Art Appreciation Essay

Art has been part of the human culture for thousands of years. It has facilitated the development of civilization for centuries. The history of the world would not be the same without the affluence of creativity and innovation. One particular period in art history that clearly manifested the artistry and ingenuity of many artists was the Baroque period. The art style practiced during this era was described as the â€Å"harmony spatial relationships, both real and illusionary, with spectacular visual effects† which were executed using technical brilliance. Most of the artworks produced during the Baroque period had â€Å"highly developed naturalistic illusionism, usually heightened by dramatic lighting effects, creating an unequaled sense of theatricality, energy, and movement of forms† (Heindroff, 2006). More so, this art movement flourished throughout Europe wherein several talented artists have emerged who had helped shaped the contemporary art style. Morover, at that time, one of the famous themes for the visual arts was landscape painting. It is in this field that Annibale Carracci, an Italian painter, Claude Lorrain, a French artist, and Jacob Van Ruisdael, a Dutch artisan, have all excelled. They have produced some of the most exquisite masterpieces such as the Landscape with Flight into Egypt (c. 1603) by Carracci, A Pastoral Landscape by Claude Lorrain (c. 1650) and View of Haarlem from the Dunes at Overveen by Van Ruisdael (c. 1670). In Carracci’s Landscape with Flight into Egypt, he showcased the beautiful landscape of Rome with two human figures and a donkey at the foreground. This piece of art was commissioned by â€Å"Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini Pietro Aldobrandini for the family chapel in his palace in Rome, later known as Palazzo Doria Pamphilj†during the year 1603. More so, this painting was considered as the most notable input of Carracci in the veduta genre which was described as the precise and detailed depiction of urban cities and rural landscapes that that attracted the â€Å"sense of local pride of the wealthy Dutch middle class. † Carracci successfully established â€Å"a balanced, idyllic landscape beauty, with a perfect sentimental fusion of the holy characters, their stories and the landscape† (NationMaster. com, 2005). Furthermore, he was one of the pioneers to create a landscape painting wherein the figures were not the focal point but it was the landscape that took the spotlight. This style was later on followed by Carracci’s pupils such as â€Å"Domenichino and Lorraine. † Overall, â€Å"Carracci was remarkably eclectic in thematic, painting landcapes, genre scenes, and portraits, including a series of autoportraits across the ages† (Bookrags. com, 2006). Meanwhile in France, Claude Lorrain was also acclaimed for his landscape paintings. Lorrain was born in Lorraine, France but he actually grew up in Italy. By 1633, he was able to launch his name as one of the most leading landscapist and he was also commissioned by high-ranking officials of the Italian society such as the â€Å"popes, cardinals, ambassadors and kings† (Barewalls. com). In A Pastoral Landscape, Lorrain was commissioned by â€Å"Prince Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna. † Like Carraci’s painting, this one also had no distinguishable subject. The figures present where â€Å"sitting and the standing shepherds† accompanied by 3 women (Miller, 2007). The background is a scenic view of the city alongside the pastoral landscape of the rural area. Lorrain’s landscape paintings illustrated a â€Å"sharp contrasts of light and shades. † More so, it was believed that Poussin influenced him to highlight spatial composition in order to reach a â€Å"complete balance between masses of trees and of architecture. † By 1650, he was able to hone and enhance his creativity and art skills and these were manifested in the â€Å"classical balance of the composition which is subtly altered by soft light† (Barewalls. com). For Van Ruisdael, he was also a landscape artist who studied painting in Germany but lived in Amsterdam. Van Ruisdael was able to establish his own studio where he trained several talented artists. His â€Å"dramatic, naturalistic rendering of landscapes and his emotional use of color support his reputation as the principal Dutch landscape painter in the second half of the 1600s. † Additionally, he mastered the use of proportional compositions, meticulous draftsmanship, and thick impasto which were all evident in the â€Å"View of Haarlem from the Dunes at Overveen (Getty Museum, 2008). This landscape painting showed the panoramic view of Haarlem, Van Ruisdael’s hometown. The red roofs of the houses and the clouds in the sky were the main visual elements in the painting. These three paintings showcased the different approaches of three artists from three different countries during the flamboyant period of Baroque. Annibale Carracci, Claude Lorrain, and Jacob Van Ruisdael gave a new meaning to the word landscape painting wherein they transcended reality in a two-dimensional canvases infused with their own respective personalities and techniques. References Barewalls. com. (n. d. ). Claude Lorrain. Retrieved December 6, 2008, from http://www. dropbears. com/a/art/biography/Claude_Lorrain. html Bookrags. com. (2006). Annibale Carracci. Retrieved December 6, 2008, from http://www. bookrags. com/wiki/Annibale_Carracci Getty Museum. (2008). Jacob van Ruisdael. Retrieved December 6, 2008, from http://www.getty. edu/art/gettyguide/artMakerDetails? maker=517 Heindroff, A. M. (2006, July 24). Baroque Art. Retrieved December 6, 2008, from http://arthistory. heindorffhus. dk/frame-Style10-Baroque. htm Miller, M. (2007, February 16). Claude Lorrain Landscape Drawings from the British Museum at the Clark. Retrieved December 6, 2008, from http://www. berkshirefinearts. com/? page=article&article_id=218&catID=3 NationMaster. com. (2005). The Flight into Egypt (Annibale Carracci). Retrieved December 6, 2008, from http://www. nationmaster. com/encyclopedia/The-Flight-into-Egypt- (Annibale-Carracci)