Going Baroque

We will continue our tour of the Cleveland Museum of Art in this hall which is filled with works from the late sixteenth through the early eighteenth centuries during the era dominated by the Baroque style.

In the mid-1500s, the Catholic Church sought to stop the spread of Protestantism.  In terms of art the Counter-Reformation inspired ornate churches with dramatic statuary and paintings that would appeal to the emotions of the worshippers and contrast with the austerity of Protestant churches.  Baroque paintings are often crowded, complex, asymmetrical and full of movement.  

One of the most famous Baroque painters of Italy is Caravaggio, and our museum has one of his paintings in its collection.  "The Crucifixion of St. Andrew" was painted in 1606.

The artist's violent and scandalous life is reflected in his art.  Caravaggio used dramatic lighting in his painting with strong contrast between light and dark.  His paintings do not shy away from the ugliness of the world.  The models for his figures, even in religious paintings, were often people from the street, from the lowest strata of society.  

In his day, Caravaggio was the most famous painter in Rome, and his paintings created such a sensation that he had many imitators.  They came to be known as "Caravaggisti".

"The Vision of St. Jerome" was painted by Giovanni Battista Langetti in 1660.  The contrast of light and dark shows that the influence of Caravaggio continued even fifty years after his death.

Annibale Carracci was one of the earliest painters of the Baroque school.  His early painting "Boy Drinking" from 1582, with its inelegant subject matter and the distortion of the boy's face through the glass, is a departure from Renaissance paintings.

Valentin de Boulogne was a French painter who worked in Italy.  This painting of the Old Testament hero, Samson, is thought to be a self-portrait of the artist.  On the table are reminders of his exploits of strength... the skin of the lion that he killed with his bare hands, and the donkey's jawbone that he used to kill 1000 Philistines.

Gerrit van Honthorst was one of a number of Dutch painters who were followers of Caravaggio.  This 1621 work also portrays the story of Samson.  It shows Delilah cutting his hair, the source of his strength, while he sleeps.

The French painter Georges de la Tour was also influenced by Caravaggio even though his home in northeast France was rather isolated from the artistic trends of Italy.  This 1645 painting is entitled "St. Peter Repentent".  It shows the apostle on the night of Christ's arrest after he had denied knowing Jesus three times before the rooster crowed.

Guido Renni went in a different direction from Caravaggio.  His paintings emphasize beauty and grace and are done in lighter colors.  This work, "The Adoration of the Magi" was found unfinished in his studio upon his death in 1642.

Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini worked mainly in northern Europe where he painted historical and mythological scenes for wealthy patrons.  This painting, dating from 1710, is called "The Continence of Scipio".  It shows a scene from the Carthaginian Wars.  When the Roman commander Scipio conquered the colony of New Carthage in present day Spain, the vanquished presented him with gifts.  One of them was a beautiful, young woman.  Scipio returned the woman to her husband, and the incident became a symbol of virtuous leadership.

This complex and dramatic canvas, "The Fall of Simon Magus" was painted by Pompeo Batoni around 1745.  It tells the Bible story of the sorcerer Simon who had the ability to levitate.  While performing in Rome, the apostle Peter commanded the demons who supported him to let him fall to his death.

 

There is more to come from the Baroque Era.