We Will Still Post Art Here and There Between Illuminating Words

The Last Supper

I've been asked more than than once, and I accept encountered various people who have expressed confusion regarding Baroque vs. Renaissance art. In fact, despite my several courses in fine art history and appreciation, it nevertheless took me several hours of individual written report to really become a grasp of the difference. Most people understand that if a painting or sculpture is made in Europe between 1300 and 1600, it's likely a Renaissance piece of work. And, if information technology'southward a European work made between 1600 and 1750, then it's Baroque. But if yous don't know the dates of a piece of work, or if you don't know the creative person or when the creative person lived, how tin can you lot tell if it's Baroque or Renaissance?

Well, before we discuss what differentiates the 2, permit'south look at some similarities between the Baroque and Renaissance fine art so that nosotros can conspicuously empathize why at that place is defoliation: Both terms ("Renaissance" and "Bizarre") are used to identify two different things regarding pictorial art: the historical era and the artistic mode. Both terms refer to decidedly European eras and styles. Both styles are known to excel in portraying realism. Both styles use vivid, evocative pigments, and, what is perchance well-nigh vexing is that, where subject matter is concerned, both eras have strong emphases on topics from the Judeo-Christian Bible or from Greco-Roman mythology. It's really no wonder that there is defoliation of the eras and styles. If you're i of them, be encouraged; you are far from alone.

As a foundation for learning the difference between these two eras and these 2 styles, it might be helpful to begin with two key words. A proficient word for Renaissance art is "stabilize," while a skilful one for the Bizarre is "dramatize." 1 fine manner to demonstrate the importance of these 2 words is to await at art in the 21st-century globe of science fiction. Artists who work in the Star Trek and Star Wars franchises besides have to be able to demonstrate drama and stability separately.

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Office I: THE LINE STRATEGY

In the realm of Star Expedition, when artists and directors desire to bear witness the Enterprise (when not at warp speed), or a infinite station—K7 or DS9—as stationary and stable, they show the subject every bit horizontal from the viewer'due south perspective. Alternatively, to demonstrate stability for something that needs to be narrow and standing, a perfect vertical perspective achieves the aforementioned outcome. Information technology is a simple device, whether horizontal or vertical, but most constructive for demonstrating that nothing is amiss. At present, permit'due south understand something on this: We're talking about space. For those within a ship or station, there is a clear upwardly and downwards, but for the station itself or for the ship itself, out in infinite, there is no upwardly nor downwards. If you and I are approaching a space station in a space ship we could be entirely on ane side or fifty-fifty upside down in relation to the station and no one would actually feel a difference. But for the sake of the movies or TV, showing both from the same angle in space suggests to viewers that all is stable.

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Renaissance fine art uses the same device and for the aforementioned purpose, even though you lot'll seldom (if always) observe a Renaissance spacescape. Just when y'all see a representation of The Madonna and Child or of the Crucifixion, the use of distinctly horizontal or vertical lines is clearly emphasized. Sometimes the artist will become so far as to compose a painting to exist visually similar to a pyramid so that the widest part of the discipline is toward the lesser and the narrowest part at the top, considering the pyramid is the nigh stable three-D shape. Look below at "The Madonna of the Goldfinch," which is presented twice to demonstrate the horizontal and the pyramid shape in an edited version.

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The pyramid-shape composition besides applies to sculpture during the renaissance. Consider the famous "Pietà" by Michelangelo. As seen from the front, the pedestal and Mary's legs comprise the lesser with Christ, who is markedly smaller that Mary, on her lap in the middle of the sculpture, and Mary's shoulders and head marker the peak. It, like so many Renaissance works of fine art, conforms to the horizontal stability gene.

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However, as I mentioned earlier, at that place is another way to create the sense of stability in Renaissance fine art: the vertical line. In virtually cases, with the vertical line, at that place is still some class of horizontal line that accompanies it, which is one reason that the cross for a crucifixion painting his ever so prominent. As well, this is non to say that there won't exist diagonal lines. What we're discussing with the idea of stability in Renaissance art is the bulk and the more than prominent focus of the composition. In "Crucifixion" past Andrea Mantegna the vertical lines are emphasized in the poles of the three crosses, but the iii horizontal lines are crated, at the top, past the three cross beams, in the mid section by the feet of the condemned with the tops of the heads of the spectators, and at the bottom with the lateral lines in the steps at the base. Below is Mantegna'due south "Crucifixion" get-go without, and so with editing. After that are four other crucifixion scenes for you to find the horizontal and vertical lines for yourself.

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As I mentioned before, while the key word for the Renaissance is "stabilize," the key word for the Baroque is "dramatize," but with the concept of drama likewise comes a noted instability or intense energy, and the artists of Star Trek use some tactics that were well known in Bizarre Europe. When they demand to show that a ship or station is in trouble or adrift, they place the Enterprise or their station at an intense angle from the viewer'south perspective, usually with something else in the image to emphasize the off-kilter orientation—another larger or closer object, perhaps.

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Some other effect of depicting a subject at an angle is to demonstrate corking energy, such as in the picture of the Klingon Cruiser below. In this pic, the ship is supposed to be travelling at corking "warp" speeds. The angle of the ship helps to capture that feeling of speed and energy.

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The Baroque artists of Europe besides understood this principle: build a limerick on an bending to give energy or to create instability or to add drama. In the Baroque, withal, the lines that are there are all the same less emphasized visually than they are in the Renaissance. It seems that often in the Renaissance, items are placed in the composition in order to emphasize the horizontal and Vertical lines, even including the horizon itself. In the Bizarre, the lines might start with one part of the composition and continue with another, seemingly unrelated part of the composition. In fact, sometimes the blackness of the background functions equally a diagonal line. In society to make the distinction between the two eras equally clear as possible, I'll go along with the same painted topics as earlier, so that you tin more hands compare and contrast.

Consider first the painting "Madonna with Child and St. John the Baptist." There is no emphasis on the horizontal except in the base of the window, merely fifty-fifty that covers less than a third of the canvas, and seems entirely incidental. However, there is a stiff diagonal line marked, in part, by the border of red curtains, and past Mary's caput and paw, Christ's head and back. In that location are also two parallel diagonal lines: one extends from Mary's head and down her arm, the other follows the left arm of John the Baptist and goes up toward the arm of Jesus. Notice also that both Mary's and Christ'southward eyes are stock-still on John producing an implied "V" in the eye of the sail. This painting is presented below, once without and once with editorial markings.

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In the "Madonna and Kid" past an unknown Bizarre Belgian artist, there is a distinct line that runs from the eyes of John the Baptist to the eyes of Christ and upwardly to the optics of Joseph. Notice that Mary's eyes are non included, but are placed well above the line made past the other three to emphasize her identify in heaven. It is made even more prominent by the angel, centred in a higher place her, just who is looking down on Mary, and this creates a second line almost vertical, but not quite. A 3rd line is created past the angle of the affections'south body that creates a line that extends to the superlative of Joseph'due south head. These three lines create an well-nigh invisible triangle. Besides note that there is nigh nothing horizontal in the painting. Instead, equally if in defiance of the horizon, the artists has used Mary's dress to create a semi-circumvolve along the lesser. Once again, this painting is placed below twice.

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The same utilize of diagonals is used in the topic of the Crucifixion as well, simply with fifty-fifty greater drama. In the "Crucifixion" by Pedro Orrente in that location is the obvious diagonal of the ladder, which is doubled by the two people on that ladder. Some other line begins with Christ's left paw, past his middle and straight down to the top of the accusation that is to be nailed to the cross simply to a higher place him. Another line begins with the toe of the person on the upper right of the sheet, past the eyes of the three witnesses and follows down the line of their bodies. I have also indicated a line that is not at all visible, obscured by the witnesses, just unsaid by the bases of the iii cross poles in the ground, and this line would dissimilarity directly with the Christ's cross axle to a higher place it.

Interestingly, there is a horizontal line in this painting made past moving across the feet of the iii condemned men and to the boy's head and shoulders on the left. This may have religious connotations, perhaps suggesting the stability brought by Christ'south sacrifice, simply when you consider the absolute necessity of perspective from one man to the next, and the impressive quality of the art, one must consider that this line across the feet is admittedly intentional, and therefore has some meaning.

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PART Two: THE TEMPORAL Argument

There is a lot more to the stability of Renaissance fine art besides its utilise of horizontal and vertical lines; the fourth dimension frame must also be considered. In that location is a reason that the composition of the Renaissance Madonna and Child motif is often pyramidical and stable: At that place is an implied length of time—from a number of seconds to, perchance minutes—in Renaissance art. I'm not talking virtually "timelessness," in which the content of the piece could take identify in well-nigh any era, I'g talking nigh a elapsing of time in the piece itself.

It goes without saying that the Crucifixion scenes would suggest a elapsing, even several, separate events illustrated at a fourth dimension. Simply in the case of the Madonna and Kid nosotros tin can wait at both Da Vinci's and Ghirlandaio's executions of this motif. In the latter of the 2, at that place is a delightful ambiguity of the exchange betwixt mother and child. In in one case sense, it appears that Mary is looking at baby Jesus, who returns her gaze as whatsoever baby would look back to his female parent. His opinion, every bit he leans on his mother for . . . stability . . . could be a purely childlike attempt of an unproficient stand up. Even his right mitt gesture could be one of an infant unsure of whether he'due south about to fall or not.

At the aforementioned time, nevertheless, looking closer at their gazes, you can see that Jesus doesn't really look at Mary in her eyes, but is looking off in the distance a chip. His stance could be seen as one of someone in deep but casual discussion, and the gesture of his right paw could exist seen as indicating a future in heaven or as a counterpoint argument—near as though Christ every bit an babe, even so has all the capabilities for intelligent discourse of a mature adult. Mary, on closer inspection, is as well not really looking to babe Jesus, merely is looking downwardly to the left (from her perspective) of Jesus, and her expression is sadness, maybe considering the horror of her eldest son's impending demise on the cantankerous. All the same you look at the painting, though, there is fourth dimension consumed within the composition. Mary could continue to stand up every bit she is for hours as could the Infant Jesus.

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This primary stands true in Renaissance sculpture too. Consider Michelangelo's famous statue of David. Here we have a twenty-pes tall young human being in a very stable stance. His right leg is engaged and is entirely vertical equally a issue, as is his right arm and torso. The statue portrays David equally he is only virtually to have the behemothic, Goliath, in battle, and David is either engaged in contemplating his strategy or waiting for Goliath to complete his wonted taunts. Either mode, this sculpture consumes time. David tin can maintain that posture for a long period.

There is also Donatello's David, which portrays David after his boxing with Goliath. His human foot rests on the giant's head while his engaged leg is placed solidly beside his sword. There is a distinct mental attitude that comes across from the sculpture, only, once again, there is no immediacy to the sculpture.

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In the same vein, consider the facial expressions of these ii representations. There is emotion with both; there is distinct understanding of idea translated to the viewer, but there is no distinct muscular intensity with either subject. Again, there is no reason that these expressions cannot last for great lengths of fourth dimension.

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In precipitous contrast with these expressions, beneath is the face of David past Giovanni Bernini, an Italian Bizarre sculptor whose depiction of David puts him smack in the middle of whipping the stone at Goliath. In his face is the fleeting expression of exertion, determination and the distinct concentration of someone employing a well practiced skill. The indicate is, it'southward a portrait of the briefest of instances—a snapshot of motion.

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Considering information technology'due south a sculpture rather than a painting, nosotros are dealing more than with curvatures than we are with lines, but the same angles still apply to Baroque sculpture as information technology does with painting; the intersecting arcs give Baroque sculpture the aforementioned dynamism equally the painting, just in both cases, we are in the dramatic throes of an instant of fourth dimension. The David of Bernini'south sculpture would not exist able to maintain his pose for more than a frozen fleeting fragment of a moment in time.

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Role Three: THE BACKDROPS

The final section of this article deals more with the primal word of the Baroque than information technology does with the fundamental word of the Renaissance, considering it deals with the backgrounds of the paintings, which practise more than for drama in the Baroque than they do to add together stability in the Renaissance. Even then, there is a stark contrast between the ii, and so it can exist explored.

In the Renaissance, the back grounds are always fully developed parts of the paintings. The may be scenes of the horizon or scenes of the back of a room, but the backdrops are there in surprising item. As such, they don't practice a lot for stability, but they exercise add a dimension of completion. Consider, for example, Leonardo's famous "Mona Lisa" painting: a portrait of a young adult female sitting on a balustrade with a purely fictitious background in the distance. You notwithstanding accept the vertical and horizontal lines in the visible parts of the balustrade, and in the horizon, equally well. You have the distinct fourth dimension component. Later all, how long is a person able to sit down comfortably on a beautiful balustrade? And you lot have a complete background replete with that typical da Vinci-esque sfumato effect (giving an area a hazy issue by causing colours to blend gradually together). The "Mona Lisa" is everything that a great Renaissance painting should be.

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In the Bizarre, still, the backdrops are considered then unimportant that they are often simply blackened out. Mind you, sometimes—with portraits—Renaissance artist would use this approach, just far less oftentimes. But the Bizarre artists use this concept to their advantage to dramatize their painting. But again, to fully understand the effect, let's look at a modernistic case: Bev Doolittle's extraordinary work called "Unknown Presence." The canvas itself is strikingly horizontal with more than than half of it entirely shrouded in darkness. The subject of the painting, a lone, 19th-century traveller and his horse at alert nearly their fire. Their attention fatigued dramatically into the darkness. Their expressions evidence surprise, circumspection, vigilance and, perhaps, a fleck of fearfulness, as the traveller reaches for his burglarize.

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The darkness of this painting is non unimportant. What is unimportant is precisely what has alerted the traveller and his horse to rouse them so. The darkness, however, serves to dramatize for viewers exactly what the traveller is feeling. We see him looking into the darkness and then, we do too. Nosotros squint and endeavor to focus at the black paint, simply equally the traveller is or volition be doing into the dark, trying to find some faint hint as to what's there. Information technology is Not "cipher."

This is a prime example of great use of what is called "tenebrism," which, depending on how you want to focus is either the dark itself, or it's the dissimilarity of the lighted expanse against the darkness. It is also known as "dramatic illumination," and is brought nearly by the utilise of very dark pigments, not necessarily just black, and highly pronounced "chiaroscuro," which is the name given to the effect of light falling from a single direction or source. The artists of the Baroque used this device, "tenebrism," to nifty effect for 150 years.

Consider Peter Paul Rubens version of "Prometheus Bound," where the tenebrism carries the dorsum of the eagle into the depths of doom. Consider his "Raising of the Cross" and the tenebrism right behind the head of Christ. There the dark is so rich that one homo appears behind Jesus from nowhere to aid enhance the cross. Nearly all of Rembrandt'southward groundwork is darkness in his own version of "Raising of the Cross." The tenebrism can be used to bring about a sense of the bleak or desolate, or information technology tin be used to emphasize the drama of the momentary action that appears to be lighted.

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Determination

Yes, I practice suppose there is more that I could talk about: the differing uses of the artists' brush strokes, the wider field of topics in the Baroque, the maddening abundance of Greco-Roman allusions in the Renaissance, just yous have plenty now to brainstorm your ain exploration of the two styles/eras. The key words "stabilize" and "dramatize" for the Renaissance and Baroque, respectively, and how they draw those ideas out in their art remain consistent with other things to be discovered, but they are conspicuously outlined in the horizontal and vertical orientations in the Renaissance, and the highly angular orientations in the Bizarre. The stability of time in the Renaissance in contrast with the fleeting moment in the Baroque. Now, examine the styles for yourself and detect new differences of your own.

Beneath is a cursory quiz with ten paintings, some are Baroque and some are Renaissance. (There may or may not be five of each.) They are all numbered, and I claiming y'all to quiz yourself with it to see, non only how much you lot picked upwards in this article, but how clearly the article is written. Yep, some of them are tricky. Let united states know how yous scored and what you recollect I can make more articulate in the article.

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Renaissance vs Baroque Art Quiz:

Directions: Number a spare sheet of paper from ane-10. Carefully examine the paintings one at a time, and beside each number on your folio, indicate the era of the painting past writing an "R" if the work is from the Renaissance, and a "B" if the work is from the Baroque. The answers are shown at the end of this folio.

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2

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iii

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4

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v

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6

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seven

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viii

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ix

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ten

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Quiz Answers further below

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About the Author:

A. J. Mittendorf is an avid fine art lover who has studied art history, art appreciation and art interpretation, for more than than two decades. His Principal's degree is in Literature and his undergraduate degree is in English Education. Every bit an educator, he enjoys writing for an online, international fine art mag, Art, Artists, Artwork so he can use his educational background and skills in the field of fine art to assist promote artists and help buyers select the art that is all-time for them.

Renaissance vs Baroque Art Quiz Answers

i. Baroque: "Christ in the Storm on the Lake of Galilee" (1633) by Rembrandt (1606-1669)

2. Bizarre: "Crucifixion of St. Peter" (1600) past Caravaggio (1571-1610)

3. Renaissance: "Pieta Bandini" (1547) Michelangelo (1475-1564)

4. Renaissance: "La Belle Jardinière" (1507) by Raphael (1483-1520)

5. Renaissance: "Portrait of a Central" (1510) by Raphael (1483 -1520)

6. Bizarre: "The Calling of St Matthew" (1600) by Caravaggio (1571-1610)

7. Baroque: "The Human With the Golden Helmet" (c. 1650) by Rembrandt (1606-1669)

8. Baroque: "The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa by Bernini" (1598-1680)

9. Renaissance: "The School of Athens" (1509-1511) Raphael (1483-1520)

10. Renaissance: "Venus and Mars" (1483) by Boticelli (1445-1510)

Hope yous had fun!

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