Baroque Painting & The Massacre of the Innocents
The term Baroque comes the from the Portuguese word: Barocco or pérola barroca, which translates to rough or irregular pearl. Conjuring the image of a beautiful and sensuous jewel whose imperfection locates the spectacular in the natural however was not the original purpose of this label.....
Renaissance paintings by and large focused on representations of moments of sublime clarity in communion with God. Heroes were depicted in contemplation preparing for the tests & temptations that awaited them. Baroque paintings sought rather to represent the climax of the heroes' stories, based on the understanding that the more dramatic and harrowing images would have a greater impact on viewers and would ultimately engage them in a religious awakening.
In the transitional years at the end of the Renaissance period artists depicting more grotesque and visceral interpretations of the biblical stories were derided for their detailed and realistic renditions of the familiar narratives hence the term Barroco being used initially as an insult.
As time went on and the new style grew in popularity the moniker once used as an insult became source of pride.
The culture of the Baroque was greatly influenced by the attempts of the Roman Catholic Church to respond to the Protestant reformation. In this respect creating images that boldly depicted religious themes and gave flesh and blood to acts of heroism was considered a means of moving viewers & engaging them, in a devotional sense, with the impressive acts represented.
The horrific narrative of religious persecution punctuated by gory details depicted in Rubens' The Massacre of the Innocents, painted between 1611 & 1612, can be seen as an allusion to the protestant reform and a means of positioning the viewers as sympathetic to the innocents being slaughtered. In this respect this painting can be seen as an allegory to the religious/political climate of the moment in which it was painted.
Renaissance paintings by and large focused on representations of moments of sublime clarity in communion with God. Heroes were depicted in contemplation preparing for the tests & temptations that awaited them. Baroque paintings sought rather to represent the climax of the heroes' stories, based on the understanding that the more dramatic and harrowing images would have a greater impact on viewers and would ultimately engage them in a religious awakening.
In the transitional years at the end of the Renaissance period artists depicting more grotesque and visceral interpretations of the biblical stories were derided for their detailed and realistic renditions of the familiar narratives hence the term Barroco being used initially as an insult.
As time went on and the new style grew in popularity the moniker once used as an insult became source of pride.
The culture of the Baroque was greatly influenced by the attempts of the Roman Catholic Church to respond to the Protestant reformation. In this respect creating images that boldly depicted religious themes and gave flesh and blood to acts of heroism was considered a means of moving viewers & engaging them, in a devotional sense, with the impressive acts represented.
The horrific narrative of religious persecution punctuated by gory details depicted in Rubens' The Massacre of the Innocents, painted between 1611 & 1612, can be seen as an allusion to the protestant reform and a means of positioning the viewers as sympathetic to the innocents being slaughtered. In this respect this painting can be seen as an allegory to the religious/political climate of the moment in which it was painted.