Rembrandt
Self-Portrait
Image courtesy of
The National Gallery of Art, U.S.A
Background:
During the time of the Renaissance, scientific
reasoning was replacing faith. The Roman Catholic Church fought to restore
religion against the fervor of growing secularism and a Counter Reformation
spreading Protestant beliefs emerged. The mainstream Baroque style was one
that emerged from the reformation. In other parts of Europe, the Baroque style
was one that came out of the richness of the absolute rules of the French
and Spanish monarchs, Louis XIV and Philip IV.
Effect on Faces and Figures:
The power of human expression was brought to new levels during the Baroque.
People were shocked by the realism created by the artists. Their use of rich
colors, and chiaroscuro effects brought an almost palpable drama in paintings.
These images, filled with more expression and tension, came with the religious
unrest, and brought upon a new chapter in the history of faces and figures
in artwork.
The signature of Baroque paintings is its use of light. The light source is
what brings the emotion into the paintings, and it is arguably the most prevalent
aspect of the Baroque. Artists like Caravaggio
used the light to create a central focus, drama, and used it in a way that
incorporated high contrast and, in Caravaggio's case, a realistic smoothness.
The light source is often shown in the paintings. Typical sources of light
include a single lit candle, as in Henri de la Tour's case, or a window, as
in Vermeer's case.
Famous Artists:
Caravaggio, Artemisa
Gentileschi, Peter Paul Rubens, Diego
Velázquez, Henri de la Tour, Rembrandt, and
Jan Vermeer
