Southern Baroque - Lecture notes 7 PDF

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"Southern Baroque" Thursday, February 8, 2018

1:19 PM

• Map of Vatican City Art historians traditionally describe 17th-century European art as Baroque,a term that probably derives from the Portuguese word for an irregularly shaped pearl. Baroque art is dynamic and theatrical, in vivid contrast to the precision and orderly rationality of Renaissance classicism. With the Catholic Church as the leading art patron in 17th-century Italy, the aim of much of Italian Baroque art was to restore Roman Catholicism’s predominance and centrality. The Council of Trent, one 16th-century Counter- Reformation initiative, firmly resisted Protestant objections to using images in religious worship, insisting on their necessity for teaching the laity. Baroque art and architecture in Italy, especially in Rome, embodied the renewed energy of the Counter-Reformation and the papacy’s zeal to communicate the Catholic message to the populace. How to identify the style? emphasis to light, illusion, and theatrical style. Plus, angels and diagonal lines in architecture.

• Bernini, David, 1623, Galleria Borghese, Rome. Bernini’s sculptures are expansive and theatrical, and the element of time plays an important role in them. His emotion-packed David seems to be moving through both time and space… the expression of intense concentration on David’s face contrasts vividly with the classically placid visages of Donatello’s and Verrocchio’s versions and is more emotionally charged even than Michelangelo’s. The tension in David’s face augments the dramatic impact of Bernini’s sculpture. Note: A more vivid and mature David where Goliath stands as the spectator. Another diff. is that it seems to move into three dimensional space.

• Vignola & della Porta, Il Gesù, Rome; plan,1568; façade, c. 1575-84; Gaulli, Trium of the Name of Jesus, 1676-79 The rhythm of the columns and pilasters mounts dramatically toward the emphatically stressed vertical axis… Note: the emphasis in unification and the vertical lines. also, note the central composition.

• Maderno, façade of St. Peter’s, Rome, 1606 -12 Maderno’s plan also de- parted from the Renaissance central plans for Saint Peter’s designed by Bramante and, later, by Michelangelo. Paul V asked Maderno to add three nave bays to the earlier nucleus be- cause Church officials had decided that the central pl was too closely associated with ancient temples, such as the Pantheon. Further, the spatia organization of the longitudinal basilican plan of the original fourth-century church reinforced the symbolic distinction between clergy and laity and also was much better suited for religious processions. Lengthening the nave, however, pushed the dome farthe back from the facade, and all but destroyed the effect Michelangelo had planned —a structure pulled together and dominated by its dome. When viewed at close range, the dome barely emerges above the fa- cade’s soaring frontal plane. Seen from farther back, standing in the great piazza erected later by Bernini.

• Aerial view of St. Peter’s, Rome, colonnade designed by Bernini, 1656 -67; plan The dramatic gesture of embrace that Bernini’s colonnade makes as worshipers enter Sai Peter’s piazza symbolizes the welcome the Catholic Church wished to extend during the Counter- Reformation…Note: free style of columns by the piazza which plays with perspective and proportion towards Saint's Peter.

• Bernini, Apollo and Daphne, 1623-24 Daphne in the attempt tries to escape from Apollo, she ask to become to a floral tree. This sculpture shows how she transform into the tree.

• Bernini, Baldacchino, St. Peter’s, Rome, 1624-33 Bernini’s baldacchino serves both functional and symbolic purposes. It marks Saint Pete tomb and the high altar, and it visually bridges the marble floor and the lofty vaults and dome above.

• Bernini, Ecstasy of St. Teresa, Cornaro Chapel, Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome, 1645-52; general view & detail In the Cornaro chapel, Bernini, the quintessential Baroque artist, marshaled the full capabilities of architecture, sculpture, and painting to create an intensely emotional experience for worshipers… The passionate drama of Bernini’s depiction of Saint Teresa correlated with the ideas of Ignatius loyola, who argued that the re-creation of spiritual experience would encourage devotion and piety. Note: an stage designer. Note the boxes in each side as spectators, and note the light that comes from the above to illuminate the central stage.

• Borromini, San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, Rome, 1665 -76; façade; view of dome Borromini rejected the notion that a church should have a flat frontispiece. He set San Carlo’s facade in undulating motion, creating a dynamic counterpoint of concave and convex elements. Note: Unstable effect with two entrances. Oval and elastic movement.

The plan of San Carlo is a hybrid of a Greek cross and an oval. The walls pulsate in a wa that reverses the facade’s movement. The molded, dramatically lit space flows from entrance to altar. Instead of using a traditional round dome, Borromini capped the interior of San Carlo with a deeply coffered oval dome that seems to float on the light entering through windows hidden in its base.

• Borromini, Chapel of St. Ivo, College of the Sapienza, Rome, begun 1642; façade; plan; view of dome unlike Renaissance domes, Borromini’s Baroque dome is an organic form that evolves out of and shares the qualities of the supporting walls, and it cannot be separated from them. • Caravaggio, Musicians, c. 1595, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York How to distinguish Caravaggio? exaggerated chiaroscuro, expressive technique by emphasizing contrast between light and light. tenebrism, from the Italian word tenebroso, or “shadowy” manner. In Caravaggio’s work, tenebrism also contributed greatly to the essential meaning of his pictures. The painting portrays four figures, including three musicians. The promising artist painted the canvas around 1595 when he was living in the household of Francesco Maria Bourbon Del Monte (1549–1627), whom Sixtus V appointed cardinal in 1588. Del Monte was a lover of art and music who headed a papal committee to study the reform of liturgical music and who oversaw the Sistine Choir, at that time an all-male ensemble of castrated singers.

• Artemesia Gentileschi, Judith Slaying Holofernes, c. 1614 -20, Uffizi, Florence narratives involving heroic women were a favorite theme of Gentileschi. In Judith Slaying Holofernes, the dramatic lighting of the action in the foreground emulates Caravaggio’s tenebrism… Gentileschi adopted the tenebrism and what might be called the “dark” subject matter Caravaggio favored. Significantly, she chose a narrative involving a heroic woman, a favorite theme of hers. The story, from the book of Judith, relates the delivery of Israel from the Assyrians. Having suc- cumbed to Judith’s charms the Assyrian general Holofernes invited her to his tent for the night. When he fell asleep, Judith cut off his head. In this version of the scene (Gentileschi produced more than one painting of the subject), Judith and her maidservant behead Holofernes. Blood spurts

• Caravaggio, Calling of St. Matthew, Contarelli Chapel, San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome, c. 1597-1601 The stark contrast of light and dark is a key feature of Caravaggio’s style. Here, Christ, cloaked in mysterious shadow, summons Levi the tax collector (Saint Matthew) to a higher calling. Note: His career was short, controversial, but influential... the light is what directs the viewer towards the scene. His figures are not idolized, they have dirty feet, he wants the viewer to feel inside the picture. His style was contemporaneous to his era

involving a heroic woman, a favorite theme of hers. The story, from the book of Judith, relates the delivery of Israel from the Assyrians. Having suc- cumbed to Judith’s charms the Assyrian general Holofernes invited her to his tent for the night. When he fell asleep, Judith cut off his head. In this version of the scene (Gentileschi produced more than one painting of the subject), Judith and her maidservant behead Holofernes. Blood spurts everywhere as the two women summon all their strength to wield the heavy sword. The tension and strain are palpable. The controlled highlights on the action in the foreground recall Caravaggio’s work and heighten the drama here as well.

• Artemesia Gentileschi, Self-Portrait as Allegory of Painting, c. 1638-39 • Caravaggio, Conversion of St. Paul & Crucifixion of St. Peter, Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome, c. 1601 He uses light to direct the viewer towards the focal point. Dramatic, psychological. The center of the composition is an empty space.

• Reni, Aurora, Casino Rospigliosi, Rome, 1613-14 The “divine Guido” conceived Aurora as a quadro riportato, reflecting his training in the Bolognese art academy. The scene of dawn leading Apollo’s chariot derives from ancient Roman reliefs. • Annibale Carracci, Flight into Egypt, 1604, Doria Pamphili Gallery, Rome Carracci’s landscapes idealize antiquity and the idyllic life. Here, the pastoral setting takes precedence over the narrative of Mary, the Christ Child, and Saint Joseph wending their way slowly to Egypt.

• Cortona, Triumph of the Barberini, Palazzo Barberini, Rome, 1633 -39 In this dramatic ceiling fresco, divine Providence appears in a halo of radiant light directing Immortality, holding a crown of stars, to bestow eternal life on the family of Pope urban VIII.

• Annibale Carracci, Loves of the Gods, Palazzo Farnese, Rome, 1597-1601 The term for this type of simulation of easel painting for ceiling design is quadro riportato (“transferred framed panel”). By adapting the northern European and Venetian tradition of easel painting to the Florentine and Roman fresco tradition, Carracci reoriented the direction of painting in central Italy. He made the quadro riportato format fashionable for more than a century.

• Pozzo, Glorification of St. Ignatius, Sant’Ignazio, Rome, 1691 -94

• Cotán, Still Life with Game Fowl, c. 1600-03

• Ribera, Martyrdom of St. Bartholomew, c. 1639, Prado, Madrid

• Zurbarán, St. Serapion, 1628, Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford

• Velázquez, Water Seller, c.1619, Victoria & Albert Museum, London In this genre scene that seems to convey a deeper significance, el zquez rendered the figures with clarity and dignity, and his careful and convincing depiction of the water jug in the foreground, complete with drop lets of water, adds to the scene’s credibility. The plebeian nature of the figures and the contrast of darks and lights again reveal the influence of Caravaggio, whose work el zquez had studied.

• Velázquez, Surrender at Breda, 1634-35, Prado, Madrid Vel zquez depicted the victorious Spanish troops, organized and well armed, on the right side of the painting. In sharp contrast, the defeated dutch on the left appear bedraggled and disorganized. In the center foreground, the mayor of Breda, Justinus of nassau, hands the city’s keys to the Spanish general—although no encounter of this kind ever occurred. el zquez’s fictional record of the event glorifies not only the strength of the Spanish military but also the benevolence of Sp nola. el zquez did not portray the Spanish general astride his horse, lord ing over the vanquished dutch mayor, but rather painted him standing and

In the center foreground, the mayor of Breda, Justinus of nassau, hands the city s keys to the Spanish general—although no encounter of this kind ever occurred. el zquez’s fictional record of the event glorifies not only the strength of the Spanish military but also the benevolence of Sp nola. el zquez did not portray the Spanish general astride his horse, lord ing over the vanquished dutch mayor, but rather painted him standing and magnanimously stopping Justinus from kneeling.

• Velázquez, King Philip IV of Spain, 1644, Frick Collection, NY

• Velázquez, Las Meninas, 1656, Prado, Madrid, & details el zquez intended this huge and complex work, with its cunning contrasts of real, mirrored, and picture spaces, to elevate both himself and the profession of painting in the eyes of Philip I. The painter represented himself standing before a large canvas. The young Infanta Princess argarita appears in the fore ground with her two maids in waiting, her favorite dwarfs, and a large dog. In the middle ground are a woman in widow ’s attire and a male escort. In the background, a chamberlain stands in a brightly lit open doorway. Scholars have been able to identify everyone in the room, including the two meninas and the dwarfs. as eninas is noteworthy for its visual and narrative com plexity. Indeed, art historians have yet to agree on any particular reading or interpretation. central issue preoccupying scholars has been what, exactly, is taking place in as eninas. hat is el zquez depicting on the huge canvas in front of him e may be painting this very picture—an informal image of the infanta and her entourage. lternately, el zquez may be painting a portrait of ing Philip I and ueen ariana, whose reflections appear in the mirror on the far wall. If so, that would suggest the presence of the king and queen in the viewer’s space, outside the confines of the picture. ther scholars have proposed that the mirror image is not a reflection of the royal couple standing in el zquez’s studio but a reflection of the portrait the artist is in the process of painting on the canvas before him This question will probably never be definitively resolved. as eninas is extraordinarily complex visually. el zquez’s optical report of the event, authentic in every detail, pictorially summarizes the various kinds of images in their different levels and degrees of reality. e portrayed the realities of image on canvas, of mirror image, of optical image, and of the two painted images. This work —with its cunning contrasts of real spaces, mirrored spaces, picture spaces, and pictures within pictures—itself appears to have been taken from a large mirror reflecting the entire scene This would mean that the artist did not paint the princess and her suite as the main subjects of as eninas but himself in the process of painting them. as eninas is a pictorial summary and a commentary on the essential mystery of the visual world, as wel as on the ambiguity that results when different states or levels interact or are juxtaposed....