Giovanni Baglioni’s Heavenly Love and Earthly Love – a virtue in the struggle against sin

These were the best of times when art was talked about without end. Times when the composition, color scheme, but especially the mysterious, ambiguous message of a painting was something to get excited about. A painting became an object of intellectual disputes and a true stimulus for spiritual pleasures. This was noticed by art patrons and collectors from the beginning of the Seicento period – a time of increased interest in works dedicated to private contemplation.  And they had a lot to choose from since at that time Rome became home to thousands of artists coming into the city f...

Artemisia Gentileschi’s Saint Cecilia Playing the Lute – an autoportrait in the guise of a saint

A young woman in a beautiful dress is playing the lute, looking up, as if she was searching for inspiration. She could be one of the courtiers at the duke’s court making the time more enjoyable for both residents and guests, and if it had not been for the title of the painting we would not have thought that it depicts a saint. The artwork was painted by Artemisia Gentileschi “the only woman in Italy”, who had ever known what painting, color, impasto, and similar things mean”. This is what was claimed by the great expert of Baroque art, Roberto Longhi in his essay from 1...

Gerrit (Gerard) van Honthorst (1590–1656) – a restrained nocturnal painter

The turn of the XVI and XVII centuries in the Netherlands was a period of social unrest and religious struggles. In Utrecht, ruled by the Protestant, yet liberal elite, the artist was part of the Catholic minority. He learned his trade at the workshop of the famous Abraham Bloemaert. From among the forty-eight painters active in Utrecht at that time, twenty-five went to Italy. Van Honthorst did likewise. During several years he obtained valuable commissions for large-format works designated for churches and captured the minds and hearts of private collectors. His rapid career was a shock, even...