Baroque Painting

 1580-1770

The Baroque  style is distinguished by the emotional effects of color and  overall harmony of the painting.  The Baroque movement started in  Italy, quickly spreading to the rest of Europe.  This style  flourished in Europe between 1580 and 1770, mainly in Catholic countries, where it played a essential role in the crusading work of the Catholic Counter-Reformation. The Roman Catholic Church's reaction to the Reformation, known as the Counter-Reformation, reaffirmed the one-time medieval notion of art as the servant of the church, adding certain demands for simplicity, precision, realism, and an emotional stimulus to piety. For the fanatics of the Counter-Reformation, a paintings was useful only as propaganda material, the religious subject matter being all-important.

 To inspire its viewers, the Baroque style used elaborate effects to stir up religious passions. In some of its most characteristic works – such as Caravaggio's The sacrifice of Isaac (1601-1602) – painting, sculpture, decoration, and architecture were designed to create a single, powerful effect. Many masterpieces of the baroque appeared in churches and palaces in Rome, but the style soon extended throughout Europe, shifting in character as it did so.

Masters of the Baroque Era: A Comprehensive List of the Greatest Baroque Painters