Project: Art Critic

Introduction

Benedetto Croce once declared art is never baroque , and the baroque is never art (Roston 2 . Art critics had long considered the Baroque and Rococo period as degradation of Renaissance style and ideals However , time had proven this period to be worthy of its of authenticity as an art form on its own . It was relatively easy to understand why there was so much condemnation of the period during that time , some of the art that came from this period were considered to be offensive or deviant of the art in

the eras before it . They saw this period as over-dramatized , exaggerated in piety and gory in martyrdom (Roston 2 However , the Baroque maintained aesthetic integrity at the perspective of diversity and passion of the art produced in this period

It was indeed the deviance of the Baroque and Rococo period from the conventional or the classical ' techniques and principles that made it seem like a period of errant works and outmoded or ridiculous style (Hydeminor 14 . However , it was the same deviance that generated much interest and significant analysis of this period

Light and Tone

Rembrandt once written Constantjin Huygens in 1639 saying , My lord hang this piece in a strong light and where one can stand at a distance so it will sparkle at its best (Wetering 251 . This innocent tip that Rembrandt had given patron of his art reflected the intention of artists like him in achieving precise effects for the light sections of their work . Especially in the Baroque period , light could bounce of the irregularities of the paint surface to create an effect that literally sparkles (Wetering 251

Rembrandt had been a strong advocate of light . Samuel van Hoogstraten a pupil of Rembrandt had offered insight by which the artist saw the relationship between the light and dark in the painting . Rembrandt advised , I therefore recommend you not to mix up lights arid shadows too much , but to combine them properly in groups let your strong lights be gently accompanied by lesser lights , and I assure you that they will shine all the more beautifully let your deepest darks be surrounded by lighter darks , so that they will make the power of the light stand out all the more powerfully (Wetering 251

There were some psychological insights related behind the concept of light and tone in relation to how a viewer reads ' a painting . The style of Rembrandt provided a synthesis for the image as he did not scatter the lighted areas too much and concentrated them in one place (Wetering 253 . Light as important to the perspective of the painting as it also suggested space and this was something painters from that period adhered to (Wetering 253

The period was also characterized by its dramatic use of shadows . Light was seen to create a more visible and significant effect in comparison to linear perspective (Hydeminor 29 . Light was related to space and there was a visible diffusion of light towards a particular subject...