realism.
Francisco de Zurbarán
Despite working at the Court, Francisco de Zurbarán rarely painted battle themes. His taste was limited to monastic subjects. He favored the use of white backgrounds and often omitted architectural elements. His figures radiate a vivid illumination. Notable are his paintings for the Convent of Mercy.
Diego Velázquez
Diego Velázquez initiated a more vivid art, watching and copying reality. His works have movement and a remarkable lighting technique. In 1623, he was appointed royal painter and enjoyed the favor and friendship of the Count-Duke of Olivares and Philip IV. He traveled to Italy, where he left behind his darker palette and focused more on color and aerial perspective, as seen in The Surrender of Breda. Upon his return, he was secured as the portraitist of the court, as seen in his portrait of the Count-Duke of Olivares. He made a second trip to Italy, and upon his return, he created his most important works: The Rokeby Venus, The Spinners, and Las Meninas.
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo depicted a religious family. His greatest concern was color, and he paid less attention to plasticity. He initially used a darker palette in works such as Children Eating Melon and Grapes. During 1640-60, he experienced great success. Other known works are The Holy Family with a Bird and his Immaculate Conceptions and Annunciations.