The art period of Baroque has Italy as the place of its birth and the timeframe between 1600 and 1750 as the years of its existence. The 17th century saw the spread of this art style to the other countries of Europe, including France, Germany, Netherlands, etc. The topics depicted by the Baroque artists vary from still life and landscape pictures to portraits and religious topics. The latter constitute probably the largest share of Baroque as the period during which the Reformation and struggle between the Catholics and Protestants took place (The Humanities, 1993). Thus, Peter Paul Rubens, Rembrandt van Rijn, and Michelangelo Caravaggio are the prominent representatives of the Baroque fine arts, in whose works religious topics were skillfully disclosed.
To begin with, Michelangelo Caravaggio (1573 – 1610) was the first, according to the chronological order, to create his masterpieces in Baroque Italy. John the Baptist is one of his first works, which reflects the features typical of Caravaggio’s art:
Art History. (2009). Baroque. Web.
Created in 1598 using the oil in canvas technique, this painting is remarkable for the author’s use of light and shadow to emphasize the emotional state of the painting’s main character. John the Baptist is placed in the center of the painting, and his critical attitude to life is seen from the expression on his face. This expression also explains the pessimistic attitude Caravaggio had towards this world (The Humanities, 1993).
Further on, the famous Dutch painter Peter Paul Rubens managed to combine the religious topics in his art with his own philosophy or art and life. The painting Christ and St. John with Angels is one of his masterpieces that reflects the features of Baroque and the personal philosophy of the painter:
Art History. (2009). Baroque. Web.
The picture presents four children playing together on the background of the dark sky. These children symbolize the beginning of the new life that the Christianity awaits, while the dark sky is the symbol of the harsh reality of the actual life. In this, Ruben’s critical philosophy and the hope for the best can be observed.
The religious topics were also explored by Rembrandt in his art. Created in 1668 – 1669, The Return of the Prodigal Son is the piece of art depicting one of the biblical myths and a group of its participants:
Art History. (2009). Baroque. Web.
Thus, the painting displays the images of five people, among whom the prodigal son and his father are in the spotlight, while the rest of the characters are placed in the shadow to stress the major roles of the first two people. The playing of light and shadow is a remarkable feature of Rembrandt’s works, while the biblical topics reflect the reality of the Baroque epoch when the Catholic Church by means of art tried to win new supporters in its struggle with Protestantism (The Humanities, 1993).
To conclude, Peter Paul Rubens, Rembrandt van Rijn, and Michelangelo Caravaggio are the prominent representatives of the Baroque fine arts, in whose works religious topics were skillfully disclosed. The personal philosophies of these painters are intertwined with their major art topics, which makes their works the greatest masterpieces of the Baroque art.
References
The Humanities: Cultural Roots and Continuities. (1993). D.C. Heath and Company. Lexington, Massachusetts.