Art History

Baroque, the apotheosis of painting

“I would define the baroque as that style that deliberately exhausts (or tries to exhaust) its own possibilities, and that borders on self-caricature. The baroque is the final stage in all art, when art flaunts and squanders its resources.” — Jorge Luis Borges

Five sessions to introduce five pictorial traditions arising after the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation: artistic answers during a period (approximately 1600–1750) of dramatic cultural, creative, and intellectual transformation in Europe, accompanied by significant historical events.

Isaac Newton laid the foundations of modern physics, introducing the laws of motion and universal gravitation. Philosophers like René Descartes ('Cogito, ergo sum') and John Locke shaped the emerging Age of Enlightenment by emphasising reason and sensory experience as ways to knowledge.

This era also witnessed the expansion of European colonial empires in the Americas, leading to cultural exchanges, the establishment of economic systems such as the transatlantic slave trade, and widespread exploitation. In Europe, the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648), driven by religious tensions between Protestants and Catholics and territorial disputes, caused widespread devastation. The English Civil War (1642–1651) pitted Royalists against Parliamentarians, resulting in the execution of King Charles I and the establishment of the Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell. Additionally, the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714) involved major European powers competing for the Spanish throne after the death of Charles II, culminating in the Treaty of Utrecht, which reshaped Europe's balance of power.

Amid these upheavals, art and architecture flourished, supported on one side by the Catholic Church and monarchs, who used it to convey power and righteousness, and on the other by the emerging middle classes, especially in the Dutch Republic. Baroque art's grandeur, drama, and emotion reflected the complexities of this dynamic era.

This period also saw the creation of some of the most celebrated music in history, composed by masters such as Antonio Vivaldi, George Frideric Handel, and Johann Sebastian Bach. By the time these composers reached their peak, painting had already reached its highest point with the works of artists like Rembrandt, Caravaggio, and Velázquez. During this time, painting experienced a remarkable flourishing, pushing the boundaries of painterly mark-making to their utmost limits.

If you value painting, this talk series is essential for enhancing your knowledge and understanding of this medium's development.

By Csaba