Mannerism to Baroque: Italian Painting & Architecture

Decoration of the Chapels of Santa Maria Maggiore

Sistine Chapel

Sixtus V kneels in the Chapel of the Nativity, with its Greek cross plan and very rich pictorial decoration, led by Giovanni Guerra and Cesare Nebbia. The decoration of the dome is more traditional from the compositional point of view. The scallops represent the ancestors of Christ, monumental in foreshortening and use of color, influenced by Michelangelo.

Vatican Library - Sixtus V

Domenico Fontana. The influence of Pompeian painting will remain in the world of Italian painting. This painting is going to acquire a decorative character and will cover the walls.

Chapel of Paul V

Il Cavaliere D'Arpino, whose name was Giuseppe Cesari d'Arpino, knighted by Pope Clement VIII, is one of the Mannerist painters who continued working until his death in the tradition of the 16th century. He directed works such as the frescoes in the dome of Paul V's Funeral Chapel of St. Mary Major. He worked on the implementation of the scallops. These are figures that relate to Michelangelo's contrapposto and the monumentality of his figures, always deformed in a charge in which the head is larger than the body. The Renaissance is still present in the vaults and is ordered. Although there was no geometrical composition, a compositional freedom is achieved with the clouds. These begin to form contrasts with the golden light of the sky's background and the foreground, where they are left more white and cold. This creates a more striking light and shadow contrast. In the Renaissance, the light was always clear, white, and uniform to produce few shadows. This would eventually lead to the gilded Baroque, used to have a great impact with shadows.

He also worked on the dome of St. Peter's Basilica. These are mosaics, with apostles, saints, and angels with putti figures, a symbol of passion. The figures are still encased. The vault is organized as branches, and in each, we see the caisson geometrically. These architectural frameworks are all drawn, painted, and made in mosaic. Inside, we find the topics mentioned above. That of the angels with the symbols of passion is very common. In the scallops are the Evangelists. All support has been written after the death of Christ.

Palace of the Conservatives

He also worked in the Great Hall of the Palace of the Conservatives (Hall of the Horatii and Curatii, 1595-1613) made by Michelangelo. The Horatii and the Curatii's struggle represented this room dedicated to the foundation and origin of Rome.

On the short sides of the room are two marble statues by Bernini. One depicts Urban VIII, similarly represented in his grave. The other statue is by A. Algardi, derived from Bernini, and represents Innocent X.

The front of the room starts in 1595, when the pastor Faustulus married Acca Larentia. They find the wolf with Romulus and Remus. The framework is very helpful for large Baroque decorations, where the big curtains will become part of the sculpture. We see theatrical performances, an important trait in all aspects of life of the Baroque period, within which these resources play. Monumental figures are nude, like big Atlanteans, recalling their physical power. That big curtain, accompanied by angels, gives the feeling that it opens the stage. The composition has a very cool white light, and shade favors by not creating the drawing and the clarity of the figures. In Rome, drawing is valued, as opposed to Venice, where color will be appreciated. In this case, Rome will persist in this white light because it favors this drawing. The light in Venice will be transformed into a more golden light. The figures are dynamic, in which we find two tendencies: a very sophisticated cut of scenes and a much more humane one that has more life and is derived from naturalism. In the center, we see the children, and then two diagonals come out as if the vanishing point were reversed. The central scene gives us a broad landscape and places the human scene well to the fore. But the figures are integrated into the landscape, reflecting that the artist already knows what is in nature. This, with their realism, will turn into character. The landscape is to become the hero of the Baroque.