The Baroque Age: Glamour and Grandiosity (1600-1715)

The Baroque Period, like those before it, was filled with religious ideology expressed through the humanities. The major difference about this time however, was the role the church played in not only influencing the arts, but regulating them as well. The church dictated that the artists of all mediums must create pieces for the sole purpose of glorifying God. The change from the introspective, person centered art of the pervious years was gone, buried beneath a Roman Catholic Church that was only concerned with using the arts to display of its power. The church was not just suggesting that artists of the time represent the greatness of God, they were threatened with excommunication if they went against the church's position. The doctrine of affection was created by the church, and said that an artist may only present one emotion in each work. Bach, for example, was almost excommunicated when he could not seem to control his multiple emotions while directing his church orchestra. While this seems like it should have stifled the creative voices of the time, it only pushed the masters to work harder and find loopholes to get their feelings across. This religious tone combined with intense emotion is a pervasive theme throughout this time period. "The Conversion of St. Paul" is an amazingly intense painting that is overflowing with religious lessons. In addition, there is one single intense emotion being portrayed here, and the pain of St. Paul not only glorifies God, but it reaches out to the viewer and attempts to make him or her feel what St. Paul went through. The deep colors of the horse and background contrast with the brightness surrounding St. Paul, and the shading brings out the emotional darkness of the painting. This also adds to the intensity and fear that the painting invokes.

In "Paradise Lost." John Milton writes about the necessity of being obedient to God. This is completely in line with the Baroque idea of all art being used to glorify God. He also speaks of the fact that obedience to God is necessary in order to respect God and all he has created. In addition, obedience is the only path to salvation. This intensely religious piece of work is a good example of the shift literature took from the previous time period.

"Et in Arcadia Ego" by Poussin is another interesting piece that I really like. It is similar to other pieces of the time because it uses Biblical characters, the shepherds. The main difference however, is that there is not really a strong emotion tied into the painting on the surface. The shepherds seem puzzled, slightly baffled as they contemplate the inevitability of death. They seem surprised as they discover the tomb, but it also seems as they are wondering how death could affect them as well. Therefore, no intense emotion jumps out at the viewer. However, the painting does leave you thinking about death in a way, so that while the emotions may not be incredibly exceedlingly overwhelming, they are long lasting.

The Ecstasy of St. Teresa (1645-1652)

Gianlorenzo Bernini (1598-1680)

In contrast to "Et in Arcadia Ego," "The Ecstasy of St. Teresa" is a very moving piece that is very powerful. Bernini depicts a scene written by St. Teresa of Avila in her many writings about her life experiences. In this piece, an angel is piercing St. Teresa's heart with an arrow, and this arrow is the incarnation of God's love. This is the ultimate show of a single, striking emotion; the arrow itself is divine in origin and brings about physical pain but emotional ecstasy. In addition, we see the naturalism prevalent in the Baroque period, and the piece could not be as powerful as it is without this naturalism.

Judith and Her Maidservant... (1625)

Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1653)

Caravaggio influenced Artemesia Gentileschi, and his influence can be seen in the lighting of the scene, and again in the naturalism she uses in "Judith and her Maidservant". The painting gives off a tense feeling, and the emotion seems to be of urgency. This is also a painting that depicts a religious scene. Judith, a Jewish widow, is rising up against those that are oppressing her people. Judith's triumph over Holofernes is a triumph for the entire Jewish race and religion of the time.

Shades of Caravaggio can also be seen in Rembrandt’s “Susanna and the Elders”. The coloring, lighting, and naturalistic approach are all in line with the Baroque period. This painting looks a lot like "Judith and her Maidservant,” and the colors have taken on an almost gilded appearance. You can see that this is a very different from the brighter colors of the previous periods.