The title "Dutch Baroque" would be considered a bit of a misnomer, because the term "baroque" refers to the general characteristics inherent in the European art of the 17th Century (see below).
CHARACTERISTICS OF BAROQUE ART - as they apply generally to Europe
1) Was a truly "international style" (Europe, South America, Central America, Far East, etc.) Compare to the Renaissance (which was strictly Italian) and Mannerism (which began in Rome and later picked-up in Germany, England, and France).
2) Subject matter: Historical narrative or Religious scenes
3) Shallow space (compressed to front, "stage-like")
4) Use of drapery; artists (both painters and sculptors alike) enjoyed the effects of drapery in their compositions. It facilitated the drama of scenes and encouraged visual movement throughout the elements of the composition.
5) Sense of illusionism (great space); feeling of ascending upwards, into the heavens.
6) An interest in making one material look like another (example: simulating soft drapery with marble).
7) Heightened motion (scenes involving action). Baroque figures "move"; they are not static.
8) Heightened emotion (theatrical gestures, facial expressions - often times exaggerated)
9) High contrast: intense light and shadow (Chiaroscuro, Tennebrism)
10) Combination of multiple art forms (example: music, theater, painting, architecture, sculpture, etc.) The greatest works are complex works; the more inclusive the materials / art forms = the more "Baroque" a work truly is.
11) Interactive component: Involves the viewer as participant in the work (viewer's presence completes the work of art); many times the figures attempt to engage the viewer (reaching out into our space, addressing via gaze, etc.)
12) The angle(s) / vantage point(s) from which the spectator / viewer appreciates a work is vitally important. For example, Baroque some sculpture was meant to be viewed from multiple angles in order for one to gain the fullest appreciation of it, while others specifically involved one particular vantage point from the viewer (again, whatever the case there exists a factor demanding of the viewer).
13) Purpose: most often, done in the service of the Catholic Church. It glorified and celebrated the Catholic ideals (Saints, miracles, etc.) - and the very religious issues that the Protestant faith despised and detested. Although it would seem that Baroque art (essentially an art of the Counter-Reformation) was a manifestation of the church's pride and entitlement, a deliberate smear campaign to thwart their "because I can" position in the face of the feverishly intolerable Protestant populations, their was a genuine concern for the art's didactic qualities. These images served the church's desire to educate the laity of the glory and grandeur that was promised to those who chose to participate.
13) Scale: usually rather LARGE. Why?
Consider the patronage...
a) The Catholic Church
b) wealthy Kings
c) autocratic rulers
It was the walls of such large buildings that served as the context for much of the Baroque painting! These barren church and palace walls needed to be filled and what better way to do so than with a HUGE painting!? Because the vast expanse of these architectural structures would easily dwarf modestly-sized work, the need for larger-than-normal work was imperative. It's the "bigger is better" adage for the Baroque...
-------------------------------------------------------------------
If it's not Baroque, don't fix it - so, what's up with the term BAROQUE?
The term "baroque" was coined in the late 18th C / early 19th C by historians, through their efforts to distinguish this later style of European art (which they deemed as lacking, insufficient) from that of the preceding Renaissance (a style which maintained the character and quality satisfactory of their expectations of what 'art' should be). The word "baroque" actually translates to "misshapen pearl". The derogatory implications of this label have since lost their power, but the initial term used to describe this art has remained.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
A bad classification?
The problem with this classification for the Dutch territories at this time, however, is that Dutch art of the North was, by and large, Protestant (Calvinist) in nature; whereas the Dutch territories lying to the South (Flanders) remained ardent in their Catholic faith. While there are always exceptions and subtle cross-over between the two, it is this very difference in religious faith that caused the work produced in the Seventeenth Century to appear extremely different -- in subject, patronage, style, and purpose -- despite the fact that the North and South Dutch regions existed in close proximity to one another.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The North v. South... in search of appropriate labels
Therefore, the more appropriate title for the work produced in the northern centers such as Delft, Amsterdam, Leiden, and Haarlem at this time would be that from the "Dutch Republic". This region is also referred to as the United Providences of the Netherlands and corresponds to the present day area of Holland.
The southern Dutch provinces remained under Spanish control, and therefore remained Catholic. This area is accurately referred to as Flanders. Major centers of the Flemish south were Antwerp and Brussels. Today, this area roughly corresponds to Belgium.
 |
| Map of 17 C Europe |
-------------------------------------------------------------------
DUTCH REPUBLIC - different pictorial subjects, styles, and patronage
So... as you recall from the discussion about the Protestant Reformation and the ensuing Counter Reformation, the Protestant faith forbade art of a religious nature (unlike the Catholic church, which used it to promote their faith). Therefore, it was this very fact that caused artists in the Dutch Republic to invariably turn their attention to alternative subject matter...including the commonplace, everyday "things" surrounding them.
TYPES OF PAINTING (that became popular in the Dutch Republic)
1) Landscapes
-scenes in which the subject matter was dominated by the surrounding natural world
-Marine painting emerged as a 'type' of still-life
-Church painting - scenes of interior sacred spaces
2) Still-lives (specialization was necessary due to increasing demand for these!)
-flower painting
-vanitas
-fowl and other game animals
-breakfast pieces
3) Portraits of notable individuals
-merchants
-commemorative portraits (marriages, of general documentary nature, prestige, etc.)
-group portraits (cloth merchant's guild, physician's guild, militia companies, etc.)
4) Genre scenes (scenes of everyday life)
side note 1: Many of these paintings were executed on a rather small scale.
side note 2: And, because major patron behind the artists was no longer the church, a very interesting phenomenon emerged - the increasing importance of the middle class patron and art collector.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Dutch Republic / United Netherlands - notable artists
• Rembrandt
• Frans Hals
• Judith Leyster
• Peter Paul Rubens (traveled extensively - a pan-European art)
• Anthony Van Dyck (born in Antwerp, but traveled to Genoa and London)
