Essay Example on Caravaggio's Baroque Art: Unique Characters & Precious Details

Introduction

Baroque style introduces unique characters or distinctive appearances such as exaggerated motion and precise details used to produce painting, architecture, literature, and dance, among other sets of works. Caravaggio broadly employs the baroque style in describing several events that involve the conversion of Saint Paul, the calling of saint Mathew and finally, the Gentileschi's Judith and Maidservant with the head of Holofernes. In the three sets of descriptions, Caravaggio uses a sense of drama and employs the idea of using light, which introduces general features or characters of the paintings or the baroque style. The sense of drama in Caravaggio's paintings introduces the ideal element of the paintings that reveal the composition of the style, realism, and the figure all working towards offerings best description of the three accounts of the event during those early days. Although all the three accounts incorporate almost similar features, the idea of clarity varies and makes the difference between each set of the account. The essay broadly analyses the baroque style, which involves a sense of drama and the use of light in Caravaggio Conversion of Saint Paul, the calling of Mathew and Gentileschi's Judith and Maidservant with the head of Holofernes; the description of the three incorporate the idea of baroque style.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Caravaggio Conversion of Saint Paul

The event that led to the conversion of saint Paul broadly describes what happens when the saint was on his way to persecute to Damascus to prosecute Christians. So, the Caravaggio painting gives an actual account that involves two primary sections; the sense of drama and use of light. The use of darkness and light brings the idea and description of the account by Caravaggio regarding the event, conversion of Saint Paul. The concept of light and dark again presents the whole style employed in this section of the event, conversion of Saint Paul. Caravaggio painted the scene black, which suggests as if the incident took place during the time of the night. The incident described in his set of work that involves the description of the conversion of Saint Paul on his way to Damascus reveals how light-struck Saint Paul during the daytime.

The sense of drama and use of light by Caravaggio's painting extends to the spotlight effect, which demonstrates the absence of background. The lack of background effect comes with pretty good examples or depictions from the paintings, which include the absence of the idea of architecture and landscape. The concept of landscape and architecture lowers expectation and degree of the concept of drama employed in the paints, though a similar idea does not limit the presentation of messages incorporated in a painting by Caravaggio. Caravaggio's description that involves the absence of background offers a real deal that focuses on the presentation of painting that involves saint Paul and light, thus depicting the actual message of the event. The baroque style, as incorporated by Caravaggio again, involve movement, in the painting, it's evident we see the movement of saint Paul hands which covers his eyes in prevention from a direct hit by the light (Hradil et al., p. 702). The idea of light and absence of background, among other factors, dictates the baroque style as employed by Caravaggio.

Gentileschi's Judith and Maid Servant

Gentileschi's Judith and the maid event is described vividly in (Judith 13) which involves the slaying of Holofernes. The depiction of Caravaggio's paintings involves the use of the idea that includes a sense of drama and the use of light, which aids in the representation of messages conveyed in the painting. The use of light suggest time such an event took place; it shows as if the time an event took place during the night time (Hradil et al., p. 701). This time, the painting describes the background of the event, which buys into the idea that involves a sense of drama; it includes architecture but the absence of landscape. The use of background, which incorporates the concept that consists of a sense of drama, clearly shows the slaying of Holofernes' head; it shows the flow of blood and used a knife during the event. The use of light during the painting limits the idea of landscape and directs concentration towards the process of execution. Once more, the use if light suggests and shows the color of sheets used, white.

The Calling of Saint Mathew

The event that involves calling of saint Mathew involves the depiction of the moment when Jesus inspired Mathew to takes his footsteps or following him during those early days. The painting involves capturing the spiritual awakening moment that involves the transition of Mathew as inspired by Jesus during those early days during a time when Jesus used to spread the gospel of all time ((Hradil et al., p. 705). The event, as described in the painting, is well put in the bible in the book of Mathew 9. The painting, in this case, involves the sense of dramas; it involves the depiction of background where it buys into the idea of the background, the element of the baroque drama. The use of light in this case broadly involves, and darkness demonstrates the time of the event. The use of light, in this case, suggests its daytime.

Among the three paintings, the calling of saint Mathew appears appealing of all the three. The depiction of massage incorporated in this painting employs the sense of drama and use of light to convey a message. The use of light, in this case, demonstrates more than a single message. It involves representing the time of the event, which is the daytime and depiction of the background that broadly buys into the idea, which includes a sense of drama.

Conclusion

To sum up, the essay involves a discussion of the three paintings mentioned above. Each of the specified set of painting employs a sense of drama and uses of light in depicting messages. The calling of saint Mathew event exceeds the others two or appears appealing as it demonstrates the time of the say clearly and background.

Work Cited

Hradil, D., Hradilova, J., Lanterna, G., Galeotti, M., Holcova, K., Jaques, V., & Bezdicka, P. (2020). Clay and alunite-rich materials in painting grounds of prominent Italian masters-Caravaggio and Mattia Preti. Applied Clay Science, 185, 105412