Baroque Art Period: Motion and Emotion - Assignment Example

April 2, Baroque Art Period: Motion and Emotion The Baroque art period is characterized by emphasis on humanistic themes,naturalistic details, and some form of iconography, although many Baroque paintings show little iconic meanings. Pietro Dandini’s Judith with the Head of Holofernes is an example of an Italian Baroque oil-on-canvas painting. It is based on the story of Judith, the Jewish widow who killed the Assyrian general Holofernes through cutting off his head, an act that saved her fellow Israelites. Two Baroque paintings to be compared with Judith are Rubens’ Bacchus and Poussin’s The Holy Family on the Steps. Judith fits into the Baroque period because of its naturalistic elements, humanist theme through the portrayal of an aspect of human nature, and use of spatial form for additional effect. These paintings all depict scenes with motion that aims to elicit emotions by showing some understanding of human nature; moreover, they have naturalistic details, one source of light, and iconography; but they have different painting styles, compositions, spatial orders, perspectives, and colors. All paintings demonstrate humanism through showing different aspects of human nature by actions that evoke emotions. Judith portrays the human nature of courage and faith. Judith has just cut off Holofernes’ head, and she casts a sideway glance, as if looking around for any Assyrians. Abra, her maidservant, looks more anxious, as she waits for the head to be put in her basket. The pursed lips of Judith and her firm grasp on the bloodied sword and the decapitated head underscore her bravery and faithfulness to her people. The painting evokes emotions of pride and triumph in Judith’s distinct bravery. Bacchus shows the part of human nature that loves festivity and material desires. Bacchus, the god of merriment, also shows motion through the pouring of wine and the drinking of a man from a jar. Bacchus looks slightly upward, as if bored, although he is stepping on a large animal. His round body looks lazy, but he seems to be waiting for more merriment to come in his life. Emotions of celebration with a tinge of boredom can be felt from the painting. The Holy Family indicates the nature of socialization. It likewise shows motion in how the child Jesus plays with the young John, who is with his mother Elizabeth. As the women and their children interact, Joseph is in the background’s shadows, writing or sketching something. He looks to the right, while the women and their children are looking at one another. The impact is the emotion of peace and domesticity. These paintings emphasize different motions and emotions about human nature. Apart from depicting humanism, these three paintings have naturalistic details. The shadows and lighting in Judith give a three-dimensional depth to the characters and their environment. Judith looks real in her plump stature and blushing cheeks. Abra is in Judith’s shadows but looks real too, and not stylized. Even the head of Holofernes looks real as it dangles from Judith’s grasp, his dark hair and face reflecting some light. The setting is inside Holofernes’ room, which underlines the actuality of the event. Bacchus looks naturalistic with the realistic folds of fat and shadows that contour faces, body parts, and the environment. The people around him also look real, such as the women, the drinking man, and the two chubby kids. The shadows and lighting make them look three-dimensional. The environment is covered in shadows, but does not look mythical or non-realistic. The setting looks like it is in the middle of the garden or forest. The Holy Family looks realistic too with people and events that can happen in real life, such as the interacting of friends and playing of kids. There are no cherubs or other heavenly elements. The setting is in the steps with clouds in the background, signifying a good, cloudy day. All three paintings have naturalistic elements that convey realism in Baroque style. Aside from naturalism, these paintings share the Baroque element of one source of lighting. Judith has light coming from the left side. The light emphasizes her whiteness- her face, almost bare breasts, and right arm holding the sword. Shadows are cast on Holofernes’ head and Abra. Clearly, the center of attention is Judith and the violent act that saves her people. She looks flustered from the murderous act, but peace envelops her body. Judith projects courageous beauty without any darkness affecting it because she knows she has done the right thing. Her bare breasts show the sexuality that became Holofernes’ downfall. Abra is brown-skinned, which depicts her social class, and her face is wary that they might be caught by the Assyrians. Holofernes does not look threatening. The gargoyle in Judith’s seat looks more menacing, as if Judith is the hidden source of violent courage in the painting. Bacchus has one source of light too coming from the lower right side. The bright golden light shows almost all of the characters in vibrant golden color. The light creates a shiny texture effect, as it falls on the glass of wine that Bacchus holds and the jar that a man drinks beside him. The Holy Family also shows one source of light that comes from the lower left side. The light shines more on Elizabeth’s back and John’s full body, while it also falls on Mary’s face and body and Jesus’ body. Chiaroscuro effect is seen on Joseph in the shadows. He does not participate in the activities of the women and their children. A little part of his upper shoulder and right foot get lighted, however. The absence of light on him signifies how little his presence might be in Jesus’ life, since he dies early. These three paintings have one source of light that impact their meanings. While they have meaningful use of lighting and shadows, these paintings also depict varied uses of iconography. Iconography is actually not prevalent in Baroque paintings in Italy, but it can be seen to some extent from all these paintings. Judith can be seen as the symbol of the power of the Christian Church over its enemies. The sword is the symbol for war, while the blood can be pagan blood or blood of Christ. Abra signifies loyal servitude to the church. The gargoyle in the chair signifies evil that must be conquered and eliminated. Holofernes represents the enemies of the Church that stand in its way of expansion. These icons have religious meanings to the growth of the Christian Church. Bacchus is the icon of wine for merriment and satiation. The keg where Bacchus sits on symbolizes excess celebrations. The child publicly peeing without concern for onlookers suggest loose morals. Bacchus, as he steps on a large animal, underscores the beast of his own physical desires. The two kids signify the passing on of both merriment and outward pleasures. The Holy Family has its own icons. The apples at the lower side of the steps signify the blessing of Jesus’ arrival on earth. They can also stand for wisdom and fate. Elizabeth and John, looking up to Jesus, signify the central role that Jesus will play as an adult. John offers a fruit to Jesus, and Jesus reaches to it. The scene can be interpreted as John’s preparation for Jesus. Joseph writes in the dark corner, and this can stand for the writing of history according to God’s plans. The Holy Family and Judith have religious icons compared to Bacchus’ secular ones. Despite these iconic similarities, these paintings have some differences in style because though they represent Baroque characteristics, Judith and Bacchus have a realistic, sketchy technique, while The Holy Family has a classicist style. Judith and Bacchus are more realistic in their sketchy forms that depict ripples of human fat and muscle. Judith does not have the same rippled fats as Bacchus and other figures with him because she has smoother musculature. Nevertheless, she looks voluptuous compared to the idealized Mary in The Holy Family. Judith has a compressed setting with a dark background and the only the chair visible in the foreground. The setting also has a sketched look because of the absence of well-defined lines. The characters and settings in Judith and Bacchus are drawn in a hazy style that emphasizes fleshy proportions and indistinct effect. The Holy Family has cool and defined depictions of the characters and the environment. The stairs and columns look pristine, for instance, while the figures, such as Mary and Jesus, have peaceful countenances. The effects of the painting style are idealized figures, such as the idealization of the surroundings in perfect lines and rounded shapes. Having similar Baroque characteristics, hence, did not reduce artistic differences. Besides stylistic divergences, these paintings have different compositions, spatial orders, and perspectives. Both Judith and Bacchus have triangular composition with Judith and Baccus forming the apexes of these triangles. Judith has a vertical position, with the head of Holofernes balanced with the position of Abra, with only their heads showing up. Bacchus has repetitive gestures, however, with two men in drinking positions. Bacchus is about to drink wine, while a man is already drinking wine. Two pouring acts are also seen- the peeing and the pouring of wine, all physical acts that connote excessive lifestyles. The Holy Family has a stable geometric composition. They are all in seated positions that show vertical and horizontal lines at right angles. The impact is a stable effect, which fits the peaceful atmosphere of the social activity in the painting. These paintings have differences in their spatial orders too. Both Judith and Bacchus have compressed spatial orders. They appear as if in deep spatial position with shallow environmental space. Judith is more compressed than Bacchus, however, because the background is hidden in darkness. Trees and faraway roads, mountains, fields, and clouds can be seen from Bacchus, underscoring the prosperity that feeds Bacchus’ lavish lifestyle. The Holy Family shows more background with columns and buildings at the back, as well as jars of plants nearby. It also has a foreground with fruits and two objects, a jar and a golden box. The sky is also expansive, as well as the stairs and darkened building at the right side of the painting. Apart from spatial order, these paintings have different perspectives. Judith and Bacchus have little use of aerial and linear perspective. Instead, the movement happens at the center, with Bacchus’ dominating festive lifestyle and Judith’s act of murder and courage. Bacchus has some aerial perspective because of the clouds and sky on top of Bacchus’ head and the fields and roads shown at the left side. On the contrary, The Holy Family has great use of linear and aerial perspective. The linear perspective is in the linear arrangement of the women and their children, as well as Joseph. The aerial perspective shows the background building and shadowed-cloudy blue sky. These paintings have dissimilar compositions, spatial orders, and perspectives. The final difference is in the colors used, where they are all in vibrant colors, where Judith and Bacchus has vibrant, hazy colors, while The Holy Family has more simplified colors and dominating design. Judith and Bacchus similarly have Venetian vibrant colors though the latter is more colorful in golden shades of lighting, while Judith is brightly white. Judith has golden and red robes, while the seat is white with golden chair legs. Bacchus has more colors with different shades of green at the background and different hues of golden yellow for the skins of the characters. The Holy Family also has vibrant colors, but the simplified style makes it less realistic than that of Judith and Bacchus. The design has more dominance in space, though the gray colors look somber compared to the golden robe of Elizabeth and Mary’s red and blue robes. Hence, these Baroque paintings have vibrant colors made different through stylistic devices. Overall, Judith fits into the Baroque period because of its naturalistic elements, portrayal of an aspect of human nature through motion, and use of spatial form for additional effect. Like The Holy Family and Bacchus, Judith says something about human nature, the capacity to be strong and brave, despite the violent means of action. Judith also shares naturalistic elements in the sketchy stylistic style, with compressed space that highlights the act in the painting and what it means for the Christian Church. Hence, all these paintings have similarities that show their Baroque characteristics. Read More