Essay - Art Comparison --Baroque Art Comparison Introduction the Baroque Style Dominated...

Art comparison

--Baroque Art *****

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The Baroque style dominated art and architecture throughout Europe in the 1600s, lasting in some places until about 1750 (Encarta, database onl*****e).

The origin of the word is not certain. Some believe it was derived from ***** Portuguese word barocco or the Span*****h word barueco, a ***** that referred to an irregularly shaped pearl (Encarta database online.) It should be remem*****red that pearls, baroque or o*****rwise, were only brought to Europe during the age of exploration, which slightly preceded what came to be called the baroque period of art. Baroque—or ***** shaped—pearls would have been looked upon as doubly exotic ***** very dramatic, so it is not difficult ***** imagine the term being applied to art ***** ***** increasingly dramatic, even if the subject matter was not; the baroque painters had an affinity for Biblical subjects.

Caravaggio ********** Rubens

What marks baroque ***** and sets it apart ***** earlier *****ms ***** its "preoccupation with the ***** potential of light," a fe*****ture that is ********** a hallmark ***** both Caravaggio's "Fl*****llation of Christ (1606-1607)" and Rubens' "Raising of the Cross (1611)."

Despite the fact that one painter was from the warm sunny **********, *****aly, and the other from a Germ*****nic area originally, although he studied in Spain, both make dramatic use of light in exploring their subject. However, of the two paintings, Rubens' work is the far more striking ***** the one more likely to point ***** way to the rococo period that followed. In its greater ***** of detail, and s*****ly overblown detail at times, it points toward the rococo period to follow better than does the Caravaggio work. While it ***** as dram*****ic as the much simpler ***** painting, ***** Rubens ***** seems ***** presage the "climax of degeneration of the Baroque" (New Advent database online, 2003), ***** descent of the drama of the Baroque into mere decoration formed of curves, lines ***** bands. It retains its dependence on the emoti*****ally charged subject matter, however, well enough to remain firmly in the ***** tradition.

***** is thus fair to say ***** Rubens had not become *****ly a decor*****tive painter, despite his use of rich and colorful detail. Far from it. ***** fact, the Rubens piece is part ***** a commission done for ***** high *****ltar of St. Walburgis in Antwerp (Lawrence, 1999). In its use of light, ***** the central ***** figure picked ba*****d in ***** and surrounded by figures wreathed in darkness, it ***** much follows the Baroque penchant for dramatic use of light. However, the sensuousness in ***** diagonal image, with the Christ figure both draped and upheld ***** a sinuous curve, is highly suggestive of decoration. On the o*****r hand, the composition also expresses movement and ***** there*****e even ***** dramatic than the Caravaggio work.

***** "Flagellation of Christ" is dramatic in it ***** matter; there could be little more dramatic, in fact, ***** the aspect of the savior of mankind, as ***** people ***** Caravaggio's day would have seen