Monday, March 18, our class focused on the Baroque period, specifically in the Netherlands. The Netherlands underwent a split between Catholicism and Protestantism — Flanders leading Catholic and Holland to be Protestant.
In class, we focused on three major artists during this period. The first being a Flemish artist and Catholic, Peter Paul Rubens. Reuben’s travelled across Rome, taking inspiration and learning from Italian artists, Titian and Caravaggio. Reuben’s took his knowledge to show others what they can do, opening a successful workshop of many young, talented artists, one being Portrait of Charles I of England Hunting painter, Anthony van Dyck. We looked at a few of his works, including his first well-known oil on panel, Elevation of the Cross and Marie de Medici. The cross, in particular, draws my eye as it casts a stark contrast and separates the light and dark scenes of the panel. This work in particular shows the intricate brushstrokes sweeping across the canvas, along with vibrant colors.
Moving on, our class looked at two works by Dutch Golden Age Painter, Frans Hals. Hals’s inique talent and fascination green through painting portraits for the wealthy middle class. The two portraits we focused on consisted of The Jolly Topper and Banquet of the Officers of the St. George Civic Guard. Hals works were dynamic and eye catching for the viewer. The last artist we focused was the Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn. van Reign soon came known to express intense emotions, realism, oftentimes displayed through his self-portraits. van Rijn’s last work we looked at, The Night Watch, catches my eye through his depiction of the militia beginning to march in a parade. van Rijn’s willingness to make a stand and portray the troubled parts of society through his works perhaps opens doors to other artists to protest through art.