subject: Treasured Baroque Religious Paintings [print this page] Baroque religious paintings first appeared in Italy, but it didnt take long for the popularity of this form of art to spread all over Europe. This period is usually noted to span from 1600 to 1750, a relatively short period of time in history. There are several well known artists who made a name for themselves from this period of time, although there were undoubtedly many more who never quite became famous.
Caravaggio was an Italian artist who is known most as one of the brilliant representatives of naturalistic painting during the Baroque period. His religious paintings address the Counter Reformation with realism, piety and austerity, and he is well known for his dramatic application of contrasting spaces of dark and light as well. His influence on art in this time period is certainly significant, and his religios paintings are often held in very high esteem. His influence was such that he helped turn much of Europes art away from idealism to everyday realism he was the first to depict everyday people who looked very ordinary, as they really were.
Caravaggios main works are religious paintings which he embodied with courage. Caravaggio has a strong plastic modeling of form; he puts the oil paint over the canvas with big, wide dabs applying strong contrasts of light and shadow that enhance dramatic effects. The Crucifixion of Saint Peter is one of Caravaggios most famous masterpieces. Three dishonest characters, their faces are concealed or turned away, are drawing, dragging and thrusting the cross to which Peter is nailed by the feet in dramatic Caravaggio style.
Rembrandt is also famous for his religious paintings, and he was also one of few artists that created religious paintings in Protestant Holland. He is known for his application of spotlighting parts of his works that he felt were most significant. His method of painting with heavy laden brushes is called Impasto, and many people enjoy his work so much because he seems to add an almost sculptural attribution to his works. His religious painting The Return of the Prodigal Son is considered to be an epilogue of his works in which his skill is considered to be most evident.
The work is full of vivid colors which are obscure and soft at the same time. It is meant to show people the reality and intensity of feelings, and he applied the dramatic effect of black light contrasting to intensify the emotional influence on the audience, stirring the emotions of viewers in much the same fashion as his dramatic religious paintings.
