Rembrandt, Prodigal Son, Oil on Canvas, 1661-69 Caravaggio, Young Sick Bacchus, Oil on Canvas, 1593

Learning Objective

In this assignment, students will examine, compare, and evaluate the subject matter, style, and personal/cultural context of the artistic work of two of the most significant and influential artists from the Baroque period. This objective aligns with Student Learning Outcome 2.

Before you get started, be sure to read Purposes and Tips for Writing Discussions.

Overview

People who lived at the height of the Baroque period, during the 16th century, witnessed the emergence of several of the greatest artists in the history of Western art. In Italy, the artist Bernini was the driving force for a new type of figurative sculpture that was filled with energy and drama. Likewise, his Italian counterpart in painting, Caravaggio, created images that were filled with down-to-earth realism and dramatic use of light. In fact, artists across Europe began to embrace Baroque form and content in their work. These include the Flemish painter Rubens, the Spanish painter Velasquez, and Dutch painters Vermeer and Rembrandt.

Rembrandt and Caravaggio are considered to be two of the greatest and most influential painters in the history of Western art. Both created their work during the Baroque period, but each artist was from a different geographical region and each was driven to create by different social forces and for different personal reasons. Consider these issues as you write your Discussion post.

Your Assignment

In this Discussion, you will post a 550-750 word analysis in which you will examine, compare, and evaluate the work of Caravaggio and Rembrandt. You will watch the videos and read the content provided for each artist, then use these as a basis to write contextual analyses of their work. You will support your key points with ideas and concepts from the readings and videos, as well as your own observations, ideas and insights.

This Discussion is worth 100 points. Please read the instructions and Grading Rubric before you begin.

Due Date

Your initial Discussion post is due by Sunday, May 17 at 11:59 p.m

Your responses to posts by at least two different classmates is due by Sunday, May 24 at 11:59 p.m.

You must post in the Discussion before you can read your classmates’ posts.

Instructions and Grading Criteria

Before you begin, review the reading and study guides for pages 294-298 of Artforms. Also, be sure to read the Summary of Critical Theories. This assignment combines elements of all three types of critical theories/approaches (Formal, Contextual, Expressive), with emphasis on Contextual Analysis.

Important! Approach this discussion as you would if you were writing a college paper. In other words, don’t just start writing in the discussion board without having a plan. I recommend that you open a Word Doc or Google Doc, turn on version history, then write and revise a polished 550-750 word paper, which you will copy and paste into your discussion post.

Step One: Watch the Videos (listed below)

Watch the videos and read the content (at the bottom of this page) to gain a solid understanding about the life and work of Baroque artists Rembrandt and Caravaggio. As you do so, try to understand the primary personal, religious, and social forces that drove each of these artists to create. As you watch each video, do the following:

Take notes about the key ideas and concepts that directly relate to what you will need to write about in each paragraph of your essay, explained in Step Two. Include your own ideas and insights.

Identify and list a few works by each artist that you find to be the most powerful and/or moving. You may use the images from the readings and videos, or use Google to search for other works by these artists.

Based on what you have learned, select your favorite artist.

Step Two: Post in the Class Discussion

Your post is worth 80 possible points

Write a 550-750 word analysis in which you will examine, compare, and evaluate the work of Caravaggio and Rembrandt. Organize your analysis into four paragraphs, listed below, and follow the instructions. It may be helpful to use headings.

At the beginning of each paragraph, write a concise topic sentence that clearly states what the paragraph is about. This topic sentence will help frame the controlling argument for each paragraph and will help your reader follow your key ideas.

Paragraph One: Subject and Overall Style

This paragraph should be between 100-150 words.

Post an image of a painting by both Rembrandt and Caravaggio.

Briefly state, then describe, the subject of each painting. As with Discussion 3 (Formal Analysis), your description should be so clear and specific that the reader can imagine the work of art in their mind as they read. Think about how each work is a good example of the artist’s overall style and approach to painting.

Paragraph Two: Personal and Social Context

This paragraph should be between 150-200 words.

Summarize and discuss the primary personal, religious and social forces that impacted the life and work of both Rembrandt (Holland) and Caravaggio (Italy), motivating each artist to approach their work in such a unique and powerful way.

What was happening in each of the artists’ personal lives?

What religious and/or social developments were taking place in the society around them during the Baroque period?

Who were their patrons? Who commissioned their work and why?

Refer to the notes that you took while watching each video. Focus on the key ideas and concepts from the videos. You will not need to refer to other sources from the internet.

Helpful Tip! The Counter-Reformation, in Italy, is an example of a religious development.

Paragraph Three: Stylistic Similarities and Differences

This paragraph should be between 150-200 words.

In Paragraph Two, you discussed the religious and/or social developments that were taking place during the Baroque period.

In Paragraph Three, you need to summarize and describe the most important stylistic similarities and differences between each work of these two Baroque masters. You need to explain about how the religious and social developments, discussed in paragraph two, are reflected in the style (formal characteristics) of each artists work. This is an essential part of writing a contextual analysis.

The reading and study guides for pages 294-298 of Artforms will help reinforce what you learn from the videos.

Helpful Tip! Be sure to apply what you have learned about The Language of Style.

Support your key points with descriptive references to the visual and formal characteristics in each of the works of art you posted. Again, refer to the notes that you took while watching each video. Focus on the key ideas and concepts from the videos and not on other sources from the internet.

Paragraph Four: Preference and Evaluation

This paragraph should be between 150-200 words.

State your preference. Then, evaluate and thoroughly explain why you prefer the work of the artist you selected over that of the other artist. Support your reasoning with direct references to the artist and painting you selected.

You may wish to consider the following:

What initial ideas or feelings come to mind after experiencing the work of art?

Do you identify with the work? Based on your life experiences, is it personally relevant to you?

What is it about the work of art that you like the most? The message? The way it was made or composed?

Are you engaged by the formal characteristics, such as the way the artist used light, color, texture, space, scale, etc?

Do you think your experience of the work is the same as what the artist intended?

Content – Commentary and Videos: Baroque Painting

Baroque Art in Italy

Many of the characteristics of the Baroque style were spawned and promoted by the Counter-Reformation, the Roman Catholic Church’s response to the Protestant Reformation. The paintings created by Caravaggio best exemplify the Baroque Style in Italy.

The Conversion of St. Paul (Caravaggio)

As you watch this video, take note of Baroque stylistic characteristics that represented a break from Renaissance idealism and became a leading influence on other Baroque painters.

Judith and Holofernes (Artemisia Gentileschi)

We see an example of Caravaggio’s influence in the work of Artemisia Gentileschi, who turned the Baroque style toward the depiction of female religious heroes. As you watch this video, take note of the Baroque stylistic characteristics in her painting.

Baroque Art in Holland

In the Netherlands a new type of art patron emerged in the seventeenth century as a result of recently won independence and booming international trade: wealthy middle-class merchants and bankers, most of them Protestants. These new patrons enjoyed and invested in contemporary art, including paintings by Rembrandt and Vermeer.

Although Rembrandt’s paintings show the influence of the Italian Baroque painters in their contrasts of light and dark for dramatic emphasis, Vermeer used light a different way. As you watch this video, take note of the way Vermeer used light differently from Caravaggio or Rembrandt.

Woman Holding a Balance (Vermeer)