Degas and Velazquez

There were many different art movements through out the centuries, some that were similar to one another while others were in contrast. Movements like the Baroque movement in the 17th century and Impressionism in the 19th century were significant in the history of art. Some of the well known artists of the Baroque were Caravaggio, Rubens, Rembrandt and Velazquez. From the Impressionist period were Monet, Renoir, Cezanne and Degas.
Velazquez was a Spanish artist and was one of the most important artists of the Spanish Golden Age. His works of art primarily took place in during the contemporary Baroque period during the 17th century. He was known for his portrait paintings and was influenced by the naturalism of Caravaggio. In addition to numerous renditions of scenes of historical and cultural significance, he painted portraits of the Spanish royal family and other chief European figures. Velazquez's artwork had major influence on some of the movements to come, mainly Realism and Impressionism.
On the other hand, Edgar degas, an Impressionist French artist was famous for not just his paintings, but also his sculptors e.g “Little Dancer of Fourteen Years”, prints and drawings. More than half of his paintings share the subject of dance. Degas is regarded as one of the founders of the Impressionist movement as it can be seen clearly in his subjects and renditions of dancers.
There are clear contrasts between the two movements. The baroque art inspires deep meaning and symbolism. It is synonymous with the Romantic style with its expressive style and its sometimes deep spiritual subject matter. The baroque painting technique differs from most art movements. It is quite disciplined and focuses on light and shadow, somewhat like Chiaroscuro. Baroque art is characterized with great drama, rich and deep color.
Unlike the Baroque which focuses on spiritual subject matter, Impressionism focuses on light and natural subject matters that have nothing to do with deep