Baroque Art - Option #2

            It is well known that Caravaggio had great influence over many other artists during the Baroque period. His stylistic characteristics are like nothing people had ever seen before. Caravaggio’s light and dark contrast, strong diagonals, and intense naturalism were what made his artwork so intriguing. In both artworks Martyrdom of St. Bartholomew and Mary Magdalen with the Smoking Flame we can without a doubt see Caravaggio’s stylistic influence.

            When looking at Martyrdom of St. Bartholomew created by Jusepe de Ribera there are several distinct characteristics that are similar to Caravaggio’s stylistics characteristics. For example, we see the two men being pushed to the foreground because of the monochromatic background. There is an intense light hitting the face and arms of St. Bartholomew that is contrasting violently with the extremely dark shadows on his back and the very dark background. An intense contrast between light and dark is something commonly seen in the work of Caravoggio, as well as light coming from an unknown source. Looking at this painting we can see no light source that would make this light contrast possible. There is also an intense naturalism to this painting. We can see the muscles tensing up underneath the skin of St. Bartholomew, the wrinkling of his forehead due the expression he is making, and veins running through his arms and neck. We can also see naturalism in the man looking back at him. He has a wrinkled brow, thinning hair, and what appears to be dirty hands and finger nails. Similar to Caravaggio, Jusepe de Ribera did not idealize this painting at all. These figures are very true to life and very individualized. The arms of St. Bartholomew create a strong diagonal in the foreground adding drama to the painting. We can also get a sense of drama from the facial expressions of both men, the lighting, and in the way St. Bartholomew’s body is positioned.

            In the painting Mary Magdalen with the Smoking Flame created by Georges de La Tour we can also see a “Caravaggesque” style. She too is placed against a monochromatic background with intense contrasts between light and dark. In this painting we can see that the flame of the candle is the light source. The flame is casting a very bright light on Mary Magdalen’s face, which creates a large amount of drama because that bright light is contrasting so violently with the dark walls and nearly black room around her. This depiction of Mary Magdalen is very naturalistic and true to life. Due to the use of tenebrism this is very similar to work done by Caravaggio. While this is dramatic because of the lighting the subject matter is not very dramatic. We are in fact seeing a very reflective and peaceful Mary Magdalen.

            Caravaggio influenced a large number of artists to start creating more drama filled artwork similar to his own during the Baroque period. His influence was widespread and he was greatly respected for his innovative stylistic characteristics. Due to his great influence a large amount of “caravaggesque” artwork was produced during the Baroque period all throughout Europe.