9.1: Overview

The beginning of colonization was dominated by the superpowers in Europe, changing the world and local culture forever, decimating indigenous populations. The stylistic, intricate art of the Baroque and Rococo periods was a depiction of the broader cultural and intellectual divides in Europe. Although the art methods of the Baroque and Rococo may have traveled to other continents through imperialism, it is not always reflected in the art produced in other countries. Art outside of Europe was thriving in Asia, North America, and Africa in other forms with a different look and feel than the Baroque art in Europe; art designed to fit the culture and materials of the country where the artist resided.

After the Renaissance, new methods and styles developed by artists were everywhere. During the Baroque period, lighting in painting became an essential element, how the use of dark colors created shadows and depth in a painting. The color may appear to be deep brown or black, but close examination reveals a full mixture of dark colors created with successive glazes of color.

The focus of the painting would be the light source and the highlighted object. Robust and focused light created dark, mysterious shadows, enhanced the object, and drew the eye to a particular point in the scene. Indirect lighting is the illusion of light from a source unable to see in the painting, emphasizing the object against the dark background.

For thousands of years, artists have been painting on wood panels or fresco surfaces. Canvas stretched over wooden bars became the norm for most artists providing a stable surface covered with Gesso. Canvas is a product made with woven cotton, was sealed with a paint type substance called Gesso. The gesso produced during the Baroque is known as Italian Gesso or glue gesso mixed from chalk, an animal binder (glue), and white pigment. The gesso was painted on the canvas to protect the oil paint from seeping into the canvas.

The texture was an essential part of all Baroque and Rococo paintings. The artist must paint a realistic look of the texture in a painting, which can be very difficult. The fabrics of the period were silk, cotton, velvet, fur, all highly stylized, and artists had to bring those textures to life. The texture was also crucial in the bronze and ivory work of the Benin to create an exact image of the Oba.

This chapter, The Beginning of Colonization (1550 CE – 1750 CE), is divided into the Baroque/Rococo art periods in Europe, demonstrating the influence colonization had in Mexico and the art styles occurring in other parts of the world. Some of the styles span a few decades, and others may represent the long reign of a government.

Movement	Time Frame	Starting Location
Northern European Baroque	1580s– early 1700	Netherlands
Italian Baroque	1580 – early 1700	Italy
Spanish Baroque	1580 – early 1700	Spain
Mexican Baroque	1640 – mid 1700s	Mexico
Rococo	1730 – 1760	France
Benin Kingdom	1100 – 1897	West Africa
Mughal Period	1526 – 1857	India
Qing Period	1636 – 1911	China
Kano School	Late 15th century –1868	Japan

Although each earlier period and style of art had thousands of artists creating a variety of artwork, some artists gained fame in their lifetime or recognition by later discoveries. Beginning with the Renaissance, artists were no longer a numbered artisan in a workshop but talented people who received individual support from wealthy patrons and signed their name to their work.

Artist	Country	Approx. Birth	Movement
Peter Breughel the Elder	Netherlands	1525	Northern European Baroque
Rembrandt van Rijn	Netherlands	1606	Northern European Baroque
Johannes Vermeer	Netherlands	1632	Northern European Baroque
Pieter Hooch	Netherlands	1629	Northern European Baroque
Caravaggio	Italy	1571	Italian Baroque
Artemisia Gentileschi	Italy	1593	Italian Baroque
Gian Lorenzo Bernini	Italy	1598	Italian Baroque
Diego Velazquez	Spain	1599	Spanish Baroque
Bartholome Murillo	Spain	1618	Spanish Baroque
Jeronimo de Balbas	Mexico	1680	Mexican Baroque
Lorenzo Rodriguez	Mexico	1704	Mexican Baroque
Sebastian Lopez de Arteaga	Mexico	1610	Mexican Baroque
Cristobal de Villallpando	Mexico	1645	Mexican Baroque
Francoise Boucher	France	1703	French Rococo
Jean-Honore Fragonard	France	1732	French Rococo
Elisabeth Louise Vigee-LeBrun	France	1755	French Rococo
Unknown	Nigeria		Benin Kingdom
Farrukh Beg	India	1545	Mughal Period
Ustad Mansur	India	1590	Mughal Period
Ustadf Ahmad Lahauari	India	1580	Mughal Period
Wang Hui	China	1632	Qing Period
Shitao	China	1642	Qing Period
Kano Eitoku	Japan	1543	Kano School
Hasegawa Tohaku	Japan	1539	Kano School

The Renaissance was the time of rebirth, a time of change, and time of reformation in Europe. Complex religious disputes between the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant Reformation drove art into a new direction in Europe. The Baroque period began just before the turn of the 17th century, and the art imitated religious tensions. Rome was the center of the Baroque movement, and it spread outward to all of Europe. The Vatican reasserted itself and ordered large buildings, sculptures, and paintings to glorify their divine majesty in competition with the counter-reformation art.

Baroque is from the Portuguese barocco, meaning irregular pearl or stone.

Baroque architecture replaced the conventional Renaissance designs with flowing twists and the effective use of light to create grand illusions or space. It was theatrical, emotional, and emphasized a magnificent story about the church. Royalty also built massive castles with enchanted themes designed to amaze visitors. Baroque art was large-scale paintings and ceiling frescoes filled with biblical themes or allegorical masterpieces, containing swirling, moving figures, heightening the sense of wonderment. Baroque sculpture was carved more substantial than life with dramatic visual movement telling a story as the viewer circumnavigated the statue.