-
Period: to
ART623 Week 15 Time Toast Project - Baroque Period
1600-1750 -
The Taking of Christ by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
"The Taking of Christ" portrays the arrest of Jesus in oil on canvas. Caravaggio became the most famous painter in Rome in the early 17th century following a string of successful commissions, of which "The Taking of Christ" is regarded as the most technically masterful. The figure on the extreme right is a self-portrait. Caravaggio was known for his dramatic intensity and realism, depicting religious scenes of violence, decapitations, torture, and death. He lived from 1571-1610, dying at 38. -
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Fully titled The Tragedy of Macbeth, the story warns of the damaging psychological effects of political ambition and the pursuit of power. The plot follows a general named Macbeth who receives a prophesy from three witches that he will become King of Scotland. Macbeth assassinates the sitting King and takes the throne for himself; his violent and tyrannical descent into madness leads to his death. Alterations over the centuries are assumed to have altered its original form. First performed 1606. -
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
Written in the "Spanish Golden Age," Don Quixote is still the most influential work of Spanish literary canon. The story follows the adventures of a noble named Alonso Quixano, who reads so many chivalric romances that he loses his sanity and decides to become a knight-errant. Ostensibly reviving chivalry and serving his country, Don Quixote does not see the world for what it is and prefers to imagine that he is living out a knightly glory. Parts one and two published fully in English in 1620. -
David by Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini
Bernini was undoubtedly the most important sculptor of the baroque period. He is most valued for his sculpture, although in addition to sculpting, he was an architect, a painter, a playwright, and staged spectacles. His skill in sculpture is lauded both for his virtuosity in carving the marble and his ability to create figures that combine the physical and the spiritual. The sculpture here is Bernini's depiction of the Biblical David, readying to throw the fatal stone at Goliath. -
A View of Het Steen in the Early Morning by Peter Paul Rubens
Het Steen, which is a landscape painting, is one of the prime examples of Rubens’ late period, and according to many art critics, one of the best landscape paintings of the baroque era. The painting depicts the landscape surrounding Ruben's estate near Antwerp, also including his manor, a cart, and a hunter. The masterpiece, finished around 1636, is today owned and displayed by the National Gallery in London. Rubens is considered one of the most influential artists of Flemish Baroque tradition. -
The Night Watch by Rembrandt van Rijn
Rembrandt's Night Watch (Oil on Canvas) is one of the most famous Dutch Golden Age paintings. It is lauded for three things: its immense size, roughly 12'x14'; its dramatic use of light and shadow; and its unprecedented perception of motion. The painting depicts Captain Frans Banning Cocq (on left with red sash) and his lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburch (on right with white sash). Rembrandt's lighting directs the eyes to the two men in the center, and the woman lit in the center-left background. -
Luxembourg Palace - Architecture
The Luxembourg Palace is located in Paris, France. The building was modeled after the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, at the request of Marie de Medicis. It was originally designed by Salomon de Brosse to be a royal residence; but has since been refashioned into a legislative building, now currently housing tenants from the French Senate. In the 17th century, during and after its construction, many wings were reserved for royal figures, eventually coming into possession of King Louis XIV in 1694. -
Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez
Velázquez was the greatest Spanish artist of the baroque period. He began his career in Seville, painting scenes of everyday life, later appointed court painter to King Philip IV. His masterpiece is Las Meninas (1656). It depicts the artist himself working on a portrait of the daughter of the King and Queen. There is a mirror in which the likenesses of Philip IV and his Queen are recognizable. When a viewer stands in front of the painting, he or she occupies the same space as the King and Queen. -
Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer
Vermeer painted this tronie, a common Dutch Golden Age and Flemish Baroque painting style which depicts exaggerated facial expressions while not intending to be a protrait, of a girl in exotic dress, an oriental turban, and a rarely sized pearl earring. This oil on canvas painting, was completed without a date. However, it is commonly accepted that Vermeer completed this painting around 1665. Upon restoration in the 1990s, it was found that the original background was actually deep enamel green. -
Paradise Lost by John Milton
Milton wrote the first edition in 1667, consisting of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse. Milton released a second edition in 1674, which he had arranged in twelve books, including other minor revisions throughout. It is a biblical story of the fall of man, including the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan. Milton's purpose of this book was to "justify the ways of God to men." This work garnered Milton the reputation as one of the greatest English poets in his time. -
St Paul's Cathedral - Architecture
Located in London, England, this Cathedral has an extensive history of restorations. On this site, the first Cathedral was built by St. Augustine in 604 AD in dedication to St Paul. The site was destroyed and rebuilt again in 962. The structure was burnt in 1087, losing the tomb of King Æthelred. The present structure, as pictured, was designed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1669 following the Great Fire of London, which occurred in 1666. This church still prospers, serving 4 to 5 services per day. -
Santa Maria della Salute - Architecture
The [Saint Mary of Health] is a Roman Catholic Church and basilica located in Venice, Italy. In 1630, Venice experienced a devastating outbreak of the plague. As votive for reprieve from the disease, the Republic of Venice began Salute as a dedication. The church was designed in the then fashionable baroque style by Baldassare Longhena. Most of the objects of art housed in the church bear references to the Black Death. The Church began construction in 1631, was consecrated 1681, completed 1687. -
Henry Purcell - The Fairy-Queen
The Fairy-Queen, Overture to the fourth act
The Fairy-Queen is a semi-opera, first performed in 1692 at the Queen's Theatre, Dorset Garden, London. Henry Purcell was considered one of England’s greatest composers and the most original composer of his time. Purcell died three years after completing this work in 1685, at only 36 years of age. After his death the work was lost, until it was rediscovered and published by the Purcell Society in 1901. -
Statue of Francis Borgia, Charles Bridge by Ferdinand Brokoff
Francis Borgia was sculpted by Ferdinand Brokoff, depicting St. Borgia, a Jesuit priest, with two angels. It was installed on the south side of the Charles Bridge in the Kingdom of Bohemia. This statue was commissioned by the imperial Burgrave Frantisek z Colletu in 1710. Brokoff sculpted several other statues on the bridge in the surrounding years, inlcuding Francis-Xavier, St Vincent & Prokop, St Caetan and many others. Brokoff died at 42 in the Kingdom of Bohemia (present-day Czech Republic). -
Arcangelo Corelli - Concerto Grosso in G Minor, Op.6 No. 8
Concerto grosso in G minor, Op. 6, No. 8
Concerto grosso in G minor, Op. 6, No. 8 by Arcangelo Corelli, also known as the Christmas Concerto, was published posthumously in 1714 as part of Corelli's Twelve concerti grossi, Op. 6. The piece's exact date of composition is uncertain, but there is a record of Corelli having performed a Christmas concerto in 1690 for the enjoyment of his new patron. Whether it was this concerto, is not known for sure. -
Georg Philipp Telemann - Viola Concerto in G major, TWV 51:G9
Viola Concerto in G major, TWV 51:G9
Viola Concerto in G major is one of Telemann's most famous concertos, and is still played regularly today. It is comprised of four movements: first the Largo, a mellow movement with long notes; then the Allegro, which is the most popular movement; third is the Andante, being slow and mellow; and fourth is the Presto, a fast and exciting movement. Telemann arranged the movements in a way which allowed a cadenza. -
Antonio Vivaldi - Four Seasons
Four Seasons
This is the most famous work of Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi. It is a set of four violin concerti, each giving a musical expression to a season of the year, starting with Spring, Summer, Autumn, then Winter. Unusually for the time, the concertos were also published with accompanying sonnets.Vivaldi separated each concerto into three movements (fast–slow–fast), and, likewise, each linked sonnet into three sections. -
The Seasons by James Thomson
Thomson published this poem one season at a time. The first season, Winter, was published in 1726, next came Summer in 1727, then Spring in 1728, and Autumn joined a complete edition in 1730. Thomson borrowed Milton's style of Latin vocabulary and inverted word order, and added to the style description and meditative feeling. The poem criticizes nature, politics, expansion, ancient history, Christian faith, and modern science with innovative range, comprehensiveness, and contagious enthusiasm. -
Johann Sebastian Bach - Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068
Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068
Orchestral Suite No. 3 is arranged in five parts: the opening movement being "Ouverture;" the second movement called "Air," for its resemblance to song-like or vocal composition; the third movement, "Gavotte," is a generic term for French style folk dance; the fourth, "Bourree," is similar to gavotte at a faster pace; and the fifth movement is called "Gigue," which resembles Irish baroque dance or jig. -
George Frideric Handel - Sarabande from Suite in D minor
Sarabande
Sarabande is the third movement of Handel's Keyboard Suite in D minor, HWV 437. Although it was composed between 1703 and 1706, it was first published in 1733. Handel was a Baroque composer known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, and organ concertos. Handel received critical training in Halle, Hamburg and Italy before settling in London in 1712; he became a naturalized British subject in 1727. -
An Essay on Man by Alexander Pope
Similar to Milton, Pope wrote An Essay on Man to "vindicate the ways of God to man." The poem vindicates the natural order that God has decreed for man, most notably referencing that man cannot possibly know God's purpose, and therefore should not complain about his position in the "Great Chain of Being." Pope received instant admiration for this publication from other talents such as Voltaire and Rousseau. Pope was the richest poet of his era, earning from his literary works and translations. -
Domenico Scarlatti - 555 Sonatas
Scarlatti 555 Sonatas
These keyboard sonatas, often referred to as the Group of 555 sonatas for Harpsichord by Domenico Scarlatti, date from the early 18th century. Scarlatti was a Baroque composer stylistically and chronologically, however he was a critical influence in the transition from Baroque to Classical styles, as he had also made the transition. Known mainly for his 555 keyboard sonatas, Domenico Scarlatti died in Madrid, at the age of 71.
