Tag: StJohnTheBaptist
-
St. John the Baptist with a Ram
St. John the Baptist (1602) Caravaggio. In art, there have been many “interesting” depictions of St.JtB, but this is one of the most thought provoking. Why is he reclined like that? Where are is his clothes? Why is it a ram and not a lamb? Where are the other symbols we are used to seeing…
-
Saint John the Baptist
Guercino, (c.1645) Saint John the BaptistUnlike many Baroque depictions of Saint John the Baptist that emphasize the fiery prophet of the wilderness, Guercino presents a figure of striking quietness and introspection. The young saint lowers his gaze to the scroll inscribed Ecce Agnus Dei (“Behold the Lamb of God”), meditating on the very message he…
-
The Holy Family with the Infant St. John the Baptist
The Holy Family with the Infant St. John the Baptist (c.1600) Caravaggio. The attribution to Caravaggio is not universally agreed upon by Caravaggio scholars. However, The Met attributes it to Caravaggio and I’m not in a position to argue. It is disappointing that there is very little written about the piece on the Met’s website…
-
Saint John the Baptist Bearing Witness
Saint John the Baptist Bearing Witness (c.1600) Annibale Caracci. Here we see John the Baptist wearing his usual animal skin clothing and carrying a staff with the cross on top. The saint has turned toward us to direct our attention to a figure in the distance. At first glance, based on the clothing, pose and…
-
Behold the Lamb of God
Estaban Murillo Ecce Agnes Dei (c.1655) “Behold the Lamb of God” depicts adult John the Baptist and Jesus together. John the Baptist has his traditional iconography of being barefoot with camel skin clothing, staff with cross and red cloak as well as gesturing toward Jesus. Jesus is standing humbly with his purple cloak. It is…
-
Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness
“Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness” (c. 1622) by Diego Velázquez. Velázquez is the most famous painter of the Spanish Golden Age and strongly influenced impressionism and realism in the 19th century.Growing up in Seville, Velazquez had not seen Caravaggio’s paintings first hand at the time he painted this piece. It is thought he…
-
Baptism of Christ
On January 12th, the Catholic Church celebrates the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist. “The Baptism of Christ” (c.1609) by El Greco and his son is not a Baroque piece, but you can see how the colors, movement and expressiveness of the subjects influenced Baroque artists. I love how they tied in the Holy…