In today’s class, the lecture focused on the Baroque in the Netherlands—much of the lecture centered around Peter Paul Rubens and his accomplishments. One of Rubens’s inspirations was the Italian painter Caravaggio. I am always impressed when artists from this period can draw direct inspiration from each other. As a product of modern technologies myself, I find it difficult to imagine how they were able to inspire each other without the ease of modern technologies that we are lucky enough to have today. After reading about Rubens’s paintings in the textbook before class, it was very interesting to take a closer look at them. His talent is incredibly impressive as well. When looking at the paintings on the larger screen in class, I was more able to appreciate the artistic elements and painterly style. Being able to see the brushwork in the painting adds depth and complexity that I think is very interesting. It is a nice way to acknowledge the process that goes into the impressive paintings, even if these highlight brush strokes are often added at the end. 

To prepare for the in-class readings about prints of the Baroque period, as well as revisiting our knowledge of printmaking as a medium, we went to Colby’s Museum of Arts for this class session. We learnt about the foundational methods of printmaking as well as observing the results of what different techniques could achieve, including both relief and intaglio ones. By closely examining the artworks and seeing clearly the differences, albeit minor, between different ways of producing prints, and how these methods are then utilized to create works of art. 

Surprisingly enough, it was not easy to distinguish between different intaglio techniques. While woodcuts have a sense of simplification within its depiction of figures and depictions of events, engravings allow its creator for a pleasant, realistic rendering of the world, through the use of cross-hatching lines and a wide range of lines’ weight. This is shown quite clearly in Hendrick Goltzius’ The Roman Heroes, wherein the value of the scene hinges on the believability of the depiction itself. One distinctive feature of engravings is the variability of weight within the same continuous line, as well as the clean curvature that wouldn’t have been possible for woodcuts, or most relief prints in general. Moving forward to the 17th century, we looked at works by Rembrandt van Rijn and his usage of etching and/ or drypoint. The slight shakiness of the line weight is apparent in etching prints, despite some artists trying to imitate the look of an engraving – like Giovanni Battista Piranesi’s Vedutta Della Bascilica, E Piazza Di S.Pietro in Vaticano. There are still ways in which these techniques can be limiting, especially in areas of large blocks of color. To deal with this,  some artists settled with creating areas with tightly-crossed, close lines, while some developed and utilized a new technique, aquatint, which allows for variation of tones within these large areas of color.

In today’s class we took a trip outside of the classroom to visit the Colby Art Museum. We visited the museum to take a look at several woodcuts, etchings, and prints up close. This was an excellent opportunity to see firsthand some of the techniques we had discussed previously in class and allowed me to get a better understanding of the process of creating these works. These techniques, especially the use of an acid bath to create the works, were incredibly interesting to learn about. I was also fascinated by the print of Mucius Scaevola, a Roman hero whom I had previously learned about. His tale is fascinating, and I was surprised to see a print of him in the Colby collection. Overall it was a fascinating trip, and well worth the excursion from normal class.

In today’s class we continued our discussion of the Italian Baroque period, focusing on the works of Gianlorenzo Bernini. Bernini is renowned for his prowess as a sculptor, which was very clear in his David and The Ecstasy of St. Teresa. Bernini portrayed emotion excellently and carved stone into an incredibly lifelike portrayal of the scene he was representing. Not only is that impressive, but he was able to accomplish this lightning fast, making sculptures at an impressive speed.

We touched on Spanish art after we discussed Italy, looking at some Spanish still life and the work of Jusupe de Ribera and Diego Velasquez. We focused on Velasquez’ Las Meninas, which shows an interesting scene, one which has Velasquez himself in it. This work is impressive and certainly deserves the high regard it receives.

Continuing from our previous class, we looked at some of Gianlorenzo Bernini’s works. Being a sort of renaissance man who was interested in a variety of mediums, Bernini was the person who was trusted with the ongoing, seemingly eternal St.Peter basilica by Pope Paul V, who was a member of the Borghese family. His most impressive work, to me, is without a doubt The Ecstasy of St. Theresa. Not only is this a wonderful proof of Bernini’s skills as both an architect and a sculptor, but also one of, if not the most representative work of the Baroque period. He managed to integrate the viewers into the scene as a way of creating coexistence in the display setting by using natural lights and illumination through the glass ceiling, on top of the already expressive, exquisitely sculpted scene of Saint Theresa getting punctured by the love of God. This work bridges the elements that would come to be known as that of this era: The expressiveness, the coexistence, the ephemeral, snap-shot, somewhat theatrical nature of the scene.

Moving on the artworks in Spain created during this era – we could see the appearance of a new genre of painting that’s emerging: hyper-organized, intricate, meaningful still-lifes. Those like Juan Sánchez Cotán’s Quince, Cabbage, Melon and Cucumber, which utilizes a Caravaggistic manner of shading (with the sharp contrast and deep, dark background), as well as a very harmonious composition, making for an interesting, unlikely image that exceeds one’s belief of the physical realm. And humans are also, as ever, depicted with great innovation and a completely new, intriguing manner. In Jusepe de Ribera’s The Club-Footed Boy, where a beggar boy is used as an allegory for the role of each individual in the contemporary religious context; or in Las Meninas (widely recognized as one of the greatest painting ever made), where the varied subjects and ambiguous points of view is highly contended, and of which composition is so stacked and crowded, yet still managed somehow to create a sense of movement and harmony within movements.

In today’s class we visited the Colby Museum of Art. We looked at a variety of different types of art, spanning over different centuries and locations. One thing that we specifically focused on was engravings versus etchings on paper, and how we could tell which type was created by the author. For example, we could tell that Hendrik Goltzius’s “The Roman Heroes: Mucius Scaevola,” was an engraving due to the different types of line across the artwork. Some lines are thin and some are thick, along with some lines being interrupted and the width on the same line varying. On the other hand, we know that Jacques Callot’s “From the Medici Landscapes: La Chasse Au Cerf” was an etching, as the lines are very natural and sketchier. Francisco’s “Disparate Volante” is also an etching because as we looked closer there were white dots within the dark area. These are bits of residue that stand out after the painting was completed. Overall, I liked examining the different artworks and enjoyed our visit to the Arts Museum!

For class today we took a visit to the art museum to take a look at some original prints from the 16th-19th century. We explored many of the different techniques used to create these prints such as woodcut, engraving, and etching. Woodcut is the oldest of the techniques we looked at, which involves carving away the negative space of a design and all the area left raised would be covered in ink. Woodcut has some disadvantages though, such as not being able to use cross-hatching and not being able to have varying widths within the same line. The next technique developed eliminated those problems, which is the process of engraving. This involves using a special tool called a burin, which has a beveled tip so the amount of pressure applied would allow for varying line thickness. Also instead of wood, engravings used a metal sheet which would be first carved and then put into a bath of acid which would deepen the lines, and the rest of the plate was protected by a layer of varnish coating. Ink would then be rubbed into these lines and the rest of the plate would be cleaned off so ink only remained in these lines. The plate would then be pressed into the paper, leaving a distinctive plate mark. The final technique we looked at was etching, which is a process similar to engraving in that it is also an intaglio. It also uses a metal sheet put into a bath of acid and then ink rubbed into the lines, but the process of creating these lines is very different. Rather than a burin, etchings use a thin, sharp needle which creates a sketch-like effect rather than the defined lines a burin would create. The lines are not as precise as in engravings and often waver.

Instead of a traditional lecture today we went to the museum to learn about different printmaking techniques we discussed in class. We first looked at woodcuts, including one by Durer. Some of the details we saw were the uniform lines and varying thickness within some of the lines. Hatching was used to create depth. The lines were uniform because they were created by turning the block the wood was being carved into, not hand. 

We then discussed Intaglio, including etchings and engravings. We discussed a tool used for engravings, the burin, and how the pressure of the hand can be used to create varying line thickness. Etchings are different from engravings as they are made using a straight needle over a varnish/coating. The lines created in these prints are often more sketchlike, more wobbly because the line is made by moving the hand and not the whole print. Intaglio is also easily differentiable from woodcuts because of the presence of an edge around the print from the block. We then discussed one final technique where large blocks of gray can be achieved. The melted dots of resin contrast with the black ink, appearing as little white flecks. 

I found the class particularly engaging as we were able to see examples of all these techniques in person and learn how to identify the different types of print by looking at them.

Rather than having a lecture in this class, we went to the museum to look at the prints that they have in their collection. At the museum, we were able to get an upclose look at the different techniques of printmaking and the differences in the prints. We talked about intaglio, which is a type of printmaking that uses a metal needle to carve into a sheet of copper, or other metal. Etching implies the use of varnish coated metal plates that are carved and then placed in an acid bath. Whereas engravings refer to the drypoint technique, which uses a needle to carve into a dry metal plate. One of my favorite examples of this was Hendrik Goltzius’s engraving, The Roman Heroes: Mucius Scaevola. Goltzius used a burin to engrave this print, which allowed for a variation of thickness across the same line. We also looked at other methods of printmaking such as relief, which uses a gouge to carve into a block of wood or linoleum. Overall, it was very interesting to see the evolution of printmaking techniques and the difference in details.

In today’s lecture, we discussed the Baroque period, focusing particularly on the works of Gianlorenzo Bernini in Italy and other artists in Spain. Gianlorenzo Bernini was one of the central figures we focused on from Baroque Italy, known for his mastery of sculpture and architecture. His works, such as “David” and “The Ecstasy of St. Teresa,” reflect the Baroque element for capturing dynamic movement and intense emotions. “David,” commissioned by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, showcases Bernini’s ability to express life using marble as a medium, portraying David from the moment where he slung the stone at Goliath with remarkable. Similarly, “The Ecstasy of St. Teresa” in the private chapel of Cardinal Federico Cornaro captivates viewers with the way it blurs the lines between the divine and the earthly, and draws the observer into the mystical experience of St. Teresa’s vision.

Moving to Spain, we discussed artists like Juan Sánchez Cotán, Jusepe de Ribera, Francisco de Zurbarán, and Diego Velázquez, and how each contributed to the rich tapestry of Baroque art in the Iberian Peninsula. Sánchez Cotán’s “Quince, Cabbage, Melon, and Cucumber” shows the Spanish Baroque’s emphasis on simplicity and realism, while Ribera’s “The Club-Footed Boy” captures themes of poverty and compassion, which were important themes during the Counter-Reformation. Among the Spanish masters, Diego Velázquez stands out with his art piece, “Las Meninas.” We discussed how Velázquez’s inlcuded himself within the painting, along with subtle references to the act of painting itself, which invites us to ponder the relationship between the artist, the subject, and the viewer. I remember how I was confused how linear perspective tied into this painting and we spent some time discussing how Velázquez wasn’t painting the couple reflected in the mirror. It seemed as if the artist wanted us to think we were the muse?