Blog 5 Art1B

My first and so far lasting impression of the Baroque period, in a word, is DRAMA. From the first painting on the facing page of our reading assignment the tone is set. Louis XIV is setting the tone. The further reading and the associated voicethread reading makes it plain that a good show is all important. The whole style that had developed accentuated the dramatic. The technique of tenebrism with its deep contrasts between dark and light serve DRAMA. The reading regularly referred to drama and the dramatic. As I progressed through the assigned reading and saw the various artist and the architecture there was not other word that adequately described it but: drama. I think that part of it might be that the Baroque comes on the heels of the High Renaissance. The contrast seems to great. The Fountain of the Four Rivers, Ceiling of Gallery, Palazzo Farnese, Entombment, The triumph of the Name of Jesus and the Fall of the Damned. All of them very much over the top in my opinion. Finally (almost) The Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew. Wow! One last thing, Louis XIV, relative again to the information from the voicethread supplemental reading. Louis XIV was the ultimate trendsetter and I heard that fashion trends come around every so often. Are we due for the return of Ermine robes, tights, garters, hair to the middle of your back and high heels for men?

I wanted to gather these characters together for a little modern day reunion. It has been a pleasure to get to know these artists, architects, sculptor and inventors a little better through a more in depth study of their careers and personalities. These men; DiVinci, Raphael and Michelangelo are names that are synonymous with innovation, creativity and the expression of beauty through art for over 500 years. The names to this day inspire awe for what they did and the legacy they left. I think it is important to reflect on the fact that they also owe a debt to those who came before them and that they had the opportunity to learn from. There is a long chain of knowledge and creativity that we today are benefactors of. I think these men and the others of there era were more than fortunate to be alive and active when they were, there was a tremendous confluence of forces that allowed there particular genius to flourish. Another day, another time the result would not have been the same. I was fortunate to find self portraits of these three artists on line it affords us the opportunity through physiognomy to try to gain a better understanding of them, by seeing how they viewed themselves.

Blog 4 Art1B