Renaissance & Baroque Art

The greatest difference between the Renaissance and Baroque era is in the style used by artists. Renaissance painters and sculptors were among the first to use perspective in their work. This allowed them to give more realism to their creations. However, this focus on adding depth to their work has made paintings and sculptures seem to lack emotions and failed to capture the emotions that it should depict. This lack of expression was solved by Baroque artists as seen in their famous works. They focused more on the drama of the subject they were trying to showcase. In the following examples we will get to see some of Rembrandt's great work depicting the best of Baroque art.


 A portrait of the fur merchant in Simon Schama’s Rembrand Nicolaes Rut, who sells fur is advertising his merchandise.The fur coat on the merchant looked as if the fur had been brushed up causing the fur to look like it is standing up by static. The pinked inner color of his eyelids makes it seem as if Nicolaes Rut, has not gotten any sleep as if he has been working all night just to satisfy his clients. You could almost feel the emotion of an impatient intelligence in his glance. But he is also solidified by the deep shadow cast by the side of his head, makes him seem thoughtful.The way Rembrandt focuses on these simple details brings the painting to life. He was considered a business man hero because of the presence the image makes as he portrays a responsible, hard working merchant.



Rembrandt was also a virtuous manipulator of paint. In the portrait of the 83 year old woman the mood is almost melancholic, the way her eyebrows furrow and the droopiness of the eyelids with an offsetting glance gives the painting a sense of deep sadness. All while softening the face with his jabbing strokes of the brush to make it seem as if she is vulnerable. Rembrandt was almost a manipulator of the human emotion portraying the realism of the human condition. 

Lastly we have the painting of Sampson and Delilahs tragic love story. Rembrandt is trying to communicate the realism of this devastating scene. While most painters portrayed Sampson nude and desirable, Rembrandt decided to clothe him which makes him seem more innocent and vulnerable to the situation, bringing forth the truth of what awaits him. Delilah is also pulling on his hair with one hand and stroking it with the other. Almost as if there was an internal indecision about what she was about to do. Rembrandt not only gave this painting character but also a depiction of the tragic inseparability of tenderness and betrayal.  

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