Main points*   map showing major religious divisions     *see directions at the botton

1-27. Most artists during the 17th century were getting formal art education in workshops based upon the philosophy practiced in the newly-formed art academy. These institutions would teach students Disegno: meaning both Design- Theoretical Idea and Drawing- hand-eye coordination. Students in these academies, such as that run by the Carracci in Bologna, were taught to mimic the styles of antiquity (Roman/Greek sculptures) and High Renaissance artists like Michelangelo. Rose Marie Khouri

1-29 Annibale Caracci came to Rome at the end of the 16th century to decorate palace rooms for Cardinal Odoardo Farnese. Annibale, from his own Academy in Bologna, trained in the Classical tradition with an interest in antiquity and the Renaissance, decorated the Galleria Farnese ceiling in fresco, following the workshop model. He drew from Michelangelo, Raphael, and Ovid in innovative ways, compartmentalizing the ceiling space with quadroriportato and other three-dimensional allusions. Annibale's erudite, naturalistic picture gallery ceiling, by referencing the Classics and even the Farnese collection of antique sculpture, provided a showcase for the Farnese family and paved the way for the great Baroque ceilings to come. Maureen Tucker

2-3 Looking at the ceiling of the Galleria Farnese as a whole entity, Bellori makes the argument that the cupids found
in the four corners symbolize a struggle between divine love and common love. However, most contemporary
critics would agree that this is a view held by someone who has a more pious motive, and the pictures
presented in the Galleria would have been seen as simply what they represented. Caravaggio's pieces have a
noticeable influence from artists of Milan, especially Leonardo da Vinci. His Bacchus uses allegory commonly found in works of this period. Yet his use of subject matter and depiction, especially young males, was extremely innovative and brought him a wide audience and large group of imitators. Arlene Fletcher

2-5 From 1598 to 1600, Carrvaggio worked on pieces for the Contarelli Chapel within St. Luigi del Francesi, the French National church in Rome. Carrvaggio was hired to complete three oil canvases; another artist had already completed the ceiling. The side paintings were of the patron saint and namesack of the chapel's patron, Matthew or Levi. Martyrdom of Matthew (the story probably derived from sources like the Golden Legend) is on the right side, and is believed to have been painted first.. The left side is the Calling of Matthew. Carrvaggio used familiar models, and the identity of Levi/matthew is debated. In 1601, Carrvaggio worked on the Cerasi Chapel within the church of Santa Maria del Popolo. The church was small, but the first within the gates of Rome so it received wide exposure. Here Carrvaggio and Carracci might have met. Carrvaggio painted the two sidepieces again, and Carracci painted the altarpiece, but they did not collaborate. Carrvaggio’s the Conversion of Paul or Saul includes the presence of a horse (from the iconographic tradition), but its flank serves as the source of lighting on Saul. Kimberly Bull

2-10 Caravaggio tried to make a religious statement by using his revolutionary technique in depicting the images in a different way. His Crucifixion of Peter in the Cerasi Chapel of the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, contrasts with other representations of crucifixion. Although Annible Carracci's The Assumption of the Virgin, also in the Cerasi Chapel, depicts Mary's ascension into Heaven in a more conventional way, his use of light indicates some familiarity with Caravaggio's work. Finally, Caravaggio's The Supper at Emmaus depicts Jesus after the Resurrection, looking foreign to his followers (represented by the lack of facial hair). Lizzy McDermott

2-12 Although Caravaggio’s style typically showed a realistic view of the situation, he also imitated the styles and themes of other artists. ex. Leonardo’s The Last Supper. The Death of the Virgin was a controversial painting that the discalced (barefoot) order of the Carmelite church decided to have removed. It is important to note that Mary's feet are bare (which hints that this was commissioned by the discalced orderand), but they also hang off table. In an effort to be naturalistic/ realistic Caravaggio went a little overboard for the decorum of the church. On the other hand, seeing that he had obtained a reputation as an artist that many people wanted to imitate, others found his art intriguing. Sheila Rendelman and Daniel Blatchford

2-17 In class we discussed Carvaggio's police record. I realized that honor culture was something that is constantly being challenged. Having a good reputation was very important in Rome. Caravaggio however, was described as being reckless and seemed to be a violent person. We discussed also what Bellori thought of Michelangelo da Caravaggio and he thought that Caravaggio didn't use Disegno in his paintings. Disegno has 2 meanings one was drawing (especially the body) and the other was design and that required thinking and composing. Bellori thought that Caravaggio doesn't filter: he just drew what he saw and wouldn't work from design. Caravaggio was criticized because he simply painted what he saw. Heela Hamidi

During the 16th century good reputation and honor was very important. The concept of honor culture (reputation contested in a public form) became part of every day life. Caravaggio's honor and skills as an artist were repeatedly challenged in his lifetime. The police records from the Roman state archives provide insight to 16th century court procedures and document how various accusations incrementally added up to affect Caravaggio's honor. Also, the art historian Bellori challenged Caravaggio's skills as an artist in his biography. According to Bellori, Caravaggio produced art without art by only partially
applying the concept of disegno to his paintings. Lara Esfahani

During the 16th century ones reputation and honor was very important. The concept of honor culture became part of
everyday life and was something that is constantly being challenged. Caravaggio's police record described him as
being reckless and seemed to be a violent person. According to Bellori, Caravaggio produced art without art by
only partially applying disegno to his paintings. Caravaggio was criticized because he simply painted what he saw. edited version.

2-24 Caravaggio was one of the most influential artists of his time. A number of Caravaggio- influenced painter, known as Caravaggisti, followed him, especially after this death . Artists such as Georges de la Tour, Artemisia Gentileschi, and Velázquez imitated Caravaggio's style with their use of dramatic lighting, placement of figures, clarity of objects, uses of realism, and medium (oil). Although these paintings are very much those of the artist, the similarities and influence of Caravaggio's Renaissance style remain evident. Erica Coffey and Ameera Kazen

2-26 Looking at Velázquez’s bodegones display a strikingly similar use of geometric shapes, round objects, figures of the old woman and old man are triangular. The young boy in both pictures looks identical. A glass is present in both paintings. We had a brief discussion on Gianlorenzo Bernini and his work: Aeneas, Anchises, and Ascanius Fleeing Troy, c. 1615-18. Bernini was a prodigy; his father was a sculptor; he was exposed to sculpturing early in life and got his first commission around 17. Minh thieng Le

3-2 We looked again at Bernini and his variation on Michelangelo's figura serpentinatawithin his A3, Pluto and Proserpina, Apollo and Daphne, and David. A point was made about the subject matter--a women always trying to excape--which might speak to Bernini's patron Cardinal Scipione's personality. We moved from here to Saint Peter's for an introduction to Bernini's Baldacchino within Saint Peter's. Jessica Mulloy

3-4 Today a guest lecturere, Michele Greet, doctoral candidate from NYU, informed us about the works of Velazquez. During his thirty year tenure of painting mostly portraits for Philip IV he used naturalism, positioning in composition and overall effects to convey the king as he then saw him. One of his most important works was Las Meninas (1656), thought to be a psychological capturing of a scene the king would have seen while being painted. Crystell Sullivan

3-16 Our class continued its discussion re: St. Peters (Rome), especially Bernini's work on "The Crossing." We learned more about Bernini's St. Longinus (1628), the only one of the niche statues completed by Bernini that flank Bernini's great
Baldacchino, (the hige bronze canopy over St. Peter's tomb. Within the four great piers at the crossing are four relics: 1) Piece of the true Cross. 2) Veronica's veil; 3) Part of St Andrew (head) and 4) the spear of St Longinus. Then we reviewed and discussed altarpieces of note within St. Peter's, including St Petronilla by Guercino (1621-3 CE) and The Martyrdom of St Erasmus by da Cortona (1627-7 CE). Also, we were beginning to discuss the Poussin Martyrdom of St Erasmus and Valentin's Martyrdom of Sts Processus and Martinanus (1629) when class concluded. Mary Lou McKenna

3-18 In class we watched Roberto Rossellini's film The Rise to Power of Louis XIV. In the movie, we saw how Louis was able to gain power from the church and the merchants that been able to take control away from the King of France. We
learned the importance of clothing, rituals, and social events, as these were all instances in which one could make a point, such as a political point with clothing, or by leaving someone on out of a meeting or council. Art was used as a weapon for
Louis the XIV, in which he displayed the power of the French by getting the best artists and enlarging Versailles. James Craft

3-23 Jennifer Robinson

3-30 We viewed Guercino and Guido Reni's Auroras as well as discussed The Triumph of the Barberini as depicted in Pietro de Cortona's The Glorification of the Reign of Urban VIII. We discussed the difference as well as significance of the
Quadro Riportato as well as the Quadratura methods of ceiling paintings. We compared Reni to Guercino, and Guercino's work to the style of Annibale Caracci, who used the former technique so that all of his paintings looked as if they were viewed from the front (as if standing before them) even though they may have been placed on the ceiling. The quadratura style that Guercino used is premised on the perception that if the painting is above you, you are looking up at it and therefore the perception is different and so is the view. We also discussed the importance of the patrons such as the Ludovisi, Rospigliosi, and Barberini to the works of the artist and his career, the "Aurora" of Guercino being in the Casino Ludovisi, and the "Aurora" of Reni being in the Casino Rospigliosi while the "Glorification" was in the Gran salone of the Barberinis and featured a depiction of their divine providence and family symbols. Debbie Christie and Melissa Ford

4-1 Jacquelyn Sawyer

4-6 Poussin, the “Easel Painter” for hire began his career with commissioned drawings for Cassiano del Pozzo’s Museo Cartaceo. This was a vehicle that allowed him to learn and influenced the style and composition of later works such as: The Death of Germanicus (1627), Diana and Endymion (1631-33), and Rape of the Sabine Women (1633-34). Poussin was also considered the “peintre philosophe” or thinking painter who in his paintings was able to come up with appropriate historical and mythological subjects but could also set a moral mood or theme. Colby Accola

4-8 Poussin - We started the art discussion with Poussin's clientele. We mentioned that his art was geared towards the French and Roman Upper-class, blending history with mythology. We viewed The Rape of the Sabine Women as an example of history painting; followed by his Dance to the music of time. This piece was especially interesting because of its allegorical implications. The passing of economic status throught one's life, and its circular motion, shown through various objects: the dancing ladies, representing Poverty, Industry, Wealth, and Luxury. Which then recycles through itself. Other images are those of Janus, The Passing of the sun God, and of course, Father Time. There is a lot to be read in this "story" being told by Pousin. We comparred this to Velazquez' Water seller of Seville by mentioning the cultural import of the coming of age in various regions of the world. We concluded the class discussing Velazquez humble beginnigs in Seville and how that played an important role when he began painting for Philip IV. We also spoke of Los Borrachos, and its possible implications. Specifically, how it relates to the story of Bacchus, and if it infact somehow represented Philip IV. Lastly, We touched upon Velazquez Mars and Venus at her Mirror/Rokeby Venus. Also, we saw the Ludovisi Mars, and we told about its restoration by Bernini. Max Mantooth

4-13 Artists from different regions often create depictions of similar themes in significantly different ways. This is especially true respecting depictions of mythological figures painted by Poussin and Velazquez, specifically, Poussin’s depictions of mythological figures tend to be consistent with ideal forms of mythological figures while Velazquez’s tend to depict mythological figures in forms similar to that of “everyday” people. The use of mirrors or windows in paintings operate in two not mutually exclusive capacities, specifically, they provide an additional viewing space (referred to as frame within a frame) and, in the case of mirrors, they allow for the viewing of a figure from multiple directions. In addition, when mirrors are utilized in depictions of female mythological figures, they portrait a now unflattering relationship between women and vanity. Finally, often artwork and its depictions play a role in the political arena. Today, this is demonstrated respecting issues of censorship and the consolidation of major media outlets, while in the past it can be specifically demonstrated by the destruction of Venus during the women’s suffrage movement in the U.K. Mike Cascio

4-15 After Urban the Eighth died, Innocent X became pope, all vestiges of artists and other workers having to do with Urban had to leave the papal court as well. This left Bernini to the public, where he was commissioned to depict the 'contemporary' saint of the time, St. Theresa of Avila, in the Carmelite Church. We also examined the Pamphili family, when they were having their palace rebuilt in the Piazza Navona. The architect Boromini was asked to make the obelisk into a fountain and designing the church in that square as well. Jennifer Mislinski

4-20 In class we discussed Bernini and his major work under Pope Innocent X Pamphili. The Fountain of the Four Rivers was originally commissioned to Borromini because everything that was associated with the previous papal family, the Barberini, had to be thrown out, therefore Bernini was not originally selected. Nevertheless, convinced by his sister Donna Olimpia, Innocent could not avoid the skill and creativity that Bernini possesed over Borromini, so he commissioned Bernini to take an obelisk and make it into a fountain for the Piazzo Navona. The Fountain of the Four Rivers (1648-51) is composed of mature, male allegorical figures of four rivers that represented the continents - Ganges (Asia), Nile (Africa), Danube (Europe) and Plata (America - Western Hemisphere). Bernini used a bozzetto, or a "sketch in sculpture" in
terracotta, as a model before he constructed the fountain. Jacky Casumbal

4-22 We looked at three small Churches in Rome, the first, by Borromini, S. Carlo al Fontane, made for the Trinitarians. The church itself dates from 1638-41 and the facade from 1665-7; Borromini used architecture to show off the church
because of the lack of funds. He used walls that narrowed and widened along with a dome and curved arches. We then looked at Saint Andera al Quirinale a Jesuit church by Bernini; he used traditional Bernini design of an oval church with the
altar accented with gilding and marble columns. The final church, Santa Maria della Pace, by Pietro da Cortona, was a favorite of Pope Alexander VII, it had the plaza enlarged to allow for more space and to allow for the Pope's carriage to turn around it also had a new facade put on it. Justin Varley

4-27 Bernini again proved his problem-solving skills by designing St. Peter’s square in such a way that it enabled the public to view the Pope’s blessings and showcased Bernini’s own flare for the dramatic. Later he would be lured by King Louis the
XIV away from the Pope and design a palace façade for him. Though Bernini’s design would not be built, he would successfully sculpt a portrait bust of King Louis, representing the individual, but more importantly kingship in general. Sasha Yellin

4-29 Fouquet, Minister of Finance, invited King Louis XIV to an extravagant party at his new house, Vaux- Le-Vicomte. King Louis became jealous of Fouquet's home and released him from his services and employed the Vaux-Le-Vicomte building team to start construction on the Chateau de Versailles. The chateau was built to make a statement: the rooms were decorated with multiple art pieces and tapestries. The landscape was also meticulously planned and ready to impress, with beautiful water fountains, which made it ideal for afternoon strolls and parties. The class concluded with a brief discussion about the final exam essay; several possible topics were discussed by the class such as; the role of the artist, patronage and national styles, distinctions, art and politics, how art was used as a medium, scale shift, and patronage, decorations, and religion. Finally, it was agreed upon that all of these topic are related in Art History and if the student attended class during the semester the connections between the topics and the works discussed in class should be understood. Sylvia Earl

* You, and a partner, if you are a pair, are responsible for (jointly) providing a 3-4 sentence recap of the most significant points covered in the class on the date which you have chosen. This is not to be a summary of details, but rather an attempt to abstract some general observations from the material we discuss. When you work with a partner, you need to be in e-mail contact with one another and send me your collaborative summary via e-mail, within 48 hours after the class period. Failure to attend class on the your assigned day results in a 0 for the assignment.