Baroque was the style dominating the European art world throughout the 1600's, and in some countries even longer. The Baroque art period evolved from the Mannerist style of art, which dominated the late Renaissance Era, and its" single-most classification is the artists" preoccupation with light and the sense of emotion depicted in the artwork. Baroque Artists learned how to project its figures into the viewer's space by lighting their figures dramatically and painting the background as mere shadows. The light in the paintings often enhanced the sense of drama and often created a feeling of energy and movement. This type of presentation allows the viewer to feel that they are almost involved in the action or present at the dramatic scene. Three important artists from the Baroque Era are Peter Paul Rubens, Artemesia Gentilesche, and Caravaggio.
Michelangelo Merisi was born in the village of Caravaggio in northern Italy. He was named after his birthplace, which was a common tradition of the times. Caravaggio broke away from the traditional interpretation of religious subjects, trying to paint them realistically. One of Caravaggio's earliest commissioned works called for three large paintings depicting scenes from the life of St. Matthew. Caravaggio used a dramatic realism for the paintings that resulted in public astonishment and was even considered offensive. This reaction marked a change in the artist's style and he then devoted himself to the painting of traditional themes. However, he continued to give a new interpretation by choosing subjects that were placed in a violent or macabre role. He took models from the streets in order to remove the subject from their idealized roles. Caravaggio was at the forefront of the Baroque period and influenced many artists including Gentilesche and Rubens.
Artemesia Gentilesche is one of the few well-known female artists of her era. She is known for her use of strong contrast of light and dark in a dramatic presentation, as was used in the Baroque style of painting.