Baroque Painting

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Baroque Painting
Originating from the 17th-century Italy, Baroque
style represented the last light beam of
the Renaissance, absorbing the
concept of humanism and individualism
from the renaissance on the one hand, developing
its own, new features on the other. The term
baroque allegedly came from the Portuguese word
baroco, or the Spanish word barreuco,
meaning random-shaped pearls. Later, this term
was used to describe anything bizarre, exotic,
and out of the mainstream. Quite
naturally, from the very beginning, the
term baroque had been treated with a negative
sense and this trend lasted until the late
19th century, when the book the
Renaissance and Baroque was published,
which gave a comprehensive description of baroque
style and made it a serious and independent
artistic trend. From then on, more and
more critics set out to make more in-depth
research on this artistic style and people's
understanding of it deepens in the
process. Main baroque artistic figures include
Diego Velázquez, Daniel Schultz, John Michael
Wright, Simon Vouet, Jan Wyck, Paul Troger, and
Franz Joseph Spiegler.
Its main characteristics are as follows. Firstly,
it is quite extravagant, encompassing both the
religious ideals and a touch of the hedonist
pursuit. Secondly and closely related, it
is filled with emotions. Instead of depicting a
serene and tranquil scene, the baroque
artists prefer to employ heavy color and their
wildest imagination to create a
romantic, exuberant and grandiose scene. Their
focus shifts from the rationality to the freedom.
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Third is their emphasis on movement and
variability, which are the soul of baroque
style. The variability of light is a vital
importance. Finally, profoundly influenced by
the Renaissance, in a baroque painting, human
characters unexceptionally play a pivotal role in
the painting structure.
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