Light and Dark Shading in 17th Century Art

The use of absolved and glum shading during the Baroque artistic movement during the 17th century was how the artist caught the eye of the observer and brought strain to certain areas of the painting. The technique was used by many of the artists of the day and their influence can even be seen in modern times. Rembrandt van Rijn and Johannes Vermeer are 2 examples of artist that used the elements of light and trace shading.Rembrandts famous Self Portrait is a sinless example of how he used the technique. In the personation, the corned Rembrandt seriously looks out with a far away(p goingicate) look. Most of the picture is dark and the clothing and focal ratio body of the body is so dark that exactly a muted outline can be seen of his clothing. There is a burst of light on his hands. The eye is drawn upward to the dark red behind the artists head. Even though it is dark, the red brings color to the portrait. The only true light is focalizeed on Rembrandts face. That is w here the emphasis of the solid painting lies. He does this so that only the echt parts of the real man draw the attention.Vermeer, on the other hand, uses shading differently. There is a dark tapestry on the wall behind the root in Woman Holding Balance. The area to the empennage left is also dark. An extremely dark good-for-naught cloth is draped on the telephone in front of her and hangs off the side. The underneath portion of the table is too dark to discern anything. There is a beam of light that flows from a high window and it illuminates the womans face and upper torso so that it is obvious that she is holding a balance.Her skirt and cape are dark, but the edging of her cape and headdress is white, thus outlining her face and hands as she stares intently at her balance. The light in the portrait bring the focus the womans expression, and brings her to the center of the painting.Both Rembrandt and Vermeer did an excellent job of creating emphasis by using light and dark shading. They were examples of an artistic stop consonant that is still admired today. ReferencesHistory of Art A Brief Survey. Baroque and Rocco Art. Retrieved June 7, 2007, fromhttp//www.ou.edu/ material body/ahi1113/html/ch-13-2.htmhttp//www.ou.edu/class/ahi1113/slides/13-24.jpghttp//www.ou.edu/class/ahi1113/slides/13-26-2.jpgPortrait History. Retrieved June 7, 2007, from http//www.family-portrait.net/portraithistory.php