Events

The Spanish Baroque arose in response to Mannerist distortions and the idealization of beauty in excess. Artists such as El Greco for example seemed to follow the Mannerist styles during the late Renaissance while developing their own unique approach to painting. However, during the Counter Reformation, the Catholic Church's demand for decorum created a shift in imagery. The church's main objective was to allow the viewer to easily understand the scenes depicted using realism and drama. The naturalism typical of the followers of Caravaggio in Italy and dramatic illumination of tenebrism which was introduced in Spain after 1610 was to dominate painting in the region.

 

The emerging style was also influenced by many gifted Flemish Baroque painters, such as Peter Paul Rubens, who was producing art in Spain beginning in 1603 and later from 1628-29. It is important to note that the Spanish Habsburgs ruled over the Flemish reign during this era. The Habsburgs thus became great patrons to many artists at this time along with the Catholic Church, both entities trying to combat the spread of Protestantism. Artists such as Diego Velasquez, Francisco de Zurbarán, and Juan Sánchez de Cotán produced some of the most remarkable works of art during this period. Their work and that of other great Spanish Baroque painters will be reviewed in this docent-led talk.