Baroque Period Art Appreciation IP4 Name Class Date Professor Baroque Period Abstract The following paper will discuss three works of religious art from the Baroque period. The three works of art, The Conversion on the Way to Damascus, by Caravaggio, The Four Continents, by Peter Paul Rubens, and Descent from the Cross, by Rembrandt will be discussed in length including their similarities and different in styles, techniques, form, etc. and their impact on 17th Century society. Baroque Period The Baroque Period began in Italy in the beginning of the 18th Century in response to the Protestant reformation. The Catholic Church in an attempt to stop the spread of the Protestant religion created the Council of Trent whose job was to reeducate Catholic followers about their faith through religious art depicting direct and dramatic scenes from the Bible. The scenes were painted with dramatic color schemes and using intense contracts between dark and light. This gave the art a vibrant and extravagant quality. The Baroque Period produced beautiful pieces of work such as, The Conversion on the Way to Damascus, by Caravaggio, The Four Continents, by Peter Paul Rubens, and Descent from the Cross, by Rembrandt. Section B The goal of the Baroque period was to show the greatness of God and express his power. Each piece of art created was a divine expression of his greatness and an affirmation of his holy power. The Conversion on the Way to Damascus, by Caravaggio was painted in 1601. The painting depicts a scene in the Bible that represents Saul’s conversion that occurred on the road towards Damascus. The scene shows Saul on the ground with a groom and horse hovering above him. As Saul is on the ground he hears the voice of Christ in his mind and is struck temporarily blind. Christ is asking him why he has forsaken him and will later become one of Jesus disciples. Caravaggio, 1601 The painting is clearly is the Baroque style because it is vibrant and larger than life. The painting has one key figure which is Saul. He is laying flat on his back with his arms outstretched. A groom holds Saul’s horse and stares down at the man lying on the ground with a concerned look. The art clearly depicts a scene of the divine and uses vibrant colors to give a dramatic effect. The outstretched arms of Saul seem to be reaching out to the heavens either asking for forgiveness or trying to accept the holiness of Christ into his being. The second painting chosen from the Baroque period is The Four Continents, by Peter Paul Rubens. The painting was created during the Baroque Period and depicts the spread of Catholicism across the four continents. The painting depicts four women clinging to four men who represent the four great rivers while the four women depict the four different continents at the time. The four rivers are the Danubi, Nile, Ganges, and Rio de la Plata rivers while the four women represent England ...

1. Baroque Period
Art Appreciation IP4
Name
Class
Date
Professor
Baroque Period
Abstract
The following paper will discuss three works of religious art
from the Baroque period. The three works of art, The
Conversion on the Way to Damascus, by Caravaggio, The Four
Continents, by Peter Paul Rubens, and Descent from the Cross,
by Rembrandt will be discussed in length including their

2. similarities and different in styles, techniques, form, etc. and
their impact on 17th Century society.
Baroque Period
The Baroque Period began in Italy in the beginning of the
18th Century in response to the Protestant reformation. The
Catholic Church in an attempt to stop the spread of the
Protestant religion created the Council of Trent whose job was
to reeducate Catholic followers about their faith through
religious art depicting direct and dramatic scenes from the
Bible. The scenes were painted with dramatic color schemes and
using intense contracts between dark and light. This gave the art
a vibrant and extravagant quality. The Baroque Period produced
beautiful pieces of work such as, The Conversion on the Way to
Damascus, by Caravaggio, The Four Continents, by Peter Paul
Rubens, and Descent from the Cross, by Rembrandt.
Section B
The goal of the Baroque period was to show the greatness of
God and express his power. Each piece of art created was a
divine expression of his greatness and an affirmation of his holy
power. The Conversion on the Way to Damascus, by Caravaggio
was painted in 1601. The painting depicts a scene in the Bible
that represents Saul’s conversion that occurred on the road
towards Damascus. The scene shows Saul on the ground with a
groom and horse hovering above him. As Saul is on the ground
he hears the voice of Christ in his mind and is struck

3. temporarily blind. Christ is asking him why he has forsaken him
and will later become one of Jesus disciples. Caravaggio, 1601
The painting is clearly is the Baroque style because it is
vibrant and larger than life. The painting has one key figure
which is Saul. He is laying flat on his back with his arms
outstretched. A groom holds Saul’s horse and stares down at the
man lying on the ground with a concerned look. The art clearly
depicts a scene of the divine and uses vibrant colors to give a
dramatic effect. The outstretched arms of Saul seem to be
reaching out to the heavens either asking for forgiveness or
trying to accept the holiness of Christ into his being.
The second painting chosen from the Baroque period is The
Four Continents, by Peter Paul Rubens. The painting was
created during the Baroque Period and depicts the spread of
Catholicism across the four continents. The painting depicts
four women clinging to four men who represent the four great
rivers while the four women depict the four different continents
at the time. The four rivers are the Danubi, Nile, Ganges, and
Rio de la Plata rivers while the four women represent England,
Asia, the America’s and Africa. The painting contains rich
vibrant colors and depicts a divine scene.
Peter Paul Rubens, 1615
In the painting, The Four Continents, the scene symbolizes
the spread of the Catholic Church all around the world or to all
four continents (Finnan, 2012). While it does not depict an
exact scene in the Bible the purpose of the work is to reject the
Protestant Reformation and show the divinity of God. The
women in the painting are representative of the continent in
which they come with the European woman having pale skin
and pale hair and the woman from Africa with black skin and
dark hair. The key figures in the painting sit in a semi circle
with the European maiden and God sitting up higher than the
other maidens and Gods.
The third painting is the Descent from the Cross, by
Rembrandt. The work of art was created in 1634 and consist of
here separate pieces with Descent from the Cross in the center.

4. The painting is in the Baroque style due to the dramatic use of
shadowing and light and use of more dramatic colors. The scene
shows Jesus being taken down by the cross while surrounded by
faithful women who wait to cover him the shroud that be
wrapped around his body. Jesus body is surrounded by a bright
light while everything else in the picture is shrouded in
darkness. The intense shadowing of the painting and the fine
details of the images give the painting a natural and haunting
appearance.
Rembrandt, 1634
Section C
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio is an Italian artist
credited for beginning the Baroque style when he was hired by
the Catholic Church to paint for the San Luigi dei Francesi. His
first creations were three painting depicting the life of Matthew
but many were offended by the realistic and dramatic nature of
his work. Art prior to the Baroque Period was artificial and not
created in the naturalistic style. When Caravaggio began the
Baroque style it was immediately rejected by some in the art
world but the Pope adopted this style in order to stop the spread
of Protestant and remind Catholic followers of the divinity of
God and the sacrifices of Christ. This is when he painted the
Conversion on the Way to Damascus.
Caravaggio began to gain fame for his art despite the
criticism he received but due to criminal behavior was forced to
flee Rome and hide in Naples, Italy until he could be pardoned
by the Pope (Boston College, 2011). During his exile he
continued to paint but his work became darker and more natural.
After his pardon he continued to paint and moved to Milan
where he received his pardon from the Pope. He died in 1610
after being left behind by a boat that was supposed to take him
back to Rome but instead took all of his belongings leaving him
destitute. Caravaggio died two days later.
Peter Paul Rueben is known for painting historical and
mythological figures based on religious themes. Rueben’s was
born in Germany but his art was influenced by the Italian

5. Baroque style. Raised as a Catholic, the artist painted many
scenes depicting the life of Christ or other important moments
in the Bible but he also enjoyed putting a mythological twist in
his painting. The Four Continents is a perfect example of
Rueben’s art where the scene is designed to honor the Catholic
religion while giving a mythological twist. He was well loved in
Germany and the artist for the Hapsburg Court.
Rueben was responsible for painting the royal family and
received many honors. He enjoyed painting nudes and
especially full figured women. Despite the graphic nature of
many of his paintings, his Baroque style was not criticized in
German society especially amongst Catholics. Rueben was
hailed as a great artist and was commissioned by the Governor
and other important figures to create art pieces. He died at the
age of 62 of grout after a long, life creating many famous
masterpieces and creating an important legacy in the Baroque
period.
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn is a well known painter
who is hailed as Holland’s most famous artist. Rembrandt did
not study abroad but got his inspiration from Italian artists,
such as Baroque style painter Caravaggio, in order to create his
masterpieces. Rembrandt was a painter and an etcher who began
his work and training at a young age. Because of his great talent
in his youth Rembrandt he was trained by great historical artist
Pieter Lastman (Hochfield, 2006). Despite this talent Rembrandt
was considered by many to be an extravagant drunk who was
debt ridden.
Rembrandt began as a portraitists but he also known for his
depictions of Bible scenes. He had a successful career until
1642 when he painted a group portrait known as the Night
Watch with several other artists. Even though Rembrandt was
hailed as the star of the Golden Age his career came to an end
after his wife Saskia's died and his commission complained
about the quality of work he was providing. Rembrandt painted
in the Baroque style with extreme areas of dark and extreme
area of light resulting in amazing contrast. It was believed many

6. people criticized his use of shadowing in his later works.
Section D
Each of the three artists from the Baroque period hails from
completely different countries but all have one thing in
common, they were Catholics. Caravaggio was the only Italian
and was responsible for the creation of the Baroque style which
would be emulated by Rembrandt and Rueben. Ruben styles his
work after Caravaggio but added a mythological twist to his
religious depictions while Rembrandt styles his paintings after
both Caravaggio and Ruben. Caravaggio is considered the first
painter of the Baroque style and a majority of his work depicted
a divine scene. Many of Rubens art also depicted religious or
divine scene but with a twist while Rembrandt painted portraits,
religious scenes, and figures of importance.
Caravaggio and Rembrandt both experienced controversy
and hardships in the careers as a artists and both died fairly
young. Caravaggio was criticized for his baroque style but
admired by the Catholic Church who was seeking to put a stop
to the Protestant Reformation and remind Catholics of their
faith. The scenes depicted by Caravaggio were natural and
designed to shock. Ruben was more lavishes in his depiction of
the Catholic Church and loved to depict nude women in his
paintings. Many of these women were full figured but the style
was similar to the classical statues created by Italian sculptors.
Rembrandts work also displayed similarities to the Italian
artists from the Baroque Period.
Section D
The Conversion on the Way to Damascus, by Caravaggio fits
into the Baroque style and period because they are crafted after
his works. Caravaggio established the Baroque style when he
began to paint using dramatic colors and shading of light and
dark forcing the eye to look at a specific and central scene in
the painting. In his painting The Conversion on the Way to
Damascus Saul is the central figure with the horse and groom
being shrouded in darkness. During this time the Protestant
Reformation was crating great concern for the Catholic Church.

7. As a result of Caravaggio’s naturalistic approach to art the Pope
commissioned to paint for the church.
The Four Continents, by Peter Paul Rubens does not depict a
Bible scene but sends the message of the Catholic Church
during the Baroque period. The painting is in the Baroque style
because it applies dramatic scenes and vibrant colors but it also
applies light and dark shadowing to ensure key figures are
properly highlighted (Finnan, 2012). The Descent from the
Cross, by Rembrandt was created in the Baroque style because
it applied the techniques of both Caravaggio and Reuben.
Rembrandt was not taught to create in the Baroque style by a
Baroque artist but learned by viewing the art of the great artists
of the time. Rembrandts painting depicts an important religious
scene out of the Bible as was common for the period. In all
three paintings the artist connects the divine to the art.
Section E
All three works of art are similar in that they were all
created in the Baroque style but different in their styles and
techniques. Each painter has applied extravagance and richness
to their paintings and applied a more naturalistic feel to the
work. In each work the colors were used dramatically as well
as dramatic contrasts between light and dark, light and shadow
(McKay 2010).The paintings by Caravaggio and Rembrandt
were similar in their works in the depictions are hauntingly real
while Rueben always added a mythological or historical twist o
his baroque paintings.
In all of the pieces of art discussed in the essay central
figures are highlighted through shadowing. Light and dark is
used to make other items in the picture fall back while the
central figures are clearly highlighted or basked in light. In the
painting The Conversion on the Way to Damascus, by
Caravaggio and in the painting Descent from the Cross, by
Rembrandt darks is used to mask the other people or objects in
the scene while specific figures in the art are highlighted with
lighter paint strokes.
Section F

8. Caravaggio created his art in order to express the beauty and
significance of important scenes in the Bible. He was an
important figure in strengthening the faith of the followers of
the Catholic Church in the face of the Protestant reformation.
Peter Paul Rueben is known for his religious content but also
his mythological or fantastical twists in his work. Rembrandt
developed his own unique style but after observing the works of
great Baroque style artists.
Each of the artists applied an amazing and dramatic
approach to their art that will forever capture the attention of
art lovers. The works are dramatic and stunning if not somewhat
shocking for the time. In modern times the Baroque style would
not be considered shocking but for the 17th century depicting
scenes from the Bible or religious events in their natural state
was not a natural form of art. Just with any other type of art, the
baroque style will be loved by some and not by others. In my
opinion all three art works are amazingly detailed and intense
creating absolute masterpieces.
References
Boston College. (2011). Caravaggio, Michelangelo Merisi da
(1573-1610). Retrieved April 11,
2014 from
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/art/bar_cvggo.ht
ml
Finnan, V. (2012). Peter Paul Rubens: The Baroque artist and
Diplomat. Retrieved April 12,
2014 from http://www.italian-renaissance-
art.com/Rubens.html

9. Hochfield, S. (2006). Rembrandt: Myth, Legend, Truth.
Retrieved April 12, 2014 from
http://www.artnews.com/2006/07/01/rembrandt-myth-
legend-truth/
Khan, A. (2014). 1600-1700 Baroque Style. Retrieved April 11,
2014 from
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-history/art-
history-1600-1700-the-baroque
McCay, K. & McKay, J. (2010). The Basics of Art: The Baroque
Period. Retrieved April 19,
2014 from http://www.artofmanliness.com/2010/10/18/the-
basics-of-art-the-baroque-period/