Chapter 17: The 17th and 18th Centuries

How does Versailles reflect Baroque splendor?

The lavish setting for Louis XIV features an ornate Hall of Mirrors, curves, and rich fabrics.

What is incorrect about this description? Rembrandt contributed much to the art world. He not only mastered sculpture but also painting, drawing and etching. He was skilled in portraits, landscapes, and religious scenes.

He was not skilled in sculpture.

What emotion did the artist use on the faces of the women in reaction to what appears to have taken place?

Concern is on the faces of the women because Judith has just beheaded Holofernes. Her hand is raised as if to say that she hears something.

How were the academies of the Renaissance different from 18th century academies?

Early Renaissance academies were private informal groups of artists and scholars.

Which 17th and 18th century artists were well-known portrait painters?

Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun Rembrandt Artemisia Gentileschi

Despite the focus on the church building, why is this landscaping painting by Dutch artist Jacob van Ruisdael considered secular?

Even though religious art did not dominate art like it did in the Renaissance and the Italian Baroque art period, it still appeared as in this scene.

True or false: Women were accepted into the academies but they were not allowed to be students as the male students could not concentrate on their paintings or sculptures.

False

Which are characteristics of 17th and 18th century European landscape paintings?

Focus on architecture De-emphasis of people Depiction of the immensity of the natural world

What does the exterior of the Palace of Versailles reflect?

French interest in Classical architecture

How were homes able to display the Rococo style?

Rocks and Shell forms appeared as decorative motifs. They were highly decorated and sophisticated.

What is the term Rococo, an extension on the word Baroque, French for?

Rocks and shells

How does Rubens link the king in the foreground of the picture with the gods above?

Rubens's use of the diagonal line leads the eye from the king in the foreground to the gods pictured above.

What does a Dutch genre painting feature?

Scenes of everyday life

Which Baroque characteristics were common in the religious paintings of the 17th century?

Strong contrast of light areas and shadows Emphasis on emotions Intense theatricality

Mastery of the human form and an elevated literary subject signaled that Artemisia would be a history painter. What work of this artist features a female nude and depicts a biblical story?

Susanna and the Elders

The Age of Kings occurred at the same time as the Age of Colonial Settlement during the 17th and 18th centuries. What are the differences between the two time periods?

The Age of Kings was in an established country which had monarchs and a political system. The Age of Colonial Settlement took place in North and South America. The Age of Kings occurred in Europe. The settlements in the Americas were just beginning to establish settlements.

Both Velazquez and Caravaggio used _____ in their works to create drama and emphasis.

light

What is the effect of Caravaggio's depiction of the stone slab covering Christ's tomb?

It projects forward directly involving viewers in the action of scene.

The Renaissance humanist tried to revive Classical culture by creating academies which were modeled after what?

The academies were modeled after the Akademeia.

In 1787, Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun painted this portrait of Marie-Antoinette and her children for what specific purpose?

To foster good will and positive sentiment for the Queen and royal family

What was the intention of Jaques-Louis David's composition Death of Marat?

To frame the death of revolutionary leader as the heroic death of martyr

The Death of Marat was painted by Jacques-Louis David. Which statement best tells importance of Marat?

A major revolutionary leader who was the voice of the radical political faction called Jacobins

In examining this work, what emotion is the artist trying to show through the women who were placed on the side?

David is trying to show the emotion of sadness. They realize that one person they care about will be killed.

In contrast with the dynamic compositions of Italian Baroque painting, what did Nicolas Poussin's compositions present?

A focus on horizontal and vertical lines

Gentle pastels used in the Rococo period are clearly opposite of the bold intense colors of the era known as ______.

Baroque

The Church of San Carolo alle Quattro Fontane is famous for the use of ovals in its design. Which artist created this work and died before the facade was completed?

Borromini

Many religious paintings from the 17th century employ chiaroscuro--the extreme contrast of light and dark values which was an innovation of ______.

Caravaggio

Which artist created this work using perspective in order to involve the viewer in the action?

Caravaggio

As a court painter, Velazquez painted Las Meninas. What appears unusual in the scene portrayed?

Diego Velázquez has painted himself in the scene.

What baroque quality can be seen in Gianlorenzo Bernini's St. Theresa in Ecstacy?

Dramatic use of shadows

Where did the Rococo style of architecture originate?

France

How did Caravaggio create an emotional impact which involved the church parishioners and the priest?

He placed the painting so that the head of the priest is eye level with the slab.

Contrast can be depicted easily in paintings. What was Dutch landscape painter Jacob van Ruisdael's View of Ootmarsum contrasting?

He was contrasting the sky with its billowing cloud which yield to the wind and can never be tamed with human order has been established.

Besides being know as an accomplished portrait painter, what one event in Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun's life led the way for other women to gain prestige in the artistic community?

In 1778 she gained acceptance into the French Royal Academy.

Unlike Renaissance architecture, what does Baroque architecture offer?

It protrudes into the viewer's space through convex and concave surfaces.

In Entombment of Christ, what effect does Caravaggio create with high contrast of light foreground and dark background?

It pushes the foreground characters into our space.

Why wasn't Fragonard's painting The Pursuit, from the Progress of Love accepted by Madame du Barry?

It was considered old-fashioned and sentimental. The seriousness of life was now in vogue.

Why was Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun requested to paint Marie-Antoinette and her children?

It was hoped that this portrait would portray her as a devoted and beloved mother. The citizens looked at the portrait of the Queen in her muslin dress without favor. It did not depict Roman family values.

Why was the study of anatomy so important in the academies?

Mastering of the human form was associated with the belief that the greatest subject for art was history.

Which monarchs ruled their countries as virtual dictators during The Age of Kings?

King Louis of France Maria Theresa of Austria Catherine the Great of Russia

Who was the primary audience for Artemisia Gentileschi's work?

Kings and rulers of Europe

The development of what genre at the end of the 17th century corresponded, in part, with the growing popularity of secular art?

Landscape

Despite the quiet theme shown in this work, Rubens has created a painting that seems to quiver with energy and movement. What characteristics lend itself to energy and movement?

Movement occurs in many ways: the diagonal composition links the gods with the king, and Minerva speaks in the king's ear. The textures in the garments are glistening which are worn by Minerva. The drapery of Jupiter and Juno cascade into the moving clouds.

The success of Jacques-Louis David's The Oath of the Horatii was emblematic of the departure of Rococo and the arrival of ______, the official style of the Revolution.

Neoclassicism

How are the characteristics of French Baroque different from the Baroque period in Italy?

Originally Italian Baroque art was full of emotion, energy, movement and theatrical; however, it changed in each country.

What factors contributed to the rise of the Neoclassical style?

The discovery of the ruins at Herculaneum and Pompeii The view that the Romans Republic embodied the civic virtues of patriotism, stoicism, and frugality A revived interest in Roman art and culture

What two areas in art was Artemisia Gentileschi was considered skilled?

Portraiture Landscapes

What did the prominence of Protestantism during the 17th century in the Netherlands mean?

Religious imagery and ornate churches were less prominent in artworks.

The life of St. Theresa, the subject matter of Gianlorenzo Bernini's St. Theresa in Ecstacy, was closely associated with what contemporaneous political and religious movement?

The Counter-Reformation

How did China's art contribute to Rococo's light hearted playfulness used in homes?

The Meissen firm was inspired by Chinese motifs and created porcelain tableware to reflect the motifs. The teapot's scene shows Chinese-looking images of animals and figures.

Which statement best describes why this church is of the highest sophistication found in Rococo?

The analogous colors used throughout the building are soft and pleasant even in the the paintings of the ceiling. The church moves, twists and curls back on itself, while scrolls and plant forms enliven the surface.

How does the artist, Artemisia Gentileschi project the figures in Judith and Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes into the viewers' space?

The artist lit the figures dramatically with the use of the flickering candle and plunged the background into shadow.

Rembrandt is credited with what innovation found in Dutch Baroque art?

The incorporation of individual portraits within the context of a larger activity

What was the only Baroque characteristic seen in Claude Lorrain's work The Abduction of Europa?

The manipulation of light

Which statement indicates why this painting and others in this style appealed to French aristocrats and kings?

The painting reflects a dreamlike state which may have appealed to leaders who were weary of all the formal grandeur which accompanied their duties.

Why were there requests from all over Catholic Europe for Borromi's plans for Saint Charles of the Four Fountains Church?

The use of convex or concave curved walls suggested a soft motion, almost pulsating space.

Bernini's St. Teresa in Ecstasy in the centerpiece of Cornaro Chapel. What story and baroque characteristics did this sculpture focus on?

There is a theatrical appearance to this mystic who founded and order of nuns and was known for communicating with angels, while in trances.

True or false: Vigee-Lebrun's calm personality and steadfastness can be seen in her self-portrait by: the way she gently holds the chalk; the calm look on her face; and perhaps the softness of the cast shadow displayed on the canvas.

True

Who are these people in the scene? Why are some people highlighted with light and others not?

Various individuals; those who paid more were highlighted

The _____ style was an era in Europe which focused on extravagance. It occurred at the same time that the colonists in America went through a period known as the starving time.

baroque

The use of ______ by Bernini changes the chapel itself into a theatrical experience with the drama of St. Theresa as if being on stage.

transformation