Grade 11 Art: Oct. 9 Class

Learning Goals: Understand the characteristics of the Baroque period.

Today we began with some notes on the Baroque period. Here is a handout I gave you to take notes:

Handout: The Baroque in Italy

Then I talked about two artists whose work was very influential during this era. First we looked at the sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini. His sculptors made dramatic use of movement and space. The space around his sculptors were just as important as the sculpture itself.

Baldacchino. Bronze. This piece sits about the altar at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. It is said St. Peter is entombed below it. Notice how the columns are spiral shaped rather than straight and how the structure emphasizes the space above and below it.

The Ecstacy of St. Theresa. Marble. The image in your text book is a close up of St. Theresa and the Angel in the middle, but I wanted to show you the space around the central piece as well. There is a window above the piece that allows light to shine through illuminating the piece.

David. Marble. Bernini depicts David readying his sling, just as he's about to throw it. His eyes gaze into the distance at Goliath whom he is about to slay, adding tension to what would otherwise be empty space around him. Notice the movement in the arms and legs and compare this Michelangeo's David below.

Michelangelo, David. Marble. This David is solid, still and contemplative.

The next artist I discussed was Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. He was one of the Catholic Church's favourite painters of the Counter Reformation, but he lived a tumultuous life and was constantly in trouble with the law. He was exiled from Rome after killing a man in a brawl and died under mysterious circumstances just before he was pardoned and about to return. He was the most famous painter of his time and his work was characterized by the use of chiaroscuro, movement and high drama, all of which are characteristic of the Baroque period.