1. The overall characteristics of Baroque painting 巴洛克时期绘画概述

The Baroque period started around 1600 in Rome, Italy and spread to most of Europe. The Baroque artistic style uses exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, architecture, literature, dance, and music.

Baroque painting featured "exaggerated lighting, intense emotions, release from restraint, and even a kind of artistic sensationalism". Baroque art did not really depict the life style of the people at that time; however, "closely tied to the Counter-Reformation, this style melodramatically reaffirmed the emotional depths of the Catholic faith and glorified both church and monarchy" of their power and influence.

巴洛克时期始于17世纪初的罗马与意大利，后扩展到欧洲其他地区。巴洛克风格动感强烈，细节突出，给人以戏剧化、紧张、华丽和宏伟之感，这种风格体现在雕塑、绘画、建筑、文学、舞蹈和音乐等多种领域。

巴洛克绘画也具有上述特点，其光线强烈，情绪浓烈，仿佛从束缚中解脱出来，是一种夸张的艺术形式。巴洛克绘画并不描绘那个时代人们的生活，而是反对形式，歌颂对天主教的虔诚信仰和贵族的无上权力。

2. The main features of Baroque painting 巴洛克时期绘画的特点

《朱迪丝割下霍洛费勒的头》

《神圣家庭》

First, Baroque painting is characterized by great drama and movement.

Baroque paintings often choose the most dramatic moment of a story, and emphasize on the movement of the characters. For instance, Artemisia Gentileschi, a great female Italian painter, presented a striking scene of violence in Judith Slaying Holofernes , where the woman cut off the man's head without any trace of hesitation, blood dripping off the sheet. It is believed that Gentileschi suffered from rape and mistreatment, hence women's rebellion against their condition in her works.

Rubens' The Battle of Amazons records the war between the Amazons and the Athenians under Theseus the Greek mythology. The Amazons came to bring back Antiope, the sister of their dead queen, who had been abducted by Theseus. The Amazons were annihilated in the battle, which was extremely bloody and cruel.The picture shows the two armies confront each other head-on on the bridge. Some fall off the bridge and into the river. Some have lost control of their horses. The whole scene leans towards the right side, creating a strong sense of movement and highlighting the cruelty of the battle.

Second, Baroque paintings took religion as the main theme.

The popularity and success of the Baroque style was encouraged by the Roman Catholic Church which had decided at the time that the arts should communicate religious themes in direct and emotional involvement. The aristocracy also saw the dramatic style of Baroque architecture and art as a means of impressing visitors and expressing triumphant power and control.That the Baroque style evolved during a time in which the Roman Catholic Church had to react against the many revolutionary cultural movements that produced a new science and new forms of religion—the Reformation. It has been said that the monumental Baroque is a style that could give the papacy, like secular absolute monarchies, a formal, imposing way of expression that could restore its prestige, at the point of becoming somehow symbolic of the Catholic Reformation. For instance, Agnolo Bronzino's, Ludovici Carracci's Assumption of the Virgin , Annibale Carracci's Baptism of Jesus , Pietro da Cortona's The Guardian Angel are all paintings of Biblical figures.

Third, Baroque paintings have an overall sense of awe with rich, deep color, intense light and dark shadows.

Baroque painting often uses chiaroscuro light effects. It stresses conflict, dynamic, great detail and intense light contrast. This can be seen in works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, and La Tour. Netherland's Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring is renowned as "The Mona Lisa" in the North. The girl's face is lit with soft light, turning back towards the viewer with eyes full of emotions and lips half open, as if trying to say something. She wears bright lemon color dress, a blue head scarf, and a white pearl ring glittering in the shadow of her profile, forming a deep contrast with the dark background. Another case in point is Caravaggio's The Entombment of Christ , where the naked body of Jesus was slowly lowered into the tomb, his pale skin reflecting bright light, creating a solemn atmosphere.

首先，巴洛克绘画注重情节和动感。

巴洛克绘画往往选取一则故事中最富戏剧性的一个场面，特别强调角色的动作。例如，意大利著名女画家阿特米西亚·简提列斯基在她的作品《朱迪丝割下霍洛费勒的头》中展现了一幅血腥的场景：女子正用利刃割下男子的头颅而没有丝毫犹豫，鲜血从床单上汩汩流淌下来。据说阿特米西亚曾经遭到强奸和虐待，所以她的作品里充满了女性奋起反抗的画面。

佛兰德斯画家鲁本斯的《阿玛戎之战》描绘的是希腊神话中一则由英雄忒修斯带领的雅典军队与阿玛戎军队的战争场面。忒修斯绑架了阿玛戎女王的妹妹希波吕忒，引起了阿玛戎部落的不满，战争以阿玛戎军队全军覆没而结束。画面中，两队人马在桥上狭路相逢，战斗异常激烈，桥边出现人仰马翻的惊险形象，右边已出现脱缰狂奔的战马和滚落河中的阿玛戎战士。整幅画面向右倾斜，给人以强烈的动感；画上色彩流动，线条飞旋，一切都处在一种惨烈的杀戮风暴中。

第二，宗教是巴洛克绘画的重要主题。

巴洛克绘画的兴盛是由罗马天主教支持的。教堂认为绘画应该起到宣传宗教思想的作用，贵族们也觉得要用华丽的艺术向世人展示权力和财富。当时正爆发 宗教改革运动 ，罗马天主教堂应对改革的手段之一就是鼓励以豪华的宗教艺术象征天主教的至高无上，所以许多巴洛克绘画都是取材于《圣经》。如阿尼奥洛·布伦齐诺的《神圣家庭》、卢多维科·卡拉齐的《圣母飞升图》、安尼拔·卡拉奇的《耶稣受洗》和彼得罗·达·科尔托纳的《守护天使》，都是以圣经人物为题材的作品。

第三，巴洛克绘画经常使用 明暗对比法 来强调光影的对比冲突，伦勃朗、维米尔、拉图尔等人的作品中都体现了这一点。荷兰画家维米尔的《戴珍珠耳环的少女》就是一例，这幅画被称作“北方的蒙娜丽莎”，画中女子面部打着柔和的光，回眸一望，眼睛里透出她内心丰富的情绪，她嘴唇微张，似乎想要诉说什么。她衣着鲜艳，穿着柠檬色衣服，戴着浅蓝色头巾，一只洁白的珍珠耳环在她的侧影里闪烁，与漆黑一片的背景形成强烈的对比。另一个例子是卡拉瓦乔的《基督下葬》，画面中可以看到基督正慢慢被放入墓中，他惨白的身体反着亮光，烘托出肃穆的气氛。

● Caravaggio: expressing rich emotions of the characters 卡拉瓦乔： 善于表现人物内心的画家

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610), was an heir of the humanist painting of the High Renaissance. As was a poor bricklayer in his early years, he didn't even have his own name. "Caravaggio" was actually the name of the village where he was born. He had a principle that he only painted real persons rather than images. This is why his painting combines a realistic observation of the human state, both physical and emotional, with a dramatic use of lighting that put the human figure under a dramatic spotlight against a dark background. His painting and opened a new chapter in the history.

In his work Boy with a Basket of Fruit , the fruit in the basket is all in nearly perfect condition, including a bi-colored peach with a bright red blush; four clusters of grapes, a ripe pomegranate split open, disgorging its red seeds; four figs, two of them dead-ripe. But the boy holding the basket seems bored and lull because the basket is too heavy. Both the boy and the fruit are in their prime time, which also means they will only grow soft and rotten, indicating the painter's opinion that all earthly things will soon return to the darkness of death.

David with the Head of Goliath is regarded one of the most famous woks of Caravaggio. The victor David looks at Goliath, one hand carrying the hair of the giant and the other hand holding a sword. Chiaroscuro is also at work. The dark and ambiguous background highlights the characters.It was said that not long ago in Naples, Caravaggio was attacked violently. So the face of David in the painting shows pain, sorrow, and his left eye seemed swollen, all realistic representation of the condition.

米开朗基罗·梅里西·德·卡拉瓦乔（1571～1610年）继承了文艺复兴鼎盛时期的人文主义风格。他早年是个穷石匠，连自己的名字都没有，“卡拉瓦乔”实际上是他出生的那个村子的名字。他的人物画有一个原则：只画真人。因此卡拉瓦乔画出来的人不仅体态真实，而且情绪丰富。他用光大胆，人物似被放在聚光灯下，与黑暗的背景形成鲜明对比。事实上卡拉瓦乔翻开了绘画史上新的一页。

在他的《手捧果篮的男孩》中，篮子里的水果新鲜逼真，有半红半白的桃子、几串葡萄、开裂了露出水灵灵的籽的石榴和几个无花果，其中一个无花果已经熟透了。但是捧着篮子的男孩却显得无聊，因为他手中的东西太重了。男孩和水果都处在他们的盛年时光，似乎暗示着接下来他们将枯萎凋谢，表现了作者认为一切事物终将死亡的哲学认识。

《提着歌利亚头颅的大卫》是卡拉瓦乔最负盛名的一幅作品。胜利者大卫把巨人歌利亚的头提在手上，另一只手提着剑。画中运用了明暗对比法，背景暗沉而人物光辉。据说画这幅画之前不久卡拉瓦乔在那不勒斯遭到殴打，因此他把大卫的脸画得充满痛苦哀伤，左眼似乎还肿起来了，这是对自己经历过场景的真实反映。

● Rubens' dramatic style 善用动感的鲁本斯

Peter Paul Rubens(1577–1640), was a Flemish Baroque painter, and a proponent of an extravagant Baroque style that emphasised movement, colour, and sensuality. He is well-known for his Counter-Reformation altarpieces, portraits, landscapes, and history paintings of mythological and allegorical subjects.

He is known for his historical paintings of mythological and allegorical subjects painted his masterpieces. His work Landscape with St George and the Dragon is based on the legend of Saint George, who slew a dragon that was terrorizing a city and saved the young princess offered to the beast. In drama-filled scene of the painting, the princess on the left, said to represent the church, is stroking a scared lame. She remains so calm as if it is not a violent killing she's witnessing, indicating the peace and security brought about by the hero. The brave Saint George dressed in shiny armor and helmet with crest and plume show the artist's attention to detail.

His drawings are mostly extremely forceful. In Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus , the Gemini brothers Castor and Pollox abduct the two daughters of Leucippus from their dreams and pull them up on their horses. The people and the horses have taken up the whole space of the painting, and the cris-cross structure of the four people in the centre creates an overwhelming sense of twist and conflict.Such "kidnap" is at one time violent and jovial as it is prompted by love. The contrast of the colors of the horses and the human bodies, the chaotic scene, the X structure composition of the picture, all suggest instability and imbalance. On the left side of the painting, the angel of love Cupid is holding on to the horse, indicating the violence of love.

彼得·保罗·鲁本斯（1577～1640年）是 佛兰德 的巴洛克画家，鲁本斯的艺术以华美取胜。色彩是鲁本斯最有力的造型语言，他善于描绘丰富而又和谐的华丽色彩世界，他的作品以反宗教改革的圣坛画、肖像画、风景画、历史故事画、神话传奇画和寓言画为主。

鲁本斯绘画的重要题材之一是神话故事和寓言故事，他的作品《圣乔治杀龙》就是取自传说，画作描绘了殉道者圣乔治杀死一条恶龙、搭救出献祭给恶龙的公主而被后世人传颂为英雄的故事。在这幅充满剧情的作品中，公主站在背景里，她的手安抚着受惊的绵羊，从她的脸上看不到一丝的害怕，难以想象在她身前正进行着一场惨烈的搏杀。这幅作品从另一个侧面更好地诠释了英雄的内涵：战胜邪恶，保护弱者，带来安宁。圣乔治身着闪亮的盔甲，头盔上的羽毛凛凛飞舞，显示了画家对细节的掌控。

鲁本斯的绘画充满力量，《强劫留西帕斯的女儿》这幅画描写的是传统的“抢婚”场面：双子座兄弟卡斯托耳与波吕刻斯两个黝黑的壮汉把留西帕斯的两个女儿从睡梦中劫走，正准备强行拉上马背的情景。画面上人和马占据了整个空间，两匹马和两对男女的交错动势给人以强烈的运动感。这种“抢夺”既是暴力，又是一种充满喜悦的游戏。画作中，肉体与马匹之间的色调对比，人仰马翻般的猛烈的场面，X形的构图，构成了极不稳定的动乱。画面左侧一角，画家又添上一个长着翅膀的小爱神丘比特，他给整个画面作了一点暗示：这是一种爱情的暴力。

● Rembrandt: master of light and darkness 伦勃朗： 明暗光线处理大师

《强劫留西帕斯的女儿》

伦勃朗

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606–1669) is a Dutch painter. He is generally considered one of the greatest painters in European art history and the most important in Dutch history. His contributions to art came in a period of great wealth and cultural achievement that historians call the Dutch Golden Age, was extremely prolific and innovative.

Among the more prominent characteristics of Rembrandt's work are his use of chiaroscuro, the theatrical employment of light and shadow derived from Caravaggio. One of his most famous paintings, The Nightwatch is renowned for the effective use of light and shadow. The painting depicts the security forces called to an emergency at night. With effective use of torchlight-like sunlight and shade like the theatrical lighting effect in dramas, Rembrandt leads the eye to the three most important characters among the crowd, the two gentlemen in the centre, and the small girl in the centre left background. Color also plays a dominant role in attracting attention.The bright yellow uniform of the Lieutenant on the right and the softer yellow dressed by the little girl are starkly contrasted by the captain's black attire in the center and the tonal browns of the background. The painting is also known for its colossal size (363 x 437 cm).

Rembrandt's The Jewish Bride displays several featu res that critics generally recognize as typical of the artist's domestic scenes: a display of gen uine, candid emotion, an appreciation for intimacy, and an overall humanistic representation.

The source of light is u nclear but appears to be artificial and warm —perhaps a few candles above the figures;light is reflected from the richly adorned golden garments of the groom (some interpretations suggest the male is the girl's father) and of the bride. The faces of the couple seem to glow by themselves:Rembrandt uses light beyond its painterly purpose, as a tool that describes the inner state of the protagonists. The groom and the bride don't look directly into each other's eyes: their soft gazes and the girl's blush reveal shyness and slight embarrassment that the man tries to dispel in a somewhat awkward, though loving embrace. These newlyweds appear to look inside themselves, as if wishing to savor the moment and imprint it into their memories.

荷兰画家伦勃朗·哈尔曼松·凡·莱因（1606～1669年）是欧洲首屈一指的巴洛克画家，也是荷兰最伟大的画家。他所处的时代正是物质和文化财富充盈的“ 荷兰黄金时代 ” ，其作品丰富，富有新意。

伦勃朗作品的最大特点是“明暗对比法”，这是他从卡拉瓦乔那里继承来的光与影的戏剧对比方法。在他最著名的一幅作品《夜巡》中，明暗对比法就非常明显，作品描绘的是安保人员夜间突然接到紧急任务的情景。通过如手电筒一样的光打在人物身上，好像剧院舞台上的灯光效果，作者突出强调正中三个最重要的人：两个警官和一个小女孩，同时颜色在光的照射下也发挥了吸引注意力的作用。画面右边上尉的亮黄色衣着，加上小女孩的浅黄色衣服，与当中警官的深色制服和背景里的暗沉色调形成鲜明对比。这幅画还有一个与众不同之处，那就是画布特别大，长4.37米，高3.63米。

伦勃朗的另一幅作品《犹太新娘》采用的是画家们常用的家庭画题材，这类作品中人物的表情自然，情绪放松，展现出对亲密家庭生活和人文主义的向往。画面中光源不明确，但是可能是人工制造的暖色光源，也许是放在人物头部上方的蜡烛，投射在衣着华丽的新郎和新娘身上，反射出柔和的光。伦勃朗不仅用光来强调绘画技巧，而且折射人物内心。画中的新郎和新娘没有直视对方的眼睛，但他们柔和的目光和新娘脸上的红晕，都展现了他们害羞的心理，新郎为了缓解这尴尬，试图拥抱新娘，但是却动作笨拙别扭。这对新婚夫妇似乎在体会对方的内心，细细品味这属于他们的亲密时刻。