Analysis and Interpretation: Baroque vs Neoclassical 
Analysis and Interpretation: Baroque versus Neoclassical Humanities IWT1 Emily Lampson May 24, 2015
Throughout history the formal arts and philosophy have changed with the times. Each period is affected by the current society’s social, political, and religious views, as well as the various cultures within one time period. While many periods have some similarities with other periods, they are all different from each other.
Began in the early 1600s and lasting until the mid 1700s, the extravagant style of the
Baroque period was encouraged by the Catholic church as a response to the simplistic nature of the Protestant Reformation. When the Protestant Reformation began, the Catholic church was heavily criticized for its belief in its supreme authority. In an attempt to reach the public, many of whom were illiterate, the catholic church decided art should be used to depict the most important doctrines, allowing everyone to feel close to the teachings of the scriptures. To accomplish this, religious art was to be direct, emotionally persuasive, and powerfully designed to fire the spiritual imagination and inspire the viewer to greater piety (1).
Art and architecture where ornate and embellished. Churches of the time were grandiose, combining art and architecture by painting large frescoes (3) on the high ceilings of buildings already embellished with wide, tall arches, and ornate details. Unlike the leaders of the
Reformation, the leaders of the Counter Reformation believed the very nature of a supreme being warranted the rituals and overthetop embellishments encouraged during the Baroque period.
Paintings were dark, using rich colors, and focusing on realism. Visual arts often depicted people of religious or political importance, or depictions of various scriptures, such as
The
Beheading of John the Baptist by Michelanglo Merisi da Caravaggio, a popular artist of the time
(4).
Neoclassical
Throughout history the formal arts and philosophy have changed with the times. Each period is affected by the current society’s social, political, and religious views, as well as the various cultures within one time period. While many periods have some similarities with other periods, they are all different from each other.
Began in the early 1600s and lasting until the mid 1700s, the extravagant style of the
Baroque period was encouraged by the Catholic church as a response to the simplistic nature of the Protestant Reformation. When the Protestant Reformation began, the Catholic church was heavily criticized for its belief in its supreme authority. In an attempt to reach the public, many of whom were illiterate, the catholic church decided art should be used to depict the most important doctrines, allowing everyone to feel close to the teachings of the scriptures. To accomplish this, religious art was to be direct, emotionally persuasive, and powerfully designed to fire the spiritual imagination and inspire the viewer to greater piety (1).
Art and architecture where ornate and embellished. Churches of the time were grandiose, combining art and architecture by painting large frescoes (3) on the high ceilings of buildings already embellished with wide, tall arches, and ornate details. Unlike the leaders of the
Reformation, the leaders of the Counter Reformation believed the very nature of a supreme being warranted the rituals and overthetop embellishments encouraged during the Baroque period.
Paintings were dark, using rich colors, and focusing on realism. Visual arts often depicted people of religious or political importance, or depictions of various scriptures, such as
The
Beheading of John the Baptist by Michelanglo Merisi da Caravaggio, a popular artist of the time
(4).
Neoclassical