Artists’ Works From the French Baroque Era, Essay Example

All three pieces of art, Pastoral Landscape, The Flight into Egypt and A Watermill are transcended from the period of the 1600’s French classical Baroque style. The pieces of this era depicts drama, rich nature, deep color, intense light and the use of shadows as illuminated throughout these particular three paintings described in my essay. Artist Claude Lorrain (1604–1682) was especially interested in depicting paintings of romantic deserted countryside ruins.  His paintings remain the visual beauty of inspiration during the times of ancient Rome found in Eclogues and Georgics. In 1625 he was under the teachings of Claude Deruet while assisting with the architectural backgrounds to the latter ceilings of the Carmelite church. This painting and church are no longer in existence. “His paintings portray scenes consistent with spatial areas receding from picture plane to infinity. The picture plane is established by placing a mass of dark greenish-brown foliage on both sides of the composition, with usually a tall, feathery tree element on one side, as in The Mill (1631).This central focus then is systematically reduced by subtly placed flanking motifs, like stage flats, creating wings, or coulisses, which carry the eye to the far distance of mountains, rivers, or the rolling Roman campagna, as in Apollo Guarding the Herds of Admetus (1654).” [1](“Claude Lorrain”). He further extended the use of landscape by giving the painting historical significance without sacrificing its sense of nature. This was depicted in his painting Pastoral Landscape, 1648, oil on copper, dimensioned 15 1/2 x 21 on display at the Yale University Art Gallery and supported by the Leonard C. Hanna, Jr., B.A. 1913, Fund.

The brilliantly talented artist that created this next masterpiece, The Flight into Egypt in 1603 during the Baroque era, was Annabale Carracci, Italian artist.  This painting dwells at the Galleria Doria Pamphilj of Rome. The Flight to Egypt is one of Carriacii’s most significant contributions to the venduta genre and is composed of large scale paintings of cities. The Flight into Egypt, 1604, oil on canvas, was commissioned by Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini for the family chapel in his palace in Rome. The paintings dimensions are 122 cm × 230 cm (48 in × 91 in).  In this painting, the painter aimed for the effect of a balanced, idyllic landscape beauty, with a perfect sentimental fusion of the holy characters, their tales to tell and the depiction of a perfect settled landscape.

Our final artist to analyze is Hobbema who studied under Jacob van Ruysdael and painted his landscapes in a similar technique to those of Hobberna.  A Watermill , 1665-68, oil on panel has dimensions of 62 x 85.5 cm and is housed in Chicago, Toledo.  For nearly all of his paintings, Hobbema’s subject matter was drawn from the heavily wooded landscape of the eastern Netherlands.  Hobberna did not receive much attention to his works whilst he was alive. His greatest piece is said to be The Avenue, Middelharris. “While lacking Ruisdael’s scope and imagination, Hobbema equals him in draftsmanship, bold execution, and color.” [2](“Meindert Hobberna, 2008). His works are full of life and brilliance and loving observation of natural history. His paintings are of predominantly woodland scenes, country villages, rustic subjects and water mills. “The majority of his works are in England where they greatly influenced later English landscapists.” [3](“Meindert Hobberna, 2008). Wallace Collection.

References

[1] Claude Lorraine (2009) Claude Lorraine Retrieved September 18, 2009 from, http://www.answers.com/topic/claude-lorrain

[1] Meindert Hobberna (2008) Meindert Hobbrna Retrieved September 18, 2009 from, http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Meindert_Hobbema.aspx

[1] Claude Lorraine (2009) Claude Lorraine Retrieved September 18, 2009 from, http://www.answers.com/topic/claude-lorrain

[2] Meindert Hobberna (2008) Meindert Hobbrna Retrieved September 18, 2009 from, http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Meindert_Hobbema.aspx

[3] Meindert Hobberna (2008) Meindert Hobbrna Retrieved September 18, 2009 from, http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Meindert_Hobbema.aspx