Northern AristocraticBaroqu

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Context• In the 17th century, Flanders (approximately present-day Belgium, but also small amounts of northern France and the Netherlands) remained Catholic and under Spanish control (can be referred to as “Spanish Netherlands”). As such, Flemish Baroque art is closely related to the Baroque art of Italy. • The major art patron in 17th century France was the absolutist monarch Louis XIV, the Sun King, the who consolidated power over France by eradicating the still-remaining feudal lords. Under his rule, France became the most powerful country of the 17th century. • The Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648), ended by the Treaty of Westphalia, lead to a political restructuring of Europe. • As the divide between Protestants and Catholics widened, the need for secular political systems became apparent. • Triangular trade increased variety of commodities available. Slaves from Africa were taken to colonies in the Americas to produce crops such as sugar, tobacco, and rice, increasing the prosperity of European nations. The resulting worldwide mercantile system permanently changed the face of Europe. European after the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648

(Flanders is labeled as Spanish Netherlands)

Flanders(Flemish)

Netherlands(Dutch)

Peter Paul Rubens• The greatest Flemish Baroque painter was Peter Paul Rubens, who was influenced by Michelangelo, Titian, Carracci, and Caravaggio. His own influence was likewise international. • Rubens possessed an aristocratic education and a courtier’s manner, diplomacy, and tact, which made him popular amongst the elites of Europe. • Among his patrons, Rubens counted the following:-Dukes of Mantua-King Philip IV of Spain (advised him in his art collecting)-King Charles I of England-Marie de’Medici of France-Spanish governors of Flanders• Because of his international popularity, he was often also entrusted with important diplomatic missions.• He produced a large volume of work by employing a large group of associates and assistant painters.• Rubens also amassed a large fortune as an art dealer to the European elite, with which he bought a townhouse in Antwerp and a castle in the countryside.

Peter Paul Rubens. Lived 1577 – 1640.

Elevation of the Cross• Rubens lived in Italy between 1600 and 1608, where he studied the Italian Renaissance and Baroque masters. • While in Italy, Rubens studied Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel frescoes and important ancient sculptures, such as Laocoon and his Sons, by doing numerous black-chalk drawings.• After returning home, he painted the Elevation of the Cross for the church of Saint Walburga in Antwerp (later moved to the city’s cathedral).• By investing in sacred art, Flemish churches sought to affirm their allegiance to Catholicism and Spanish rule after a period of Protestant iconoclastic fervor in the region. • The choice of subject, the raising of Christ nailed to the cross, gave Rubens the opportunity to show off the muscular physiques and twisting movement he learned from Michelangelo’s work. • The dramatic lighting shows the influence of Caravaggio.• Although he later developed a softer, more coloristic style, the human body in action (draped or undraped, male or female) remained the focus of his art.

Elevation (Raising) of the CrossPeter Paul Rubens. 1610. Oil on wood.

From St. Walburga, Antwerp. Center panel 15’ x 11’

Arrival of Marie de’ Medici at Marseilles• Rubens utilized the ostentation and spectacle that is characteristic of Italian Baroque art, which also appealed to royalty and aristocracy, as it did the Catholic Church in Italy. The magnificence and splendor of Baroque imagery reinforced the authority and right to rule of the highborn.• Marie de’Medici, a member of the famous Florentine house and widow of Henry IV, the first Bourbon king of France, commissioned Rubens to paint a series of huge canvases memorializing and glorifying her career. • In this image, Marie disembarks a ship after traveling to France from Italy, where she is greeted by an allegorical personification of France (dressed in a cape decorated with the fleur-de-lis, the symbol of French royalty). • The personification of Fame trumpets overhead, while Neptune and the Nereids (daughters of the Titan sea god Nereus) hail her from below amid swirling waves. • Below the Medici coat of arms on the boat stands the commander of the ship, whose unmoving pose and black clothing stands out against the other figures, who are vigorously animated in silver, ivory, gold, and red.

Arrival of Marie de’Medici at MarseillesPeter Paul Rubens. 1625. Oil on canvas. 13’ x 9’7”.

Allegory of the Outbreak of War• Rubens frequently promoted peace as a diplomat. When commissioned in 1638 to produce a painting for Ferdinando II de’Medici, grand duke of Tuscany, Rubens expressed his attitude towards the Thirty Years’ War. • He wrote a letter explaining the allegory to his patron:“The principal figure is Mars, who has left the open temple of Janus (which in time of peace, according to Roman custom, remained closed) and rushes forth with shield and blood-stained sword, threatening the people with great disaster. He pays little heed to Venus, his mistress, who, accompanied by Amors and Cupids, strives with caresses and embraces to hold him. From the other side, Mars is dragged forward by the Fury Alekto, with a torch in her hand. Near by are monsters personifying Pestilence and Famine, those inseparable partners of War. On the ground, turning her back, lies a woman with a broken lute, representing Harmony, which is incompatible with the discord of War. There is also a mother with her child in her arms, indicating that fertility, procreation, and charity are thwarted by War, which corrupts and destroys everything. In addition, one sees an architect thrown on his back, with his instruments in his hand, to show that which, in time of peace, is constructed for the use and ornamentation of the City is hurled to the ground by the force of arms and falls to ruin. I believe, if I remember rightly, that you will find on the ground, under the feet of Mars, a book and a drawing on paper, to imply that he treads underfoot all the arts and letters. There ought also to be a bundle of darts or arrows, with the band which held them together undone; these when bound form the symbol of Concord.

Allegory of the Outbreak of War(aka Consequences of War)

Rubens. 1638. Oil on canvas. 6’ 9” x 11’ 4.

Beside them is the caduceus and an olive branch, attribute of Peace; these are also cast aside. That mournful woman clothed in black, with torn veil, robbed of all her jewels and other ornaments, is the unfortunate Europe who, for so many years now, has suffered plunder, outrage, and misery, which are so injurious to everyone that it is unnecessary to go into detail. Europe’s attribute is the globe, borne by a small angel or genius, and surmounted by the cross, to symbolize the Christian world.”

Charles I Dismounted• Although originally a student of Rubens, Van Dyck moved from Antwerp to Genoa, and later to London (as court painter to Charles I) so as not to be overshadowed by his internationally famous teacher. • Van Dyck developed a courtly manner of great elegance, and specialized in dramatic portraits. • In this painting, the English king Charles I stands in the countryside, with the River Thames (pronounced “Temz”) behind (which runs through London). • Attended by two servants, the portrait is a stylish image of relaxed authority, as if the king is out for a casual ride in the park, but no one can mistake the regal poise and the air of absolute authority. • Although Charles stands off center, the composition is balanced by the sideways glance to the viewer. • Charles I believed in the “divine right of kings” to rule (god-given power and authority). Unfortunately, his self-confidence lead to his death. • The English Parliament had him beheaded for various overreaches of power before his 50th birthday.

Charles I DismountedAnthony Van Dyck. C. 1635. Oil on canvas. 9’ x 12’

Louis XIV• Louis XIV, the Sun King, was a master of political strategy and propaganda. He crafted a relationship with the nobility, granting them sufficient benefits to keep them pacified, while maintaining rigorous control to avoid rebellion. • Louis believed his power was given to him by divine right (as God’s will), making it incontestable. • Louis and his principal adviser, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, cultivated a public persona, and commissioned great monuments to the king’s absolute power. • Louis and Colbert sought to standardize taste and establish the classical style as the preferred French manner. Louis founded the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in 1648 to advance this goal (along with other academies of various disciplines). • Louis maintained a workshop of artists, each with a specialization (i.e. faces, fabric, architecture, fur, armor, etc.), but his most famous portrait is by a single artist – Rigaud. • Although the king was only 5’ 4” (the reason he invented the high-heeled shoes he is sporting), Rigaud painted him from below, so the king appears to look down upon the viewer. Coupled with the angle, the pose (hand on hip, ermine robe loose on his shoulder) communicates haughtiness. • Although 63 at the time of this painting, Louis shows off his legs because he was a ballet dancer in his youth, and was proud of his well-toned legs. • The sumptuous surroundings also communicate wealth and power.

Louis XIVHyacinthe

Rigaud.1701.Oil on

canvas.9’2” x 6’3”.

East Façade of the Louvre• Louis and Colbert’s first architectural project was the closing of the east side of the Louvre’s quadrilateral Cour Carré (left incomplete in the 16th century). • Bernini was summoned to present a design, but his design involved razing the entirety of the Louvre to create a huge complex, and was rejected. • Louis then turned to three French architects, who designed a synthesis of French and Italian classical elements, creating a new formula. • The façade has a central and two corner projecting columnar pavilions resting on a stately podium. The central pavilion is in the form of a classical temple front. To either side is a giant colonnade of paired columns, resembling the sides of a temple folded out like wings. • The designers used a balustraded, flat roofline, which was broken only by the central pediment, instead of the traditional pyramidal roof of the west wing. • The horizontal façade went against the verticalityof the French Gothic style, and established a new,authoritative classical-based French manner.

Louvre, East Façade Claude Perrault, Louis Le Vau, & Charles Le Brun.Paris, France, c. 1670.

Versailles Palace and Gardens• Louis began his rule from the Louvre, however, he decided to remodel the hunting lodge at Versailles into a vast palace, a symbol of his power, to which he then moved.• He assembled a large number of architects, decorators, painters, sculptors, and landscape designers under the direction of Charles Le Brun. • In addition to the palace and gardens, a small city was built to house court and government officials, military detachments, courtiers, and servants. • The support-city was divided into three avenues, which converged at the palace in front of Louis bedroom window.• The decoration was extremely rich and detailed, reinforcing the splendor of Versailles. • The vast gardens, designed by Andre Le Notre, eases the transition between the heavily human-designed palace and its rural surroundings. The gardens closest to the palace are well manicured, with lawns, ponds, and fountains. The gardens slowly become more “natural” and forest-like further away.• The palace itself is more than a quarter mile long.

Versailles Palace and GardensJules Hardoiuin-Mansart, Charles Le Brun, & Andre Le Notre. Begun 1669.

Versailles• Of the literally hundreds of rooms within the palace, the most famous is the Galerie des Glaces, or Hall of Mirrors. The hall overlooks the park from the second floor and extends along most of the width of the central block. • One side of the hall is composed of windows, the other is made of mirrors set into the wall which alleviate the room’s tunnel-like quality, and extend the width of the room. • The illusionary properties of the mirror made it popular in Baroque interior design. • In 1698, Hardouin-Mansart received the commission to add a Royal Chapel. The paintings, added by Antoine Coypel, are the only part that suggest the drama and complexity of Italian Baroque art. • Otherwise, the rectangular chapel is evenly and brightly lit, and decorated with restraint.• The high apse is as tall as the nave. The royal gallery is flanked with Corinthian columns. • Louis’ pew was in the gallery directly across from the apse, accessible directly from his private apartments. • Versailles expresses power, as well as rationalism and the triumph of human intelligence over nature.

Royal Chapel of VersaillesJules Hardouin-Mansart and ceiling decorations by Antoine Coypel.c. 1700.

Hall of Mirrors, VersaillesJules Hardouin-Mansart and Charles Le Brun.c. 1680.

Apollo Attended by the Nymphs• Located above a dramatic waterfall in the gardens of Versailles is the statue of Apollo Attended by the Nymphs.• The image depicts nymphs attending to Apollo at the end of a long day. • Girardon’s study of classical Greco-Roman sculpture heavily influenced his design of the figures, and the figure compositions of the most renowned French painter of the era, Nicholas Poussin, inspired their arrangement.• As Apollo is considered the Sun God, an association could be made to Louis XIV as the Sun King. • This association helped assure the sculpture’s success with the royal court, and Girardon’s classical style and symbolism suited France’s taste for classicism and the glorification of royal majesty.

Apollo Attended by the Nymphs, Grotto of Thetis, Park of Versailles, France.

Francois Girardon and Thomas Regnaudinc. 1666-1672. Marble, life-sized.

Church of the Invalides• Jules Hardouin-Mansart, designer of the Versailles Chapel, also designed the Eglise (EGG-leez) du Dome, or Church of the Invalides, in Paris. • The design for the Church of the Invalides also combines Italian Baroque and French classical architectural styles. • A square church with a massive dome, the building adjoins the veteran’s hospital Louis XIV established for the disabled soldiers of his many wars. • The façade is low and narrow in relation to the vast drum and dome, seeming to serve simply as a base for them. • The façade is distinctly divided into two sections, the upper one capped by a classical temple pediment. The grouping of the orders is similar to Italian Baroque buildings, however, it lacks the curved surfaces characteristic of such buildings.• The dome was ornately decoratedinside and out.

Church of the InvalidesJules Hardouin-Mansart.

Paris, France.1676-1706.

Et in Arcadia Ego• The French royal court valued artwork with classical style, and Poussin had spent much of his life in Rome, modeling paintings on the works of ancient Greece and Rome, as well as Titian and Michelangelo. • Poussin believed that artworks should depict “grand” themes (heroic acts, battles, gods, and so on), and be painted in a grand style, devoid of minute detail. • In this painting, instead of emphasizing dynamic movement and intense emotions, Poussin emulated the rational order and stability of Raphael’s paintings and antique statuary. • In this image, three shepherds living in the idyllic land of Arcadia study an inscription on a tomb, as a statuesque female figure quietly places her hand on one’s shoulder.• She may be the spirit of death, reminding these mortals, as does the inscription, that death is found even in blissful and beautiful Arcadia. • The figures are modeled after Greco-Roman statuary (the shepherd to the right is probably modeled after statues of Neptune leaning on his trident). • The classically compact and balanced grouping of the figures, the even light, and the thoughtful and reserved mood complement Poussin’s classical figure types.

Et in Arcadia Ego (Even in Arcadia, I [am present])Nicolas Poussin. C. 1655. Oil on canvas. 2’10 x 4’.

Landscape with St. John on Patmos• This is one of a pair of paintings Poussin painted for Gian Maria Roscioli, secretary to Pope Urban VIII. • This image, depicting St. John, was paired with a painting of St. Matthew, who reclined in right profile to face John.• Behind John is his symbol, the eagle (just as an angel is depicted behind the painting of Matthew). • St. John spent the end of his life on the Island of Patmos, composing the book of Revelation, his account of the end of the world and the second coming of Christ, a prophetic vision of violent destruction and the last judgment. • Ironically, Poussin’s setting is a serene classical landscape beneath a sunny sky. • St. John reclines in the foreground, posed like a Greco-Roman river god, amid shattered columns and a pedestal for a statue that disappeared long ago. In the middle ground is a decaying temple and an Egyptian obelisk (brought to Rome by ancient Emperors, and used more recently in projects by popes). The decaying buildings suggest the decline for great empires, to be replaced by Christianity in the new era. • Poussin’s landscapes are idealized, generic settings, not portraits of real places.

Landscape with St. John on PatmosNicolas Poussin. 1640. Oil on canvas. 3’3” x 4’5”

Landscape with St. Matthew and the Angel

Adoration of the Shepherds• Georges de la Tour’s biblical subjects as well as his use of light suggest a familiarity with Caravaggio’s art or style.• The light, shaded by an old man’s hand, falls upon a group of humble men and women, coarsely clad, who gather in prayerful vigil around a luminous baby Jesus. • Without the title, this image might be read as a genre piece, depicting a scene from daily peasant life. Nothing distinguishes the figures as Mary, Joseph, Jesus, etc. • The light illuminates a group of ordinary people held in a mystic trance induced by their witnessing of the miracle of the incarnation. Even to a person unfamiliar with the biblical context, it is apparent that the people are viewing something they believe to be important or sacred. • The supernatural calm pervading the painting is characteristic of the mood of La Tour’s art. He achieved this by:-Eliminating surface detail-Simplifying body volumes-Eliminating motion and emotive gestures• These stylistic traits are among those associated with classical and Renaissance art.

Adoration of the ShpherdsGeorges de la Tour.

1650. Oil on canvas. 3.5” x 4.5”.

Banqueting House• The most prominent English architect of the early 1600s was Inigo Jones, architect to King James I and Charles I. • Jones spent time in Italy, and admired the classical authority and restraint of Palladio’s structures, and he studied Palladio’s treatise on architecture.• This banqueting house resembles the palazzos of Rome, as a great symmetrical block of clarity and dignity. • What types of columns are being used?• How has Jones handled the roofline?• What else does this building share in common with Roman palazzos?

Banqueting HouseInigo Jones. c. 1620. Whitehall, London, England.

St. Paul’s Cathedral• Although Christopher Wren became a professor of astronomy in London at age 25, mathematics lead to architecture, and Charles II asked Wren to prepare a plan for restoring the old Gothic church of Saint Paul. • Wren proposed a new structure based on Roman structures, and when the Great Fire of London destroyed the old structure and many other churches in 1666, he got his chance.• Like Jones, Wren was influenced by Italian architecture, such as that by Palladio, however he was also well traveled in France, and was influenced by the splendid palaces and state buildings being created around Paris.• The paired columns on the façade echo the use of paired columns on the Louvre. • The great dome (situated farther back) is mitigated by the two towers on the façade, which act to balance out its presence. The style of the towers is influenced by Borromini. • The classical temple style of the lower levels are influenced by Palladio (who used classical temple fronts/pediments in his Villa Rotonda and San Giorgio Maggiore).

St. Paul’s Cathedral

Sir Christopher Wren.

London, England.

1675-1710.