Baroque Era Research Paper

Words: 1302
Pages: 6

The Baroque Period is described as the 17th century European Art, but encompasses a wide range of styles and genres. The origin “Baroque” still remains unclear, but believed to have come from the Portuguese word barroco, which means an irregularly shaped pearl. The use of the word can be traced back to the late 18th century, when critics belittled the Baroque’s artistic production, because of the comparison to the art of the Italian Renaissance. Over time, the connotation faded, but the title stuck. Nowadays, the term “Baroque” is used to describe the new style that emerged during the early 1600s. Baroque artists became familiar by their use of dynamism and elaborate ornamentation, often on a grandiose scale.
Fra Andrea Pozzo was an Italian
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In 1640, Poussin painted the Landscape with Saint John on Patmos. The painting is a 3’ 3.5” X 4’ 5 5/8” oil on canvas where it resides in the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. In France, the monarchical authority had been increasing in the reign of Louis XIV, who sought out the direction of French society and culture. In the 17th-century, France became Europe’s largest and most powerful nation and the arts flourished. Louis XIV (the “son king”) desired for control and to expand all realms of French life, including art. Louis and his principal adviser, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, strived for organized art and architecture in the service of the state. They sought out a regularize taste and established classical style as the preferred French manner. The Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in 1648 advanced what they were striving for.
In the painting Landscape with Saint John on Patmos, the landscape is so vast and extensive that St. John looks miniscule in the front. In the background, lies an incredible landscape of sandy hills, big oak trees, and the mainland on the left. The comfortable special depth leads the eye to slowly move along the painting starting with the foreground then the background. The significance of the piece demonstrates the fall of pagan beliefs, the triumph of Christianity, and the symbols of both progress and human