Baroque and Rococo Art Periods Essay

The Baroque machination era is classified by many as Early Baroque, High Baroque, and Late Baroque closes. The fancy Art era is often said to be p cunning of the Late Baroque period. The time position of the rococo era and whether it is bingle and the same as the Late Baroque period have been in debate through with(predicate) the years. Although the Baroque Art and the Rococo Art periods are sometimes classified as one in the same, they are actually quite distinct and unique. The Baroque Art period was surrounded by 1600 and the mid 1700s, and originated during the Catholic Reformation in Rome, Italy, and quickly spread throughout most of Europe. During the late 1500s, the Protestant reformation started to attack the Catholic Church on doctrine. In response to these attacks, the Catholic Pope started a movement within the church to reaffirm and spread Catholic beliefs. During this time, most sight were uneducated and untaught so the church had to devise a way to spread the gospel message so everyone would understand. It was dogged that the message would be spread through art. This art was to be direct, emotionally persuasive, and powerful-designed to fire the spiritual sight and inspire the viewer to greater piety.The church felt that God of greatness and power should be worshiped with the kinds of rituals, ceremonies, and churches proper these divine qualities. (McKay & McKay, 2010) So began the Baroque movement with its dramatic exercise of color in paintings and computer architecture that was forceful, emotional, and extravagant. The Rococo art period emerged in the mid-17th century as a continuation of the Baroque art period. By the end of his seventy two-year manage Louis XIV led his country victoriously through numerous wars and France had long replaced Spain as the continental power. He is known in history as one of greatest French kings but also as a micromanaging control freak. (Zaky. n.d.) The Baroque style during his reign represented the Catholic faith and the monarchy with art that was direct, obvious, and dramatic. (McKay & McKay, 2010) Louis XIV was succeeded by Louis XV who reigned during the height of the Age of foresight era, a time where attitudes and morals loosened. The enlightenment movement was in opposition to the established church, as it promoted thought process for oneself and not following a deity. The art of this time period centered around a devil-may-care lifestyle rather than the symbols and rules of the church. It had no place for morality, saints or heroes, painting were neither didactic nor devotional. (Zaky. n.d.) Theart was meant to ravish the eye of the viewer with no real meaning behind it.The art also portrayed the occasional life, not just important moments in history. The Baroque art movement was stern and originated from the Catholic church wanting to spread religion. The Rococo art movement came about from the Enlightenment era where people cute to think for themselves inste ad of being told what to think by the church or monarchy. The Baroque style depict heroism, martyrs, and biblical stories, but Rococo painters showed themes of love, youth, and playfulness. (Zaky. n.d.) The Baroque artists used dark, stormy colors, whereas Rococo used light, soft bright colors. Baroque art was made to be unwrapn and used as propaganda for the Catholic church, and the artwork and architecture was vainglorious and bold. The Rococo art was smaller in scale to be enjoyed by a person or family as a decoration. The change from the Baroque period to the Rococo period was significant in that it shows the passageway of the society at that time. The Monarchy and Catholic Church were both under scrutiny for excessive spending and what people viewed as political tyranny. The change in attitude by the people not only bear on the political environment but also the arts.Tired of oppression, they revolted politically by beheading King Louis XV and by changing the way they cre ated and viewed art. The painting, Descent from the Cross, by Rembrandt is a classic example of the Baroque style. His use of dark colors and shadowing depicts the death of Christ and creates a dramatic eyeshot. He uses light to hear Christs body, Mary, and the cloth that he will be buried in. The painting depicts the religious scene so that the viewer can understand the significance of the event and contemplate its meaning. In contrast The Swing, by Jean-Honore Fragonard, is of a woman swinging carefree in a garden. Fragonard uses pastel colors and illuminates her from the surrounding trees. He places cherubs in the painting another characteristic of the Rococo style. This painting is interesting in that at commencement exercise glance it seems that this is nothing more than an innocent day in the garden. Upon further inspection, one can see the way Fragonard was bold enough to mock the Baroque style and time period. The man sits at a place where he is able to see up the womans skirt as she swings supra him symbolizing the free spirit and sexuality of the time. The servant is almost completely hidden, symbolizing the church no longer being as important in society.One areaof art from the Rococo period that is often overlooked is the furniture form of architecture. During this time period a shift was made from handsome and grand rooms to small, intimate, and personal spaces. The furniture was redesigned to reflect this change and the desire for comfort. The Bergre tame was designed with cushioning in the seat and arms which made it comfortable and kept out drafts. (Azzarito. n.d.) The painting, A Reading of Moliere by Jean Franois De Troy, depicts this idea of comfort showing women lounging in the Bergere chairs. (Troy. 1728) The Bergre was a favorite chair of the most fashionable women of the day and is still one that is used in homes at present making it a surprising example of a work of Rococo art that has survived through the years. (Azzarito, n.d.) T he artists of the Rococo period experimented with color, light, and illusion, and mastered the technique of layering paints to make a object look opalescent in color. They created the champion of texture in their paintings, which was not done during the Baroque period. The artists of the Rococo art period mastered tonic techniques, giving important significance to the time period. Although the Baroque Art and the Rococo Art periods are sometimes classified as one in the same, they are distinct and unique.