[Partly
revised and edited 10/3/07 and 9/23/15. The links to
material at
the Baroque
Composers
and Musicians site and the Web Museum site
should be
particularly helpful.}
Baroque
Art, Music, and Literature
Generalization: The great Baroque artists did an excellent job helping people find order and assurance amid the chaos of the 17th century.
Italian
painter who helped develop
the Baroque style with its strong lighting and dramatic
themes.
The
filmstrip emphasized religious works included The
Calling of St.
Matthew and
several martyrdom stories. Caravaggio's work would
certainly have
helped
out in an era of growing religious doubts.
His religious
paintings help
make the Bible come alive. The
martyrdom scenes might have
encouraged
those who were persecuted to stand fast in their
faith. But Caravaggio's work also emphasized
other, often needed, parts of the Bible message. The video called
Caravaggio "a rebel and a fighter."
That's kind of vague, but there's a reason for
the vagueness. The standard story is
that Caravaggio killed a man because of a
dispute over a tennis match. That may
have been just a pretext for a dispute over a
woman. Lots of other violent and unsavory
episodes in his life. At the time of his
death, he was hoping to get to Rome and get a
papal pardon for his many violent acts. Caravaggio's
Calling of St. Matthew maybe stresses a
reminder he might have badly needed
himself,
that even the most unlikely sort of person (a
tax collector in this
case) might
be called to God's service.
See these
Caravaggio
paintings at the Web Museum.
Italian
composer, a pioneer in the
field of opera. The filmstrip stressed L'Orfeo, an
opera that
tells the story
of Orpheus and Eurydice. Operatic
works deal with the
big
issues of life, and this particular opera might have
been well suited
to those
like Orpheus who had lost loved ones. Opera also
provides a
lavish
spectacle, and operatic entertainments would have had a
tendency to
reinforce
the prestige/solidarity of the opera-going nobles.
Also did madrigals (before the operas). After his own wife's death (not long
after Orfeo was produced), Monteverdi became a
priest and wrote church
music. A lot here that hints at the later
achievements of Bach and Handel. There were
actually strains of his "Vespers"
in the
video we watched in class. I suspect many of you
will be really
impressed. Music
to
study by!
Painter
from the Spanish Netherlands
(today's Belgium) who studied in Italy and whose work
led to the spread
of the
Baroque style beyond Italy. Rubens did religious
paintings
similar in
impact to those of Caravaggio, i.e., they would have
helped the Bible
"come alive." Rubens also did secular works.
The
filmstrip talked of his "hearty, full-blooded attitude
toward
life." Rubens is a generally optimistic painter,
affirming life's
goodness. He is also important for his work for
Marie de'
Medici.
His paintings of scenes from her life show her
accompanied by gods and
angels. Such works would have helped prepare the
way for the
acceptance
of stronger royal authority, perhaps even the absolute
monarchy that
Louis XIV
would establish. Quite a few Rubens
paintings at the Web Museum.
Italian
sculptor
and friend of Pope
Urban VIII. The filmstrip empasized his "David"
and his
work on St. Peter's. The first shows
David, having
cast aside
Saul's armor, flinging a stone at Goliath. It's
impressive for
its
ability
to "capture the action" and for it's dramatic
qualities. With
determination and God's help, you can lick any giant
that comes along.
The decorations for St. Peter's are important
because of the way
the
enhance
papal prestige. The Pope claims authority as the
"vicar of St.
Peter." Catholics argue that Jesus gave
authority over the
earthly
church to the apostles, and particularly to
Peter. Peter was
given the
"keys" so that whatever he bound on earth was bound in
heaven and
whatever he loosed on earth was loosed in
heaven. Where did this
authority over the earthly church go when Peter and
the other apostles
died? Catholics argue it went to the bishops of
the churches
founded by
the apostles, and particularly to Peter's successor as
the bishop of
Rome, the
Pope. That idea had been accepted in Europe for
a long, long
time, but
the Reformation (and the poor character of some of the
Renaissance
popes) had
greatly reduced papal prestige. At a time when
the papal image
badly
needed rebuilding, Bernini's work emphasized the
basics of the Pope's
claim to
power. A 90 foot high bronze canopy over the
tomb of Peter and a
splendid
setting for a wooden chair thought to have belonged to
Peter
help.
Likewise helpful are the monuments to past popes, as
is the impressive
colonnade
Bernini designed for the approach to St.
Peter's. Good Bernini
information and links at the Web Gallery of Art.
Italian
violinist and composer, a
pioneer of the Baroque style in music. Corelli's
violin
performances
featured much improvisation--but improvisation within
strict
rules.
Perhaps this gives the listener that, beyond the
complexity and
tension of
life is an underlying order, just as in Baroque music
complexity and
tension
are contained within a larger sense of order.
Corelli likewise
helped
develop the concerto
grosso format where solo instruments
"compete" with the whole orchestra. The fact that
eventually
the tension/complexity eventually resolve may help
explain why such
music has a
positive effect on us. A sense of order and
assurance for the
listener? Perhaps. Here's another
attempt to
explain Corelli's work.
Dutch
painter working in the Baroque
style. Rembrandt does many religious works:
another of these
artists who
helps the Bible come alive. Particularly touching
is his
portrayal of the
Prodigal Son, a great painting especially for those who
sense a need
for
forgiveness--or perhaps to do some forgiving
themselves!
Rembrandt's work
featured members of the rising middle class, and would
have supported
the
general political direction of Holland: away from noble
control and
toward a
"bourgeois"-dominated government. The filmstrip
also emphasized
Rembrandt's portraits, especially his many
self-portraits. Very
good Rembrandt
material at the Web Museum.
German
musician and (extraordinarily
prolific!) composer. Among other things, Bach did lots
of
religious
music, at one point writing a new cantata every week for
church
performance. His "St. Matthew Passion" is a good
example of
what music does for order and assurance. The filmstrip
compares
this to
Rembrandt's etchings: the music help makes the Bible come
alive.
For more
on Bach,
see the great links at the Baroque composers and musicians
site. But, even better, listen to some Bach. All
sorts of different kinds of music. Here are some Bach
sonatas
for lute!