Baroque Painting Techniques

Timeline

1. 1599–1606Rome · ItalyMichelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio completed works such as The Calling of Saint Matthew in the Contarelli Chapel series in Rome, establishing the Baroque visual language with extreme chiaroscuro and ordinary, real figures, overturning the Renaissance idealized tradition.
2. 1601–1625Western Europe · Western EuropeCaravaggio's style passed to Northern Europe through Flemish and Dutch painters who visited Rome (the Caravaggisti); Rubens in Antwerp fused Italian Baroque with Northern tradition, forming a courtly style combining grand narrative with vigorous fleshliness.
3. 1623–1660Madrid · SpainVelázquez entered the Spanish court in 1623, bringing Baroque painting to its peak with masterful handling of light and shadow and psychological depth; works like Las Meninas became milestones in European painting history.