Spanish and French Baroque Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Spanish and French Baroque - Research Paper Example Paintings of the Baroque style show a kind of dynamism, in contrast to the static mood of the Renaissance. They achieve a sense of movement by placing the composition along the diagonal, instead of the vertical. The paintings of the age were infused with the vitality and vigor, which had taken hold of Europe after the counterreformation. Landscape was treated as an adjunct to the primary figural subject and served as merely the background. In fresco decoration it appeared as an â€Å"ornamental interlude† in opposition to the main figures. The artists of the Baroque era took the landscape and â€Å"endowing it with a new grandeur† pushed the details and incidents to the realms of secondary objects. This style of painting was marked by Pastoral themes, and the artist tried to recreate Virgil’s Arcadia as the locus amoenus (pleasant place), where shepherds could lead the days in otium (leisurely) pursuits. Baroque works of art stressed upon the idea of creating ple asurable emotions but without any vulgarity, and keeping it â€Å"simple and natural’ based on the concept of les biensà ©ances (decorum). The Classical landscapes of the Baroque age painting, is marked by vast open spaces, with an architectural structure, usually a dilapidated fort or castle, which is placed there so as to â€Å"order the landscape through a symmetrical placement of geometricized forms.’ The Baroque style was practiced predominantly in Catholic countries of Europe, and so, many of the important pieces of art can be traced to Spain and France.

Gallery review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Gallery review - Essay Example The painting is done oil on canvas. The size of the painting is 18 3/8 inches x 21 Â ¾ inches. The overall work is proportionally correct even though the second lady who is sitting is disproportionate in structure. One cannot find out whether she is sitting on a bed sheet or if she has a comforter on her lap. The two ladies are the focal point in the portrait. The work is balanced as the painter as used dark and light colors both. However, It is noticed that the lady who is wearing the black dress has the dark background whereas the second lady is also wearing a dark dress but the background color is light which makes one wonder whether the colors schemes should be less vibrant in order to have a balanced portrait. The color schemes are vibrant. It is a very colorful image. The artist has used warm colors and tried using contrasting colors that make the characters of the painting stand out in the portrait (Gardini). One of the formal characteristics identified in the painting is that the artist has not emphasized on the hair of the two women. One can only tell that the characters are women while looking at the shape of the dresses. Moreover, the expressions of both the women are not intense. While looking at the portrait, it would be difficult to estimate the mood of the women, which should be an essential part of the painting. However, the vibrant colors are the main attraction of the portrait. The main function of the piece is to represent women in vibrant and colorful colors. It shows two women who may be enjoying a leisure time with each other in a garden or a place where there is beauty and they are thinking or talking to each other