6.04 Visual Arts: The Baroque

Drawings

When you were little, did you like to look at picture books? Even now, do you like to read books that have illustrations? If so do you know why?

Most people like to look at illustrations so that they can understand what they are reading. A long time ago, the majority of the people in the world couldn't read and weren't educated. Only people who were important, aristocratic, or higher up in the Catholic church could read. One way that the masses could understand some things that they were trying to be taught by the church was by looking at the art that was created.

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Catholic Commissions

During the Baroque period of art, a lot of people were illiterate, and the Catholic church was losing members due to the Protestant Reformation. Europe was full of religious tension during this time. In order to appeal to those who couldn't read, there was a large advertising campaign of sorts by the Catholic church to entice people to remain with the church. Many Catholic emperors and monarchs across Europe had a huge stake in the Catholic church's success. Because of this, large numbers of paintings, architectural designs, and sculptures were commissioned by the royal courts of many countries to glorify the church and to speak to those who couldn't read instead. The artwork was created to make people think the Catholic church was great.

For example, it is similar to today's marketing world when a company changes its logo after problems arise and then tries to reestablish or rebrand itself. By doing this, the company tries to create a new brand, or public image, that is acceptable to the people.

In this lesson, you will learn about the Baroque period of art, how its artists created artwork in response to this change in vision by the church, and the affect that it had on the development of art in the 17th century.

Calling of Saint Matthew by Caravaggio, 1598

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