Baroque Art & the Renaissance

 

     One of the more notable works of art that emerged during the Baroque Era was the The Martydom of Saint Margaret done by Lodovicco Carracci on canvas using the oil technique. This painting was done in 1616 (Web Gallery of Art), and Carracci approach to this work was guided by "the Counter-reformation dictates laid down by the Council of Trent (Web Gallery of Art). Carracci appears to show balance in being able to convey certain Christian values in this piece of art by revealing the woman's neck in the presence of the executioner (Web Gallery of Art). After all, much of the art work that came out of the Baroque Era consisted of work that was filled with drama & emotion. There was push towards moving away from mannerism during the Baroque era. The way how this art is presented is quite telling of the impact that religion had on art during this era. What fascinates me about this piece of work of the powerful image that reflects pain, suffrage, and courage that is being displayed by the woman in the painting in the presence of her executioner. We see the executioner and the scaffolding being depicted in dark color, as much of the painting consists of dark color, which was common during this period. In addition to there being dark figures, settings, and structures in the painting, we can see a little bit of light color at the top of the painting, reflecting an understandable tone, as we can see the angels in the sky opening up for the soon to be martyr in the image. Furthermore, the use of horizonal & vertical lines & circles in the painting help us to identify the shape of the individuals and the structures that are present in the painting. It's fair to say that there's optical texture for this painting, however, it maybe understandable for some people to state that there's a possibility of physical texture that's visible. The presence of witnesses that are are underneath the scaffolding, as well as the clouds are the only patterns that appear to be noticeable. But all in all, this masterpiece carries two important themes that were central to works of art during the Baroque Era: emotion & drama. Even while overserving this painting which apparently is displayed in representational form, one's imagination of the drama surrounding the events that are depicted in the painting shouldn't be dismissed.

One piece of art from the Renaissance Period that's worth being compared to this piece of art from the Baroque era is The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci. In examining both masterpieces, there are similarities and differences between the two. First, both artwork have powerful religious influence. Second, there's a balance of light and dark colors in The Last Supper, in an apparent attempt to create realism, whereas, in The Martydom of Saint Margaret, there's more emphasis on emotion and dramatic imagery, in a shift away from realism. As a result, there's also more dark color and scenery in The Martydom of Saint Margaret

Works Cited:-

https://www.wga.hu/html_m/c/carracci/lodovico/margaret.html