Baroque and Breaking Out
The Baroque art period is the name given to the dramatic, emotional style of art which emerged across Europe in the 17th Century. The term probably began as an insult derived from the Portuguese, barocco, meaning ‘misshapen pearl.’ It is used to refer to a period of this style as well as the style itself.
Baroque artists had a way of creating drama in portraits. In the self-portrait by Spanish artist, Bartolome Murillo, he painted himself framed by a carved oval. On the ledge beneath the oval are his artist’s tools: a preparatory sketch in red chalk, a palette, and some brushes. It is not clear whether the frame is meant to be a mirror or a painting-within-a-painting.
He breaks the illusion in a startling and creepy way by showing his hand emerging out of the frame, as if the picture is coming to life. This is known as a trompe l’oeil device.
*Note: Self Portrait (1670-73) by Bartolome Murillo, has an inscription that says: Bartolome Murillo portraying himself to fulfill the wishes of his children – it is to be a portrait they can remember him by after he is dead.