The Baroque Age (Early 16th – 17th century) (Rome, England, France & Holland) Lecture 9

Introduction The Baroque age is associated with Rome was

focused on expansion and the building of an empire in and outside of Europe during such as Africa, India, Asia and China.

Era Baroq berkaitan dgn perkembangan empayar Rom di luar Eropah spt ke Afrika, India, Asia dan Cina.

It is also a time when they became the colonials of our history. The Portuguese came to the ports of Malacca during these times in 1511.

Masa ini juga menandakan masa timbulnya kolonialisme dalam sejarah dunia. Kuasa Portugal tlh singgah di Melaka pd 1511.

Cont. It is a time of plenty and rich grandeur for the

European civilization as the riches of the Old World was combined with the New. They procured their resources from sales of spices and porcelain from the East which is the new world while trade was strong in Europe.

Tamadun Eropah mgalami masa gemilang di mana kekayaan dunia lama digabungkan dgn dunia Baru yg akan muncul. Mrk mdpt bahan mentah spt rempah dan bahan buatan tanah liat drp neg Asia (dunia baru) untuk perdagangan.

Cont. In the meantime, the Aristocratic Baroque was a

tradition of excesses in terms of materialism and culture. Both in England and France, the culture of excess can be seen. Louis XVI’s obsession with self and finery in terms of building, art, clothes and songs were a reflection of this aristocratic Baroque age.

Baroq mgikut aristokrat adalah satu tradisi yg matrialis dr perspektif budaya terutamanya di England dan Peranchis. Louis XVI pemerintah Peranchis bertumpu pada pembinaan bangunan, seni, baju dan lagu yg dicerminkan dalam era ini.

Cont. The terms “excesses” and “extravagance” is usually

used to describe the Baroque Age in France and England. The absolute monarchy was the culmination of Restoration where in France we see Louis XVI in feudal power. This was a time where artists found generous patronage as the King himself was the principal patron of art.

Perkataan “keterlaluan” dan “memboros” menjd perktn yg digunakan dlm era baroq di Peranchis dan England. Neg ini dibwh pemerintahn feudal spt Raja Louis XVI di Peranchis. Era ini melihat perkembgn bidang seni krn terdpt ramai penaung spt Raja yg mrupakan ketua penaung seni masa ini.

Cont. Absolutism also meant standardization in terms of

patronage. In England the reign of Charles I who was a reformist plunge the country into civil war before he was hanged and parliamentary rule enforced in the formation of the commonwealth led by Oliver Cromwel.

Pemerintahan Absolut bermakna trdpt satu sistem standard dalam skim penaungan. Di nneg England Charles I yg mrupakan seorg reformis tlh melancarkn satu perang saudara sblm dia digantung oleh Parliament yg mulakan pemerintahan Commonwealth oleh Oliver Cromwell.

Cont. He eventually surrendered the kingdom to

Charles II who reigned as a limited monarch. The English Aristocratic baroque did not quite favor the strong accents in French Baroque.

Oliver Cromwell digantikan oleh monarki lagi iaitu Charles KeII yg memerintah sbag monarki yg berperlembagaan. Pihak aristokrat England tidak suka pada gaya baroq Peranchis yg dianggap keterlaluan.

Cont. The Baroque age is divided into different

types according to the countries involved. The Bourgeois Baroque refers to 17th century rationalism which is best seen in 17th century Amsterdam.

Era Baroq berlainan jenis mgikut ssutu negara. Bourgeois Baroq merujuk kpd pgrkan rasional abad ke-17 di Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Cont. Having retrieved their country from Spanish

rule, the Dutch were thrifty and extremely crafty but diligent traders. The port of Delft was the source of modern commerce where the Dutch sold their potteries, glazed tiles in exchange for sugar, fabrics and spices.

Stlh melepaskan diri drp cengkaman org Sepanyol, org Belanda sgt berjimat cermat dan kedekut. Delft sebuah pelabuhan mjd pusat perdagangan di mana mrk menjual bahan diperbuat olh tanah liat, gula, fabrik dan rempah.

Cont. There arose a rich merchant class which

were referred to as the bourgeosie or the upper middle-class group. In this bourgeosie Baroque age the artists and the church did not play a major role.

Muncul satu kelas pekerja yg dipanggil bourgeosie atau yg dikenali sbg kumpulan pertghan atasan. Para seniman tdk dipentingkan pd zaman ini di Netherlands.

Cont. Artists had to seek commissions from individual

families as the Calvinists did not support exaggerated demonstration of art and shunned materialism in an extravagant way. Yet there were those who commissioned artists to reflect their lifestyle that was matter-of-fact and dependable.

Para pelukis sgt miskin krn penganut Calvanist tdk percaya pada hasil seni dan mganggap ia satu gaya materialis dan memboroskan. Ttp masih ada yg ingin merekodkan kehidupan harian mrk pad kanvas.

Ideas Rise of mysticism characterized the lifestyle of the

people who coped with the complexities of life by turning to cults of visionary saints for the answers to their questions and problems. This explains the popularity of the Jesuits and the rise of the Protestant movements in Europe. The expansion to the East also brought pagan religious knowledge into their sphere.

Kemunculan ide mistikal di mana masy percaya pada kuasa mistik utk meyelesaikan masalah mereka ctknya kultus. Ini menjelaskan kejayaan penyebaran fahaman protestantisme oleh ahli Jesuit di Eropah. Perkembangan mrk ke negara Timur atau Asia tlh mbawa fahaman trhdp agama lain juga.

Cont. Absolutism was the main influence that

called for a unified state. “It is the respect which absolute power demands, that none should question when a king commands” –The Cid (1637) by Corneille.

Absolutisme mejd pengaruh utama dlm pemerintahan negara. “Ia mghormati kuasa mutlak yg dipegang olh Raja dan ini bermakna tiada sesiapa berhak menyoal perintah Raja” The Cid oleh Cornelie

Cont. Academicism flourished in the Baroque Age.

There was a tendency to “academicize” everything including Language & Literature, Music, Painting & Culture. A condition that flows from absolutism which favors control or authoritarianism. The rise of the merchant class meant a promotion of knowledge where humanists and thinkers as well as philosophers exploited the freedom to think and work.

Cont.

Akedimisme berkembang pd Era Baroq ini. Semua bidang termasuk Bahasa, Sastera, muzik, lukisan dan budaya diakademikan. Ia mrupakan satu prinsp absolutisme yg dialirkan dari kawalan authoritarianisme. Kemunculan kelas perteghan jg memebawa kpd kemunculan pemikir humanis dan para falsafah yg mengalakan kebebasan memikir dan bekerja.

Cont. Eg. the French philosopher Rene Descarte

and Baruch Spinoza. Cth. Para falsafah Rene Descrate dan Barich

Spinoza.

Cont. This academism was to restraint the more

free flowing ideas of French Baroque. Everything was based on mathematical conclusions and logic which were the criteria of “classicism” which means “ of a higher class” in the academies.

Akademisme digunakan utk megawal pemborosan Baroq Peranchis. Segala berasaskan matematik spt kesimpulan dan logik yg mrupakan kriteria “Klassisme” atau sstu yg berkualiti tinggi dlm akademi.

Cont. Calvinism which preached the fact that religious

truth was not exclusive to the church or the clergys but with individuals was set in the Reformed church. They sought spiritual food from the church but valued the spirituality practiced by a family.

Kalvinisme salah satu cbgan dari agama protestantism percaya bhw ilmu agama bkn dikhaskan utk pihak gereja saja ttp individu di gereja mrk yg dipanggil Gereja Reform. Mrk mdpt inspirasi drp gereja dan juga menilai nilai murni agama yg dijadikan adat dalm sebuah keluarga.

Cont. Baroque rationalism was based on the philosophy

that everything including the earth could be understood through logic and mathematical terms.

Rasionalisme Baroq berasaskan falsafah yg percaya segala boleh difahami melalui logik dan matematik.

Galileo’s telescope confirmed Copernicus’s theory of a solar system in which the earth revolved around.

Teleskop yg direka oleh Galileo membuktikan teori Coppernicus bhw bumi kita berkitar megelilingi satu sistem solar.

Cont. Theories such as positivism and materialism

emerged as well as deism and atheism as they moved toward an industrial era of the early 20th century.

Teori Positivitisme dan materialisme juga muncul bersama deisme dan atheisme menjelang era industry dlm abad ke-20an.

Historical Background The Baroque Age is associated with the

reason which is why it is often referred to as the Age of Reason. There were a lot of paradoxes in this age as it happened at the same time as religious reformation and counter-reformation was happening especially in Italy

Era Baroq selalu dikaitkan dgn era Sebab Musabab. Tdpt byk paradox dlm era ini krn ia berlaku serentak dgn reformasi agama serta pgrkan pengembalian reformasi di Itali.

Cont. Scientific discoveries were thriving with the

establishment of the solar system and the place of the Sun as well as the earth by Copernicus not to mention the advances made in mathematics with the introduction of the infinitesimal by Leibniz and calculus.

Penenmuan baru bidang sains mgasaskan pemahaman ttng dunia kita. Era inilah di mana Copernicus mperkenalkan unsur “infinite” oleh Leibniz dan Kalkulus melalui matematik.

Cont. Philosophy also prized reason and the power

of the mind as declared by Descartes “I think; therefore I am”. In this statement we perceive that truth is found in the mind of reason.

Falsafah mmentingkan penaakulan dan kuasa minda. Descarte pernah bercakap “ Saya berfikir maka saya ada”. Dari kenyataan ini bolehlah disimpulakn bhw era ini mganggap kebenaranboleh didapati mllui penakulan minda.

Cont. As for baroque art, it became the aesthetic

reflection of a new conception of the world order and the dynamic attitude of the people towards life.

The rise of the merchant class or traders to be called the bourgeois because of their money is obvious in this age.

Cont. But the excesses was quelled by the religious

reform that was taking place. The Reformation happened in the Roman Catholic Church and the counter Reformation meant a rededication to church work.

Cont. While counter-reformation meant the refusal

to commercialize religion which the Roman Catholic church had been doing. Missionaries had never been so zealous or active which explains the missionaries that came to the colonies, Malaysia included, to spread Christianity. There was a rededication to serve the poor and the helpless all over Europe

Baroque Art & Sculpture :1) Roman & English The arts from paintings to music had the

patronage not only of the royal nobility like emperors,

kings and princes but the church as well with large commissions granted to artists. Everything was either Jesuit abstract or excessive grandeur or verbose in nature.

Cont. The artistic contributions were dictated by the

influence of reformation on the artists. The great artists and writers that were influenced by the reformation and counter reformation strove to depict religious fervor in realistic tones while the secular ones depicted the grandeur of court life. The distinction could be differentiated in the paintings by Italian painters and the French and the English.

Cont. - Micheangelo’s Last Judgement above the

Sistine Chapel shows the reformist in him. Nudes that were popular during the Renaissance was judged to be obscene by the reformers. While some artists turned to paintings that were absent of figures and focused on abstractions of their religious beliefs others were keen on depicting the inner spirit of a form through pictorial constructions

Cont. -This technique which became very popular

is called tenebrism where not every part of the figure is depicted on the canvass only that which matters to convey the message by playing with light and shadows eg. Judith Slaying Holofernes by Artemesia Gentileschi, a lady painter.

Judith Slaying Holofernes

Cont. - Artists of this age namely Caravaggio and

Bernini brought the drama of light and shading to their art which was focused on depicting mannerisms.

- There were paradoxes to these realism in paintings which are the paintings favoured by the church and painted as murals on the ceiling of churches.

Cont. They were illusory and and conventional eg.

Pozzo’s St. Ignatious in Glory Artists of counter-reformation were often recognized through their works that depicted the torn loyalties between roman paganism and Christianity. Eg. El Greco and his famous Martyrdom of St.Maurice and the Theban legion

Martyrdom of St.Maurice and the Theban legion

The excesses and extravagance of the age is best reflected in the personage of the Louis X IV

himself.

Cont. His absolutism was the reason for choosing

the metaphor or the sun to his kingship in 17th century France.

Cont. -Among the famous painters in the Baroque

Age in France was Peter Paul Rubens.

Garden of Love

Cont. His paintings reflected the lavishness and

richness of that time. But there were paintings of counter reformation styles that were against the lavish style of Rubens such as Nicholas Poussin. His works were more restraint rather than passionate compared to Rubens. His style was free but his figures unlike Ruben’s was hard and lean.

Rape of the Sabine Women

Cont. In 17th century Amsterdam, Holland there

was a change from pretentiousness to functionalism. Having retrieved their country from Spanish despots, the Dutch began to appreciate the bourgeois way of life which saw the painters painting scenes of the daily lives of the people.

The stress was to produce paintings that had nationalistic character normally in the landscape mode.

Cont. Genre scenes were very popular and covered

subjects such as the farmers, musicians at home or in taverns of a country life. They avoided all the pomp associated with Roman Catholic influences of the last century.

Portraiture also became popular and families began to commemorate special occasions with paintings of the whole family.

Cont. Perhaps the most memorable painter of this

age is Rembrandt van Rjin and his historical portraits, landscapes and genre scenes. He brought a new angle of depth to his portraits that seemed to come alive under his brush.

Cont. Etching was a technique he made famous as

he drew with pieces of charcoal on paper, metal and plate before he began his paintings. He discovered the power of light through his paintings which allowed him to create drama. For example in Dr. Tulip’s Anatomy Lesson

Through his self portrait, Rembrandt revealed the progress and what he had accumulate in terms of skill as he matured

Cont. -A famous landscape artist is Jan Vemeer

who introduced a new way of capturing scenery like a photograph in terms of detail and horizons. His analytical and sober style was in contrast to Rembrant’s intense spirit which he captured on canvass.

The Art of Painting

Architecture Perhaps the single most important

contribution of the aristocratic Baroque style in France was the building of the Versailles Palace by Louis XVI.

Cont. It was built as an escape for the Sun King

from the vagaries of the city where he already had the Louvre by Gianlorenzon Bernini but was completed by Claude Perrault. Jules Hardouin-Mansart was the architect of the Versailles Palace hailed as the mother of modern city planning.

Versailles Palace

Cont. At the same time Charles the I commissioned

Christopher Wren to build the Church of England which is a cross between Gothic spires and reformation simplicity which explains the domes with tall spires on them. They managed a hybrid style that is called the Georgian style.

Literature – English Poetry and prose were lofty and tragic or

overdramatic. These were counter balanced by dry wit and sarcasm such as written by Dryden and Pope. Their works established what is known as the Augustan literature of 18th century England.

Cont. The introduction to linguistics was made by

John Dryden when they moved toward a pure language brought on by mathematical thinking.

Music From light and secular music, the composers

were affected by the reformation and returned to composing somber masses. Eg. Giovanni da Palestrina wrote the reform music for the church that were in line with prayers. He never wrote any secular songs

Cont. But in France dramatic productions such

as operas were being written and performed especially at courts and theaters across France and England. It was quite the style to dress-up and go to the theater for opera or a drama cum opera. Whereas in England the English opera was introduced by Handel which was Italian in nature. Vocal music was the main focus of composers like Handel and Bach.

Cont. Chambre groups and orchestras started to

spring up around Europe where choirs accompanied organists in churches.

Eventually the clash between French baroque and the Gothic birthed the Lullian Opera which combined dialogue with songs and instrumental interludes.

Cont. In Germany, Johann Sebastian Bach

introduced chamber music, instrumental dance suites and concertos which consisted of cantatas and oratios specifically for the church. Cantatas are vocal musical pieces that were sung on Sundays.

Theater

The theater blossomed with the introduction of comedie-ballet which united dance, song and comedy in performance and tragedie lyrique, a form of French opera