please help with my art assignment

Unit 4 Individual Project

Latoya Rush

AIU

2/1/13

Baroque art found its way during the church reformation during 1600-1700. It was during this period that the protestant reformation had gained it ground and many Christians had become Protestants. The eminence of the Catholic Church was at stake and the Pope had to find a way that would restore the popularity of the church among Christians. As part of the reforms, the catholic introduced religious art that was thought to spark spiritual imagination among its viewers. Through this strategy, faith and ostentation were restored among the Catholics and other individuals who still contemplated on leaving for Protestantism.

(The crucifixion of Saint Peter, Caravaggio, 1601)

‘The crucifixion of Saint Peter’ is one of the religious art expressions that was made by Caravaggio in 1601. The painting tries to give a detailed picture of what Saint Peter went through after the ascending of Jesus. Even with some blurred background, the painting shows the suffering of the people who advocated for Christ. Caravaggio gives a simple painting that sends a strong message to the viewer and avoids any form of complexity that would confuse the viewer. This painting was produced at a time when the Catholic Church was accused of corruption and other negative behaviors that swayed the beliefs of Christians, leading to a great number going for Protestantism (Fitzpatrick, 2005).

(The Four Continents, Paul Reubens, 1615)

‘The Four Continents’ is a paint produced by Paul Reubens that shows four men with their families and many children. The painting is high quality, showing a rich blue background and a water body at the surface. Paul Reubens was known as a strong counter reformist whose knowledge and religious views about Catholic Church must have influenced the drawing. The artwork has acted as a symbol of the oneness in the Catholic Church and how the church has influence from all parts of the world. Therefore, Paul tries to point out that even with protestant reformation; the Catholic Church still remained to be influential all over the world (Joshi, 2012).

(The Ecstasy of St. Teresa by Giovanni Bernini, 1652)

‘The Ecstasy of St. Teresa is a piece of artwork that was produced by Giovanni Bernini in 1652. The painting shows St. Teresa, a nun who was filled with divine love after being pierced by an angel with a flaming arrow. The artist has made great use of light in the painting, giving the reaction of the nun after having an experience with an angel. Being an experienced artist, Giovanni was trying to depict the dominance of the Catholic Church even with the prevalence of the protestant reformation. With the mistrust and corruption that the Catholic Church was being accused of, the painting was meant to show how the church was nearer to God than any other religious group that existed during the time (Gardner, 2010).

In summation, Baroque art remains one of the most outstanding art periods that left a mark in the world of art. Baroque art came at a time when the majority was questioning the Catholic Church on its ability to lead the world based on the corruption and ungodliness within its leaders and followers. To win back the trust of the Christians, the Pope decided to choose religious art as a tool that would attract back the Protestants. Through this strategy, faith and ostentation were restored among the Catholics and other individuals who still contemplated on leaving for Protestantism.

References

Fitzpatrick, A. (2005). The Baroque period. Mankato, Minn: Creative Education.

Gardner, H., & Kleiner, F. S. (2010). Gardner's art through the ages: The western perspective. Boston, MA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.

Joshi, P. V. (2012). Life in four continents. S.l.: Iuniverse Inc.