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Understanding Art: Baroque & Rococo

Score: 98%
Rating: Not Rated
Publisher: Acorn Media
Region: 1
Media: DVD/3
Running Time: 375 Mins.
Genre: Documentary/Historical/Adult-Themed
Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles: SDH English


Features:

  • Documentary The Lost Genius of British Art: William Dobson (62 Mins.)
  • 16-page Viewer's Guide
  • (Written) Biography of Waldemar Januszczak

In Understanding Art: Baroque & Rococo, writer/filmmaker and art critic Waldemar Januszczak takes us on a journey through two important art movements that meandered from St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome to St. Paul's Cathedral in London, traveling the entire 17th century adopting local customs and evolving the style and complexion of art throughout Europe and beyond. The Baroque era begins in Rome in Gian Lorenzo Bernini's architectural masterpiece, the Roman Colonnade of St. Peter's Cathedral. The breathtaking piazza can encircle as many as 300,000 visitors and welcomes them with an enormous architectural embrace.

Some of the world's greatest art was created in the Baroque period: the cathedral architecture of Bernini and Borromini, Caravaggio's Biblical paintings, the painted ceilings of Carracci and the murals of master illusionist Pozzo. The Baroque flourished in the splendor of religious art, and was spawned in answer to Martin Luther's 95 theses in 1517 launching the Protestant revolution against the Catholic Church --- and its art.

The Catholic Council of Trent responded by demanding their artists create works of art that inspired a religious experience to encourage worship, enlightenment and education. While artists were creating scenes of ascension into Heaven, the opposite was occurring in Naples where a conniving trio of mini-mafia artists sought to eliminate any competition for commissions. The Cabal of Naples consisted of artists Corenzio, Caracciolo and Ribera. These three attacked and murdered artists, destroyed paintings, and chased any competition out of Naples. This strange, dark behavior arose throughout the brooding art of Naples.

This Rococo era was enjoyed by carefree aristocrats seeking pretense, romance and frivolity. A break from the formality and religiosity of the Baroque period ushered in a movement of enchantment, flirtation, mystery and love. In Paris during the early 1700's, sentiment, intellect and sensuality were expressed in art. Some great artists visited in this documentary are the Italian landscape painter Canaletto, painter to King Louis XV Boucher, the great British romantic painter Gainsborough, and Goya, the Spanish romantic painter of the royals.

The Rococo movement was an outpouring of arts. During its reign, porcelain became the rage of the day, fashion and design punctuated refined living, women's cosmetics proved deadly, while masquerade could be enjoyed six months out of the year. Travel, romance and leisure were enjoyed by the privileged, while paintings and porcelain exhibited obscure animals from around the world, especially a popular traveling rhino named "Clara."

The final portion of the documentary centers on Britain's finest Baroque portraitist, William Dobson. His works included mostly royals, notables, and military portraits. His importance lies in the fact that he witnessed and recorded critical British historical moments. He was personally in the English Civil War (1642-1646) painting people and their involvement. His paintings were mostly done on square canvases and he introduced symbolism to personally characterize his models.

The Bonus portion of this documentary includes The Lost Genius of British Art: William Dobson (62 Mins.) and a 16-page Viewer's Guide, including map and articles on the bad boys of Naples, the construction of St. Paul's Cathedral, Rococo's power players, the allure of Versailles, Venice unmasked, and Rococo's exotic animals in art.

There is also included a written biography of your host, Waldemar Januszczak. The material covers many artists of these two periods, shows the fashions, classes, buildings, statues and paintings, etc. The artists touched on in this work are too many to mention, but there are visits to Sans Souci, Blenheim Palace, the Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, and Versailles.

Understanding Art: Baroque & Rococo is a fascinating documentary exploring the light and dark moments in art of the Baroque and Rococo movements. Januszczak has an infectious interpretation of these precious historical times. He symbolized the Baroque period as a mis-shapened pearl and the Renaissance as the perfect pearl. The Baroque was breaking out of the perfection and moving into its own form. He spoke of the Rococo characterized by the seashell which identified travelers. The full-flavored heaviness of the Baroque lead the way to relief and frivolity with games and pretense of the Rococo leisure and great art in architecture, sculpture, paintings, porcelain and other forms were the result. This is an adult-themed instructive documentary and parents should be cautioned. It is extremely informative and totally enjoyable, and I recommend it to all art enthusiasts.



-Kambur O. Blythe, GameVortex Communications
AKA Jan Daniel

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