The history of this genre in painting, the reclining female nude, is a long one. The subject is first introduced and popularized by the Venetian High Renaissance team of Giorgione and Titian, and makes its appearance throughout the decades following, including the Romantic period of the late 18th and early 19th century we'll be discussing next, all the way to our own time. Looking at these three works below, taking note of the differences and similarities between them, how do you perceive these women? What is their relationship to the viewer? In your opinion, what are these women saying about themselves to you? Choose one work or even all three to comment on. Take a look at the links provided and share your thoughts by 11:59 pm, Sunday, November 21.
The French word "'baroque" from a similar word in Spanish and Portuguese, means "irregular or rough pearl," a disparaging term used by critics in later decades. Today, the term baroque is associated with describing something that is overtly ornate and complex. Baroque art became popular in the 1600s in Italy, specifically emerging in Rome, and moved to other areas of Europe and the world - after all, this is the age of exploration and expansion beyond Europe. The Roman Catholic Church, a major patron of the arts at this time, encouraged the Baroque movement in art and architecture as a response to the Protestant Reformation taking hold in Europe. In a movement known as the Counter Reformation or Catholic Reformation, the papacy and Catholic Church responded with a new expressive format for works of art depicting religious subject matter in celebration of its triumph over the spread of Protestantism. The Church wanted its religious paintings to become more emotional and dramatic. This type of style unfurled to where much of the art of the time became very energized, full of life, movement, and emotion- this style came to be known as a "style of persuasion." Angels flew dramatically, people fought, crowds cowered in fear, and saints rose to the heavens in literal, visual terms. This was the Golden Age of Painting in France, Spain, the Dutch Republic and Southern Netherlands. Baroque sculptures were often made of rich materials such as colorful marble, bronze, or even gilded (covered in gold). In Rome, the papacy and wealthy influential families commissioned art on a large scale, making Rome the most beautiful city of the Christian world and creating works "for the greater glory of God and Church." The Baroque period is considered the Early Modern Period in so many of the concerns we have in our time-gender, class, and sexuality-are explored in the 17th century. A subtle relationship is also born between art and science in the Baroque period as new developments took place in optical physics and physiology, The works of art from the 17th century depicted such subject matter and expanded to include genre, the images of everyday life with scenes including people drinking, smoking and playing musical instruments. Genre painting developed into a major force along with landscape and still life painting in nearly every European country. Here, we have examples of works of art that highlight the themes and compositional design concerns evident in the style of the Baroque. As you take time to review the slide presentation, consider the evolution that religious subjects, in this case the image of David, and portraiture, have taken from prior periods. Which group of works speaks to you most–sculpture or painting? What differences and/or similarities can you note in the Baroque works of art below versus their counterparts from previous periods/styles highlighted here? For this post, I'd like you to choose between the group of sculptures or the group of paintings below and make a comparison. List three (3) differences or similarities you note between Figure 3 versus Figure 1 and 2, OR list three (3) differences or similarities between Figure 4 and 5. You're being graded on this assignment so expand on your observations and give your own perspective and not that of someone else's. Your comments are due by 11:59 pm. Follow the links below for more information on any of these artworks…looking forward to reading your remarks! 1 · Sculpture
2 · Painting
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