Baroque

Baroque (1600-1750) “irregular, contorted, grotesque” - Generally agreed the new style was born in Rome during the final yeas of the 16 th century - What remains under dispute: whether the Baroque is the final phase of the Renaissance, or an era distinct from both Renaissance and modern Zeitgeist- spirit/ “feels” of the time Baroque-Barroco-uneven/ misshaped peal *bizarre art, ornamented, Rise of the Dutch Republic – 1581-1795, revolted against King Philip II of Spain at that time because of high taxes, persecution of Protestants, and the efforts of Phillip to modernize the devolved-medieval government structure of the provinces Decline of Spain – 7 provinces of Netherlands rebelled against the Spanish rule Thirty Years’ War – 1618-1648 – one of the most apocalyptic conflicts Europe has ever seen – resulted from an ongoing struggle between the Catholics and the Protestants adding also the political issues. Came to an end in 1648 in the part of Europe we now call as Germany. Holland and England became rich RENE DESCARTES -new theory of knowledge “I think therefore I am” – Cogito ergo sum – in a book containing meditations in an attempt to discover what is real by first doubting absolutely everything and start from scratch. Starts from the bottom and works his way up into believing in the existence of worldly things - The fact that he can think assures him of his own existence, and a deceiving god cannot negate that FRANCIS BACON Advocate and practitioner of Scientific method, creator of empiricism/experimentation/observation Speculative thinking Recovery of the papacy - Counter reformation has taken full effect. Some important territories had been recaptured for the old faith

The princes of the Church who supported the growth of Baroque art were known for worldly splendor rather than piety Instead of painting everyday scenes as how the Protestant artists would to portray Biblical scenes, Catholic artists would graphically portray the martyrdom of saints, and painted Virgin Mary and Jesus as idealized humans Paintings glorified catholic traditions, idealized saints and sacraments Interconnectedness of other systems: 1. The newly fortified catholic faith 2. The absolutist state – unrestricted power of the monarchy or autocracy; climax in Louis the XIV’s reign in 17th century 3. The new role of science -

The Arts 1. Not through strict rationalization 2. More of emotions, feelings approach 3. Religious emotionalism 4. Dynamic energy 5. Exuberant decorative richness 6. Nexus of various stylistic impulses BERNINI (sculptures) a. David - technical virtuosity - Baroque exuberance, patronage of the pope, expressive energy - about to release the slingshot - antithetical to Michealangelo’s personality and art: family man, fast worker, systematic - much more dynamic, climactic in the midst of action - motion and emotion, movement and psychological intensity – breaking new grounds - implied presence of Goliath b. ST. THERESA OF AVILA - ”Ecstacy of St. Therese” – pose, facial expressions - Angel pierced the heart of St. Therese – saw visions of God - exploiting drama – through background, natural light, grand setting - Baroque sculpture: active relationship with space it inhabits - canopy in St. Peter’s; Sta. Maria della Vittoria c. APOLLO AND DAPHNE 1622-25 - humane, Daphne resists advances of Apollo so wished to become a tree instead - commissioned by Cardinal Borghese Paintings CARAVAGGIO Caravaggism

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1601

“Caravaggioesque”,

-painter, premiere Italian painter in Baroque a. SUPPER AT EMMAUS - more, big, gestures; emphatic and full of drama - resurrected but incognito Jesus reveals himself to the 2 disciples only to soon vanish from their sight - Jesus raised from the dead - shadows are heightened, exaggerated, no more middle tones - boldly illuminated figures against dark, mysterious backgrounds - paintings have “lay Christianity” b. DOUBTING THOMAS - Thomas, poking his finger to the wound of Christ - dark background, extreme chiaroscuro – strong contrasts between light and dark; contrasts of light to achieve a sense of volume in modeling 3-dimensional objects such as the human body Caravaggio – Northerner birthplace near Milan c. CALLING OF ST. MATTHEW - Depicting moment in which Jesus inspires Matthew to follow him - “naturalism” – sacred subject depicted in terms of contemporary low life - “Come Follow Me” – strong impact – blinding spotlight, forceful arm, dramatic - Different interpretations as to who is Matthew in the painting – bearded man “Me?” or “Him?” - Halo on Jesus – commanding gesture – maybe borrowed from Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam d.1. CONVERSION of ST. PAUL - Saul is struck blind by a brilliant light on his way to Damascus to annihilate the Christian community - Naturalism replaced symbolism; no idealism - St. Ignatius’ spiritual exercises on senses rather than intellect - Composition with its jagged shapes and irrational light – sense of crisis and dislocation in which Christ disrupts the mundane world d.2. CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL ON THE WAY TO DAMASCUS - “I am Jesus whom you persecute. Arise and go into the city” e. DAVID 1599 - dark, few light, expressions - Light on young David’s leg, shoulders, arm and flank, on the head itself and everything else is dark - Intensely personal and private – no triumph, no armies, no victory f. DEPOSITION OF CHRIST

*Raphael – with background, natural world for distraction *Caravaggio – more dynamic – CROPPING, blackout, spotlight, more exaggerated gestures - What makes this a counter-reformation painting? - Bloodless Christ unlike spanish postcrucifixion painting with gore, not feeling pain even if a finger is directed to the wound of Christ, his body is a muscled thick-limbed laborer compared to the bony-thin depiction Makes this different – mary depicted as an old woman rather than as a young woman which was usually the norm Raised arms – mary of cleophas - Person in painting – more direct to audience Artemisia GENTILESCHI - follower of Caravaggio - Worked most in Naples - Woman painter – sued teacher who raped her - Baroque – erotic and violent scenes - Extracting revenge a. JUDITH SLAYING HOLOFERNES 1611-12 Partly realistic because it was very personal to Artemisia Exploit chiaroscuro and an unidealized vision of common humanity – violent effect Homicidal heroine, women playing a dominant role Black background, illuminated humans 2nd – getting away with murder ZURBARAN – Spanish, praying monk, Caravaggio’s follower Plain and simple, quiet intensity of devotional pictures Counter-Reformation mysticism Dramatic lighting ST. SERAPION – Caravaggesque style - 1628 oil on canvas - Calm depiction of a violent death - Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote De La Tour – France - Also a Caravaggisti ST. JOSEPH Dark, dramatic, seated Candle – source of light Accentuating impact of viewer Candle and mirror – increases illumination THE PENITENT MAGDALENE Skull – symbol of mortality Just before here complete conversion ANNIBALE CARRACCI - less radical than Caravaggio - anti-Mannerist style since 1580s

Ceiling fresco in the gallery of the Farnese Palace – famous but thought second only to those of Michelangelo - Rich, intricate design of narrative scenes; surrounded by painted architecture, simulated sculpture and nude youths - Carefully foreshortened and illuminated from below – exuberance - Reformer rather than a revolutionary - At best, succeeded in fusing diverse elements such as revival of the classics and returning to nature GUERCINO Aurora - Architectural perspective and pictorial illusionism - One limitless space; figures sweep past as if propelled by winds DA CORTONA 1633-39 Glorification of the Reign of Urban VIII - Most overpowering of all these ceiling frescoes is in the great hall of the Barberini Palace in Roma - Simulating architecture and sculpture, but beyond it we see the unbounded space of the sky - Clusters of figures perched in clouds or soaring freely, swirl above as well as below this framework - Dual illusion: figures hovering inside the hall; while others recede into a light-filled, infinite distance Dynamism literally sweeps us off our feet – Baroque style reaches its resounding climax. BAROQUE IN FLANDERS, NETHERLAND The Scream- Edvard Munch, 1895 - most expensive painting sold ever, 2012: $119.9 million - One of the greatest expressionist paintings ever - Highest priced work of art and costliest of all pastel drawings - An expression of personal suffering - His loved ones passed away one after the other No. 5- Jackson Pollock, 1948  Abstract Expressionist, drip painting  Sold to David Geffen in 2006 for $140million co-founder of Dreamworks SKG  “Jack the Dripper”, painting on the floor, used the force of his whole body to paint, nearer and more part of the painting

The Massacre of the Innocents - $76.7 M - The new most expensive painting from Baroque, sold in 2002 - Most expensive work by an old master - From the bible, one of the most savage events, massacre of all newborn boys ordered by Herod to prevent the emergence of a Messiah - Referred to as one of the best history painters of the baroque period - Movement, muscle, flesh, above all, emotion - Diagonals, color contrasts, relationships between figures PETER PAUL RUBENS - From Antwerp, Flemish realist, very detailed - Studied the works of Italian masters diligently - United disparate influences:  Michelangelo’s muscular and twisting bodies, also the different color and lighting from him  Caravaggio lighting - His robust sensuality and fertile imagination creates his strong individual character - Emphasized movement, colour and sensuality a. SAMSON AND DELILAH 1609-10 Climactic moment of cutting of hair – his strength coming from his hair; having fallen asleep on Delilah’s lap, a servant cuts his hair, then after, the weakened Samson is arrested by Philistine soldiers Rubenesque – feminine, vuluptuous - Ideal of full-breasted, broad-waisted, more womanly, dimpling and puckered flesh of female nude - Smoothness and warmth of skin - Old woman at the back is not really part of the biblical scene – symbolism woman of the past and Delilah’s future - Crossed hands of the cutter – sign of deceit - Commissioned by an alderman for his townhouse b. JUDGMENT OF PARIS (1639) - Everything bustling with energy, Paris as trusting Idealized feminine beauty, many versions RUBENS was a diplomat, he was knighted, knows different languages, establishes peace as he is an adviser and emissary c. RAPE OF THE DAUGHTERS OF LEOCIPPUS, 1617 Enhanced swirling impression of dynamic movement Diamond of intersecting diagonals, twisting

Unerotic, unmystical religious sensibility Phoebe and Hileira d. ARRIVAL OF MARIE DE MEDICI, 1621-25  One of the 24 canvases that comprise the Medici cycle  9th –The Embarkation at Marseilles, seems like a very triumphant moment when it doesn’t have to be depicted that way  Loosely depicts the life of Marie de Medici  -symbolism of heaven and earth  History and allegory altogether  Fleur de lys – symbol of the royal family of France  Below the gangplank: 3 sea nymphs, along with gods of the sea  Drama of the poses, contrast with the steepliness of the queen above  Energy and motion, everything at the bottom of this canvass is in motion  Granddaughter of the holy roman emperor  Married Henry the IV  In 1610, before the King was assassinated, she took the throne as Queen of France  Became regent since her son Louis the XIII was still young, and even if he was already of age. She wouldn’t let him ascend to the throne. And when he was finally old enough and able to have the authority to say that it was his turn already, he banished her from France and he wouldn’t allow her to come back for years. Marie was very ambitious, very powerful BAROQUE MUSIC full development of instrumental music was achieved in the Baroque period wherein it can stand alone, unlike during the renaissance period - Universal characteristics of Baroque Music - 1. Basso continuo – typically consists of a harpsichord and a cello provides the rhythmic and harmonic foundations of an ensemble. Usually written on the bass line with numbers to determine or designate the harmony then performers decide to fill out this figured bass - 2. Ornamentation – embellishment of a musical line with devices such as trills, mordants and grace notes. Rarely written out and never even indicated but simply left to the taste of the performer -

Handel - British born, famous for his opera, oratorios - Play Hallelujah and other Messiah music - The rise of the virtuoso style

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Bach and Handel were great virtuosi on organ and harpsichord, Corelli on the violin Audiences loved to applaud virtuosity and improvisation when performers were expected to fill out the score, offering their own extemporaneous creation Play lady gaga fugue

REMBRANDT VAN RIJN Caravaggisnic Developed graphic processes, engraving, etching, drypoint corrections on copperplate Started with smoothly painted Biblical scenes with spiralling composition (RUBENS) and chiaroscuro (CARAVAGGIO) Made a lot of self-portraits; with wife looking out to the audience a man who kept on representing himself through his artworks a. Portrait of Jan Six, 1654  One of the best portraits of the Dutch Golden Era  Estimated as $150 million according to art dealer Otto Naumann  From a well-off family, playwright, poet, also studied law  Friends with Rembrandt, thus the more casual posture b. SAMSON BEING BLINDED “lay Christian” – Old Testament Sparse details on background, lighting Oriental splendor and violence Flare, flamboyance, energy – full of emotion, full of character Rags-riches-rags – internal and extrenal problems; compassion for the poor c. MAN WITH A GOLDEN HELMET Like Jan van Eyck’s Man in a Red Turban – self-portrait Successful but sad – moral tale Questioning the standard of success that doesn’t lead to happiness d. RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL SON, 1666 Focus on relationship among figures – mysterious, supernatural light Simple, but deeply felt – emotion Interprets mercy with an extraordinary solemnity that goes beyond all works of Baroque art in the evocation of religious mood and human sympathy Like his final word, aged artist Expressive lighting + simple setting = full impact of event Light against enormous dark surface

Repentant sinner leaning against his father’s chest and old father bending over his son e. THE NIGHT WATCH, 1642 Myth KLM Airlines in 1967: “See Night Watch. Rembrandt’s spectacular failure that led to his bankruptcy” – in truth, painting was not poorly received, no word in dispraise of it, never hidden in some obscure location incidentally, both “night” and “watch” are wrong – guards, by the time Rembrandt painted them, were no longer necessary to guard the ramparts of Amsterdam or go out on watches by day or night Meetings have been diverted chiefly as social or sporting activities Insignificant incident as a grand historical spectacle on a huge scale – military company Canvas had become so darkened by dirt and layers of varnish that it was difficult to tell if illumination was provided by Rembrandt from sun or moon Suffered from the ministrations of restorers – “Rembrandt brown” – thus impression of a monotonous colorist Not until WWII was the painting fully restored Contrasts of light and shade, brilliant and drab color Variety of poses, gestures, expressions Contained not only 18 guardsmen (in real life) but also 16 other figures – bark of the dog, rumble of the drums, cries of children One reason of his decline was definitely the change of Dutch taste; too much chiaroscuro f. BATHSHEBA David invites Bathsheba, very meaty underneath Been regarded as an icon for breast cancer in the 1980s – 2 Australian surgeons interpreted the blue mark on her breast as breast cancer, wrote an article Then researchers from MIRA institute demonstrated that it is highly unlikely that it was really caused by the disease through computer simulations – not so useful, man she died centuries ago In practice, breast cancer tumours are located much deeper, and deeper tumors don’t show any color Model is very probable to be Rembrandt’s lover Ignored the standard treatment of the scene – King David gazing; outdoor -

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setting – in this case, we the viewers, are the voyeurs Naked figure of no perfection

VERMEER hierarchy of subjects in painting  HISTORY – religion in this case  PORTRAIT  LANDSCAPE  STILL LIFE a. THE ARTIST AND HIS STUDIO, 1640 - Its subject has no subject; the ties of silence unite these two people; an interplay of space and light both separates and unites them - Artist presented from the back - Suit is actually the fashion from 150 years before this present: why? Strange anachronism. - Woman – leaves on her head, carrying a book and trumpet – what does she represent? – neither looks at the book, the trumpet, painter, but the still life in front of them - Grail geometry, symbolic, studio, paint Clio – muse of history - Trumpet = fame - Conspicuous elements: - Chair – inviting viewer to the painting - Chandelier – not lighted – Netherlands, predominantly Protestant – Vermeer was a Catholic - Map at the back - Subject of the painting: History - Social status of the artist – checkered tiles means rich - “GENRE SCENES” – Vermeer’s hardly has any narrative - Genre meaning “type” or “kind” - Scenes that show people at work, play or rest - Intention of not who people are, but what they are doing b. WOMAN HOLDING A BALANCE, 1664 Woman steadies her scales before weighing her gold and pearls Framed painting of the Last Judgment silhouettes her serene figure just as Christ weighs souls, so as the woman tests a balance Mirror in front of her reflects a selfknowledge Subtle meaning is reinforced by Vermeer’s exquisite refinement of composition and lighting RULE OF THIRDS

Our eyes naturally gravitate to intersection points when the image is split into thirds - 2 imaginary vertical and 2 horizontal lines - Important compositional elements are placed where the lines intersect, on or near the imaginary lines - Landscapes - If the focus is on land, the horizon should be on the upper third row - If on the horizon, land should be on the lower third - Rather than put the horizon in the center so the photos look better - Eyes are lined up with the upper horizontal line, on the intersecting lines c. A LADY WRITING, 1665 Vermeer was a painter of light Used camera obscure or “darkened chamber” – ancestor of modern photographic camera – employing an adjustable lens Duplicates the selective focus of the eye Precise highlights glisten from the writing box, pearl earrings, satin hair ribbons, brass from chair – all equally in middle distance Nearby table cloth is purposely blurred, then painting at the back is hazy D. ALLEGORY OF FAITH, 1671-74 - She professes her faith, scriptures, chalice, crucifix - Painting within a painting - Hanging spidery glass ball – one desperately seeks Vermeer’s reflection, as one would on Van Eyck’s Arnolfini -

DUTCH - Freedom of speculation Struggle for religious and civic liberty Landscape and still-life Portraits, landscape, still-life, or genre MEINDERT HOBBEMA THE AVENUE AT MIDDLEHARNIS – landscape - Trees – classic example of perspective and vanishing point - Light tonality, colorful palette, smooth technique Landscape in real life – hunger games WILLEM KALF STILL LIFE WITH DRINKING HORN, 1653 - Pronkstilleven – ostentatious still life – display of luxurious possessions that reflected the wealthy lifestyle of Holland - Venetian glass, Chinese porcelain, Turkish garments

- Also carries symbolic significance - Map o holland DUTCH - Secular painting flourished under bankers, merchants - General striving to adorn their houses - Little demand for devotional altarpieces or grandiose architecture STEENWYCK ALLEGORY OF THE VANITIES OF HUMAN LIFE, 1640 - ‘Vanitas’ painting – religious work in the guise of still life – cautions viewer to be careful of wealth and pleasures of life as this can be an obstacle to the path of salvation - Emphasis on subordination and prominence - Skull – universal symbol of death - Lamp – indicates passage of time; mortality - Idea of worthlessness - Chronometer or pocket watch – idea of time - Shell – luxury – high social status in Netherlands - Symbol – context of being shallow or empty – shiny on the outside, hollow on the inside Ecclesiastes – the more you increase knowledge, the more you increase sorrow JAN VAN GOYEN Landscape Artist Landscapes are painted for a wide public, sold on open market and bought FORT ON A RIVER, 1650 Naturalistc, local scenery Symbolic – nationhood – shared set of ideas binding people together, contemporary scenes 2/3 of canvas - sky JACOB VAN RUISDAEL Windmill at Wijk, 1670 Dramatic, heroic windmill scene Greatest Dutch landscape painter FRANS HALS (HOLLAND) - Dutch Golden age painter, loose brushwork, - Paintings are vivid and vibrant Portraits and portrait-like figures form contemporary life Influenced by Rubens Studies of expression and character Unrestricted by his sitters, free to work out his INDIVIDUAL MANNER – very free brushwork a. THE MERRY DRINKER Instantaneous life, spontaneity of brushwork; painter’s individuality and novelty Comes across as if a person you meet at a bar Anticipates 19th century Impressionism

Baroque: rendering of instantaneous emotion and movement Most frequently he shows the instant when joy of life is at its highest b. LAUGHING CAVALIER “one of the most brilliant of all baroque portraits” Involved gorgeous, expensive silk costume Turning pose and low viewpoint allow emphasis on lower sleeve and lace cuff In general, commissioned portraits such as this rarely showed individuals smiling until late 18th cent, though smiling is often seen in genre paintings “A Cavalier” only in 1888 was it given the title laughing cavalier -

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The Gypsy Girl, Jonky Rap and his Sweetheart, Boy With A Lute

BAROQUE IN SPAIN DIEGO VELASQUEZ (1599-1660)  Was a court official – Philip IV  European fame is of recent origin as well, dating from first quarter of 19th cent  “sense of moderness of impression, direct contact with nature, vital force” – Sir David Wilkie  Although acquainted with all Italian schools, strong enough to witthstand every external influence and to work out for himself his own principles of art  Great influence any other late in time  “I would rather be the painter of common things rather than second in higher art”  Noblest and most commanding man of his time in his country  Great skill in merging color, light, space, rhythm of line, and mass in such a way they all have equal value Putting dignity on the lower class: a. THE WATER CARRIER OF SEVILLE b. PORTRAIT Of POPE INNOCENT X Seated in cathedra, red background, Center of attention – face Best portrait of portraits Style of Titian, single space - royalty, courtliness of the most rigid character was his task to portray, not individual personality however, this portrait leads on to suspect that there might have been more interpretation had the painter been free to express it

As court painter, he spent large of his life recording in his cool, detached way Objective appearance of the rigidly conventional household with little interpretation but with the keenest eye for selecting what was important for pictorial expression. c. LAS MENINAS (MAIDS OF HONOR) – 1656 Portrait of Infanta Margarita, daughter of King Philip IV Margarita dropped in to see Velasquez at work, stops right next to him – seemed perplexed – portrayed by Velasquez Paradox/peculiar strangeness: Infanta definitely not posing for her portrait King and Queen reflected in the back wall mirror – therefore we assume that Velasquez is painting the portrait of the royal couple standing behind his easel – but looking deeper, Margarita is the center of attention and focus of Las Meninas - greatest work The artist as an intellectual, not a craftsman -

“The -

Theology of Painting” Extending space, expansive High ceiling, glances of characters Makes use of vanishing point MULTIPLICITY OF SUBJECT Artist dressed as court official – elevation of his social status - In the studio, sleepy dog - Venetian richness in colors - Practice of using pigment in short or long, thin or thick, hasty and spontaneous but actually most skillfully calculated strokes – Velasquez as a forerunner of the modern practice or direct painting LAS MENINAS by PICASSO - 1957, series of 58 paintings performing a comprehensive analysis, reinterpreting and recreating several times Las Meninas by Diego Velasquez – took 4 months to complete - Using avant-garde style he created – Cubism – entirely new message by copying an old painting in a new style - Technique releases any hold on conventional idea of beauty and focuses instead on a geometric approach to form and color - Attempt to recreate an object in the way that a human brain, not the human eye does Suite is fully preserved in Barcelona

BARTOLOME MURILLO – painter of sweetness and light a. BOY WITH A DOG - Demure rosy-cheeked Virgins – dismissed as sentimental, weak and inconsequential unlike his far darker, more serious contemporaries – Zurburan and Velasquez - His paintings made them perfectly suited for Counter-Reformation tastes By 1650s, he abandoned his early Caravaggesque chiaroscuro and the severity of Zurburan in favor of unadultered sentimentality Trip to Madrid (he’s from Seville) – saw paintings of Rubens, Italian Renaissance artists – taught him to use warmer tones, richer colors, thicker brushstrokes and brilliant highlights

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BAROQUE in ENGLAND ENGLISH BAROQUE Architecture Insular (separate from other cultures) form of “Late Gothic” – absorbed the stylistic vocabulary of the Italian Renaissance but as late as 1600, English buildings still retained a “Perpendicular syntax” ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL Sir Christopher Wren Classicism is seen – the second-story windows; the dome – looks like Bramante’s Tempieto Up-to-date Baroque design reflecting a thorough acquaintance with contemporary architecture in Italy and France Wren came close to being a Baroque counterpart of the Renaissance artist-scientist Studied anatomy, physics, mathematics, astronomy, highly esteemed by Sir Isaac Newton Because of the great London fire of 1666 that destroyed the Gothic cathedral of St. Paul and many lesser churches, he was named the royal commission for rebuilding the city Middle path between classical puritanism and Baroque exuberance Development of 17th cent architecture follows the French pattern: toward 1700, the High Baroque wins out over a classicistic tradition yet England never accepted the subsequent Rococo First School of English painting since the Middle Ages that had more than local importance

WILLIAM HOGARTH - Entertains us that we enjoy his sermon without being overwhelmed by its message - Probably the first artist in history to become a social critic in his own right Scene 3 of The Rake’s Progress, 1734 Modern moral subjects Picture that comes from a set A young wanstrel is overindulging in wine and women Scene is full of visual clues yet however literal-minded, the picture has great appeal THOMAS GAINSBOROUGH – 1748-1750 ROBERT ANDREWS AND HIS WIFE Portraiture remained the only constant source of income for English painters Began painting landscapes, but ended as the favorite portraitist of British high society Unpretentiously at home in their setting Landscape, derived from Ruisdael, has a sunlit, hospitable air never achieved by Dutch masters BAROQUE IN FRANCE Culturally France was the most powerful nation as the center of the art world shifted from Rome to Paris and Versailles Referred to their art not as Baroque but as “classic” or in the style of Louis XIV High Renaissance of Italy and classical antiquity Classic – simple, clarity, balance, restraint - Nourished by French humanism Hyacinthe Rigaud, Louis XIV, King of France and Navarre, 1701 THE SUN KING, 1661-1715 - Centralized the government around his own person and used art and architecture in the service of the monarchy - Absolute power – no check on what they could and could not do - No parliament that would have balance the power of the king (as there was in England) - King also ruled by divine right – the power to rule came from God - Established the Royal Academy of Fine Arts – to control matters of art and artistic education by imposing a classicizing style and other regulations – new opportunities for artists and established a canon of work - Here, king is portrayed in majesty and authority; as well as our own significance in his presence - The ermine and the velvets and embroidered silk are so sumptuous that the eye focuses

on them more than on the face of the Sun King VERSAILLES - King’s official residence in 1682 - 14 miles southwest of Paris and contains 700 rooms - Louis Le Vau – architect – classical authority, logical clarity, imposing splendor - Galerie des Glaces or Hall of Mirrors – room with 17 mirrors facing the windows that look out onto fabulous gardens - Higher French aristocrats are invited to live here and wait upon him - Not just a place to live – became the symbol of the French monarchy itself therefore all the décor had to speak of the power and accomplishments of the king - Every aspect of the king’s life was thoroughly ritualized – incredible majesty of the king NICOLAS POUSSIN (1594-1665) - Greatest French painter of the century – like many European artists, was drawn to Rome - Inspired by Titian, Venetian qualities - Highest aim of painting is to represent noble and serious human actions - In logical, orderly way – general and typical - Defined himself against the prevailing Baroque tastes of his adopted city and steadfastly followed his own artistic path - Sensitivity to the nuances of gesture, design, color and handling – he varied according to the theme at hand a. RAPE OF THE SABINE WOMEN 1634-35 and 1637-38 (2Versions) - Was able to display to the full his unsurpassed antiquarian knowledge, together with his mastery of complicated relations of figures in dramatic encounter - Depicts Romulus at the left giving the signal for abduction - Second architectural setting is more developed Had only one papal commission – The Martyrdom of Saint Erasmus – coolly received and was followed by the loss of a commission - Realized that he would not sought out to decorate the churches and palaces of Counter-Reformation – not his strength - Cassiano – patron - Gradually developed an audience for the paintings of relatively modest size – rationally ordered, subdued, often exquisitely poetic works

Spent most of his time in Rome – stood apart from the popular tendency toward the decorative in French art of his time - Goal was clarity of expression achieved by disegno or nobility of design in preference to color b. Ideal landscape: The Four Seasons: Summer or Boaz discovering Ruth gleaning corn in his field from the Book of Ruth - Set of four oil paintings 1660-1664 - Each painting conveying the different seasons and times of the day - Philosophical reflection on order in the natural world – executed when he was in failing health suffering from tremor in his hands - Iconography evokes not only the Christian themes of death and resurrection but also the pagan imagery of classical antiquity - Depicting the grandeur of nature: “benign in Spring, rich in Summer, sombre yet fruitful in Autumn, cruel in Winter” - Chose to symbolize each season by a specific episode from the Old Testament SPRING: THE EARTHLY PARADISE AUTUMN: THE SPIES WITH THE GRAPES OF THE PROMISED LAND WINTER: THE FLOOD -

LOUVRE MUSEUM - In Louis XIV reign, this became the place to display the royal collection - During the French Revolution, decree was made for the Louvre to be a museum to display the nation’s masterpieces – and has expanded to display world’s greatest artworks - Louvre Palace and the Pyramid which was completed in 1989 LE NAIN - 3 brothers that it was difficult to distinguish their paintings from each other and so they commonly referred to as a single entity - Usually depicted scenes of peasant life – Louis, who had been usually credited, may have visited Italy - Subjects are never grotesque or seem ridiculed ANTOINE COYSEVOX - Rose to become one of the greatest sculptors, leading portrait sculptor - Best known for his extensive work for the gardens and chateau of Versailles

Bust of Charles Le Brun – interior designer and master of entertainments Founded the academie of France in Rome Bust is created in an intimate, informal portrait, the head animated and alert Only the diamond-encrusted miniature of Louis XIV tucked in his cloak indicates Le Brun’s status In the 1800 Poussinistes – conservatives (Rape of the Sabine Women) -

- drawing appealed to mind over color - proclaimed the primacy of drawing and draughtsmanship in painting - classical art from Greek and Roman antiquities up through the Renaissance Rubenistes (Massacre of the Innocents) - argued that color should rule than drawing - adored vibrant colors and aggressive brushstrokes of the more recent Baroque artists