Baroque art (c. 1600–1750) emerged alongside the Counter-Reformation as the Catholic Church sought to inspire awe and spiritual engagement through visually powerful imagery. Characterized by dramatic lighting, rich color, intense emotion, and dynamic composition, Baroque art filled churches and palaces with works designed to overwhelm the viewer. A defining technique was tenebrism, a heightened form of chiaroscuro in which most of the composition is plunged into deep shadow while selected areas are intensely illuminated, creating theatrical spotlighting effects.
The Italian painter Caravaggio (1571–1610) was the most famous practitioner of tenebrism, and his emotionally charged, realistic works revolutionized European painting. In paintings like The Calling of Saint Matthew and Judith Beheading Holofernes, he combined ordinary models with striking light effects to give sacred narratives immediate, visceral impact. In the Dutch Golden Age, Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669) brought unmatched psychological depth to portraiture and group scenes, with The Night Watch (1642) breaking from static group portrait traditions through its dynamic composition and dramatic use of light. The Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) brought a more exuberant sensibility, known for dynamic compositions, vibrant color, and sensuous figures in works such as The Descent from the Cross.
By the early eighteenth century, the Baroque intensity gave way to Rococo (c. 1720–1780), a style that originated in France and celebrated aristocratic leisure, romance, and the pleasures of life. Rococo art is characterized by ornate decoration, pastel colors, playful themes, and elegant curves, often depicting idealized scenes of refined society. Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684–1721) invented the fête galante genre, paintings of elegant outdoor parties, with his Pilgrimage to Cythera epitomizing Rococo charm and delicacy. François Boucher (1703–1770), a leading court painter to Louis XV and favorite of Madame de Pompadour, became the dominant Rococo artist with his sensual mythological scenes, pastoral landscapes, and decorative works that embodied the period's luxurious tastes.