The Reformation
II. Baroque Art
- A. Purpose of Baroque Art
- 1. The Protestant Reformation represented the greatest challenge to the Catholic Church since the Roman persecutions of the third century. Led by a series of reform popes, the Church launched a Catholic Counter-Reformation to halt the spread of Protestantism and reenergize the faithful.
- 2. The Council of Trent reaffirmed that works of art should be employed to stimulate piety. Painters, sculptors, and architects tried to speak to the faithful by creating dramatic works of art that involved worshippers.
- B. Characteristics of Baroque Art
- 1. Dramatic use of light and dark called tenebrism
- 2. Subject matter focused on dramatic moments
- 3. Portrayal of everyday people who are not idealized
- 4. Baroque buildings featuring grandiose scale and ornate decorations
- C. Key Examples of Italian Baroque Art
- 1. Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Baldachino inside Saint Peter’s
- 2. Michelangelo de Caravaggio, The Calling of Saint Matthew
- 3. Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Slaying Holofernes
