FROM HIGH CLASS TO AN EVEN HIGHER CLASS

          A new age of art has once again been born after another. This new age is called the "BAROQUE" era whose name originated from the Portuguese/Spanish word "Barroco" which means "rough or imperfect pearl". It originated in Spain and Italy around the 1600s. It is also said that artists from the Renaissance shifted from mannerism/ mannerist style to this particular style of art. The Baroque era which comes directly after the Renaissance is considered to be an age of genius. WHY SO? The Baroque period was where various discoveries were made. Such of these were the laws of motion & gravity, and space. These discoveries made the people know how life works. The artists of these era made use of these discoveries and incorporated them in their art. This is what makes Baroque art on a higher level than Renaissance art. The Baroque art turned out to be much more full of life.

          The baroque art can be easily distinguished from other arts from the different periods, especially from the Renaissance art. The baroque art is characterized by (1)drama, (2)motion, (3)time, (4)space and (5)light (&shadow). This allows their art to be more felt by the audience for it depicts real emotions and several natural phenomenon present in everyday life. Faces and body

A portrait of Marie Antoinette
by Elisabeth Vigee Lebrun. This portrait
shows the use of tenebrism.

expressions become much more exaggerated to emphasize drama/ emotions. Motion is implied to make the artworks have an illusion of movement. This also makes it more interesting for the viewer. Time and space can be related to motion as it helps draw the viewer in the artwork to make it seem as though the audience is in the artwork itself. Lastly, the light and shadow, a similar feature in Renaissance art. This allows the subject matter (or the art as a whole) to give off an illusion of a source of illumination and the shadow which it casts. They developed the "Chiaroscuro" into a much more exaggerated and dramatic illumination. This is called "Tenebrism" or "Tenebroso" in Italian. One of the artworks that showcases this technique is Caravaggio's "The Conversion of St. Paul".

Las Meninas by Diego Velasquez. This painting shows the sense of motion
present in the young girls.

          Another strong point of this era, which is personally my favorite, is their use of colors. I

Happy accidents of the swing
by Jean Honore Fragonard

noticed that even if the colors they use vary, some dark and some light, they still appear soft to the eyes. They use very delicate strokes when painting and this make their artworks much more appealing to me, probably because I love pastel colors. Pastel colors are also mainly featured in the Rococo (late baroque). This is my favorite part in the baroque era. It is where the baroque was refined. It contains pastel hues and portrays sweetness; daintiness; leisure activities of the upper class and; witty stories, an example being the "Happy accidents of the Swing". They also portray the fashion of that era which I absolutely adore. These also eventually lead to the rise of several factors such as enlightenment, revolution, the scientific and the natural.