"The Annunciation"(1608) by Caravaggio at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Nancy. Another strict adherence to pictorial tradition in Caravaggio's late oeuvre. It is wild to think that Caravaggio painted this for a church in France while he was in Messina and on the run after escaping imprisonment by the Knights of Malta. The painting itself is in bad condition as apparently it was transferred to a new canvas at some point and has been subject to multiple poor restoration attempts.

February 11 is the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes when the Virgin Mary appeared on multiple occasions to St. Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes, France.

St. Agatha tended by St. Peter and an Angel in Prison (c.1640) by Alessandro Turchi
house at The Walters Museum in Baltimore. This beautiful piece is oil on slate instead of canvas, which makes the piece more durable and lends itself to tenebrism technique employed by Turchi.

February 3rd is the feast day of St. Blaise. He was a 4th-century bishop and martyr, is best known for his miraculous healing abilities, particularly in curing throat ailments. According to tradition, he was imprisoned and tortured for his faith but continued to perform miracles, even curing a child choking on a fish bone.

January 28th is the feast day of St. Thomas Aquinas, I'm a few days late but I think this painting is cool. St. Thomas Aquinas is a key figure in philosophy and theology, famous for his work "Summa Theologica." He sought to reconcile faith and reason, using logical principles to explain religious beliefs, and had a major impact on Catholic doctrine and Western thought.

In the United States, January 23 is the feast day of St. Vincent, Deacon and Martyr. St. Vincent is protomartyr (first martyr) of Spain. He died in 304 after being brutally tortured. On the left side of the painting you can see his hand on the millstone that they tied to him. They threw him into the sea and miraculously his body washed ashore where his followers were able to give him proper burial outside the walls of Valencia.

January 21st is St. Agnes' feast day. Saint Agnes was known for her steadfast faith and purity. According to tradition, she was condemned to death when she was 13yrs old during the Roman Empire's persecution of Christians. Despite various attempts to harm her, she miraculously remained unharmed until she was ultimately beheaded.

On January 20th, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of St. Sebastian. The Baroque Art Accessibility Consortium also celebrates the birth of our first son, Noah.

January 17 is the feast day of St. Anthony the Abbot. Saint Athanasius, who knew Anthony and wrote his biography, said, "Anthony was not known for his writings nor for his worldly wisdom, nor for any art, but simply for his reverence toward God."

"St. Anthony the Abbot"(c.1635) by Diego Velazquez portrays the saint gazing toward God and in direct communication with Him. This is a fine example of Baroque portraiture, using chiaroscuro to draw attention to the Saint's facial features and long beard. This painting is currently part of a private collection.

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 Trinity of Father, Holy Spirit and down to the Son (Jesus).

The painting is housed at Hospital de Tavera in Toledo, Spain.

One of my favorite things about El Greco is how it is so easy to pick out his work when browsing art galleries because of his signature style. What do you love about El Greco? ?

January 5 is the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, where the Catholic Church celebrates the coming of the 3 Kings to visit Jesus in the manger.

"The Adoration of the Magi"(c.1655) by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo shows the 3 Kings in amazement of baby Jesus. Their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh can be seen as well. The painting is currently on display at the Toledo Museum of Art.

January 2nd the feast day of Saint Basil the Great. His vast knowledge, speeches, monastic reforms, and extensive charitable works earned him the title of "Great" during his lifetime.

Have a look at The Madonna of the Rosary (1604) by Caravaggio. We see the Virgin pointing at the rosaries she gave to St. Dominic, while others kneel and request the rosaries from him. The man on the far left of the painting with the white collar looking back at us may be the donor that commissioned this work. The message of the painting is to remind us of the importance of venerating the rosary and the central role that the Virgin and saints play as intercessors for us.

Much has been written about Caravaggio's Death of the Virgin and its rejection by the Barefoot Carmelites. However, did you know that the painter chosen replace Caravaggio was also rejected on his first attempt?
The Venetian painter Carlo Saraceni also depicted the Virgin dead; though she appeared less lifeless than in Caravaggio's version. He modified the painting to depict her alive but it was still rejected. It was not until Saraceni included cherubs and a more heavenly presence above the Virgin that his painting was accepted and still hangs at Santa Maria della Scala in Rome(2). The first version is on display at the Met in New York(3), and another version is exhibited in Venice at the Gallerie dell'Accademia(4).

Merry Christmas from the Baroque Art Accessibility Consortium! In celebration, we will be sharing our favorite Holy Family scenes by French Baroque artists from our recent trip to the Louvre.

Adoration of the Shepards (1644) by Georges de La Tour. La Tour takes a cue from the Northern Baroque artists and includes a candle as the light source for the painting, creating an effect that the light is radiating from Baby Jesus. Typical of Caravaggio, the Holy Family and shepherds are wearing contemporary clothing of the painter's time.

Merry Christmas from the Baroque Art Accessibility Consortium! In celebration, we will be sharing our favorite Holy Family scenes by French Baroque artists from our recent trip to the Louvre.

The Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth and Saint John the Baptist (c.1633) by Jacques Blanchard. Here is a unique scene with Baby Jesus handing John the Baptist his symbolic staff with cross on top. There is a similar piece by Blanchard at the Art Institute of Chicago that shows Baby Jesus handing John the Baptist a dove. (not currently on display)

Merry Christmas from the Baroque Art Accessibility Consortium! In celebration, we will be sharing our favorite Holy Family scenes by French Baroque artists from our recent trip to the Louvre.

Sleeping Jesus or Silence (1655) by Charles Le Brun - I love how realistic the depiction is with the Virgin silencing John the Baptist since Baby Jesus is sleeping. The composition of the piece feels like a juxtaposition of the traditional Flemish genre (everyday lifestyle) painting and a renaissance Holy Family painting. It is one of the few paintings Le Brun signed.

Merry Christmas from the Baroque Art Accessibility Consortium! In celebration, we will be sharing our favorite Holy Family scenes by French Baroque artists from our recent trip to the Louvre.

Bonus: The Holy Family of Francis I (c.1518) by Raphael and Friends. Not Baroque and not French but I do love this depiction of the Holy Family, mainly because of Joseph's expression of bewilderment and "is this really happening?"

We'd love to hear your thoughts and questions on these French Baroque depictions of the Holy Family!

During Christmas week, we take a look at several of Caravaggio's depictions of the Holy Family. Note: The last slide is not universally accepted as autograph by all Caravaggio scholars.

The Adoration of the Shepherds (1609) was originally displayed in the Messina church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Padri Cappuccini (Our Lady of the Conception of the Capuchins). The small stable, the large animals, Mary seated on the floor and resting against the manger. Everything in this painting is designed to emphasize the humility of the Holy Family, which aligns with the focus of the Capuchin Order. With this altarpiece, Caravaggio truly hit the mark; especially when compared to the rejected Death of the Virgin painted only a few years earlier. The painting is now on display at Museo Regionale di Messina.

The Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence (1609) was displayed in the Oratorio di San Lorenzo (Oratory of Saint Lawrence) in Palermo until it was stolen in 1969. This painting was created not long after the Adoration of the Shepards in Messina, but handles the subject completely differently with a more traditional composition and inclusion of the Saints Lawrence and Francis plus the Angel above the scene. Joseph is facing away from us, looking at the shepherd. There is a reproduction hanging in the church now.

The Holy Family with the Infant St. John the Baptist is on display at the Met in New York. Mary looks extremely young, even younger than she does in the previous slide. Baby Jesus is holding on to her tightly as he stands on her thighs and looks down at John the Baptist, unsure as to what he's doing. Joseph is standing protectively behind Jesus and trying to stop St. John from knocking Jesus over. St John is wearing a camel skin toga, one of the many symbols artists use to identify him.

One of Caravaggio’s few portraits will be on display in a special exhibit until February 23, 2025. This portrait is part of a private collection and has never before been on display to the public. The portrait is of Maffeo Barberini, who at 30yrs old was well on his way to being appointed a cardinal and then eventually elected Pope UrbanVIII. Pope Urban VIII was known as a great patron of the arts, commissioning many of Bernini’s works; such as the Baldachin at St. Peter’s Basilica. He is also known for calling for a special inquiry into one of Galileo’s texts which resulted in Galileo spending the remainder of his life (~10yrs) under house arrest

Welcome to the world of Baroque art, a style that flourished in Europe from the late 16th century to the early 18th century. If you're new to art history, Baroque art might seem a bit overwhelming at first, but it's a fascinating and dynamic period worth exploring. Let's dive into what makes Baroque art so unique and captivating.