17th Century Art

A Comparison of Caravaggio s Madonna di Loreto and Poussin s St . CeciliaSeventeenth one and only(a) C painters used a contrast of free and drear to focus a ravisher s eyes on reliable parts of the paint , or to draw the viewer s eyes along a certain path across the canvass . This technique was used oftentimes in religious paintings of the time . Michelangelo Merisi del Caravaggio and Nicolas Poussin were two masters of this manner of paintingCaravaggio is sometimes credited with launching , or at to the lowest degree assisting with the launch of , the Baroque movement in the seventeenth century (Laurent , 2004 . The light and dark shading Caravaggio used was later one of the defining features of that movement , as were the lush draperies and formal finery have on by the painting s subjects (Laurent 2004The Madonna di Larteto (Caravaggio , c . 1603-1606 , features the Madonna retentiveness Jesus , both of whom are looking take in at two adoring pilgrims The Madonna stands in a room access , while the men kneel in the street . The absolute majority of the scene is in relative darkness however , each of the figures are highlighted , with the Madonna and Jesus appearing almost light . The brightness of the Holy Mother and Child immediately draws the viewers see to those figures . Their positioning and the manner in which they look down toward the pilgrims , then draws the viewers gaze to the kneeling men . In addition , the frame of the door is lightly illuminated , skeletal frame the Madonna and Jesus and separating them from the pilgrims , perhaps highlighting the difference in status that each pair tempers . Overall , the effect is colorless and brooding , leaving the viewer aware that something quite serious is taking placePoussin s St . Cecilia (Poussin , c . 1627-1628 , by contrast , depicts the saint as the lone central figure of the work . Cherubim , who watch her and hold her music for her , surround the smiling saint . St .

Cecilia is the most brilliantly illuminated of all the figures , which immediately draws the viewers eyes to the nerve of the canvas . Like the Madonna in the previous painting , both St . Cecilia s posture and gaze pull the viewers gaze down and to the left , toward the cherubim are holding her music . The total room is illuminated however , there is a darker subdivision to the viewers left , while the background is more palely lit than the figure of the saint herself . Although the title of the painting and the heraldic bearing of the cherubim are both indicative of someone of import macrocosm depicted , Poussin s St . Cecilia could be any woman of privilege contend music in her home , if the cherubim were replaced with ordinary childrenBoth Caravaggio and Poussin used light and dark as part of their technique for presenting these scenes . Without the light and dark portions of the canvas , viewers would not necessarily understand the enormousness of the central figures . In addition , the viewer might as well miss key components of the picture , while focusing on other , more elaborate , aspects of the painting . Although the figures form...If you want to ingest a full essay, order it on our website: Orderessay

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