Baroque oil painting in church
The word "Baroque" in art refers to painting, architecture and sculpture created in the 17th century. Painting shifted during this period from the uber-intellectual and emotionally remote Manneristic style of the High Renaissance to the more overt and and universally accessible style that came to be termed Baroque. Artists who are often labeled Baroque include Caravaggio, Carracci, Velázquez, Rubens and Rembrandt.
Simple, Dramatic Themes
Baroque oil paintings are most notable for their dramatic themes coupled with overt visual messages. While the dramatic portrayal of your subject may imply a multi-layer meaning or even a visual story, it should not be difficult to comprehend. During the actual Baroque period, the Catholic church was the major financial supporter of the arts and thus a large majority of the art produced was religious in nature. Still, the subjects of the paintings were a matter of circumstance and possibly not a critical aspect of the art itself. For a modern painter to replicate Baroque painting style, perhaps a literary subject or even a social theme could be used. More important is that the subject should be obvious, and it should evoke an emotional response in the viewer.
Planning ahead will allow you to choose a subject for your painting, which you can display in a way that is easy to decipher but still visually intriguing. If you are portraying an image from a story, choose a moment in the story that represents an emotional climax. Characters in the paintings should be famous and clearly portrayed, so as to be easily recognized by masses of viewers.
Alternatively, still-life subjects were also common paintings during the Baroque period. The still-life paintings during this time showed lavish displays with flowers, books, cups and timeless, every day items that were richly detailed and care-worn. A still-life painting is an acceptable subject for a Baroque style, if created within these parameters.
Simple Backgrounds
The subject of the painting should capture the total attention of the viewer, so the background should be simple and flat. A common trick Baroque artists used was the placement of a dark background behind well-lit subjects, causing the characters in the paintings to pop out in a dynamic, dramatic fashion. Use natural but flattering light to emphasize the form of the characters in the paintings.
Hyper-Detailed Images
Although Baroque artists were not painting 100% realistically, there was an emphasis upon tiny and unexpected details that gave the overall impression of a true-to-life image. For example, a still-life of flowers might show a fly on a flower petal, including every line of the tiny wings and eyes and legs, down to a near-scientific accuracy.
