|
Analyzing the Influence of Aristotle's Poetics’ impact on the Baroque era and Elucidating his Influence on the Period's Paintings
|
Reza Alipour *   , Fatemeh Sarkarati |
| Islamic Azad university, Abadan Branch |
|
|
Abstract: (2424 Views) |
The seventeenth century witnessed significant social and cultural events. During this remarkable era, the performing arts, tragedy, and comedy experienced a renaissance. Seventeenth-century intellectuals' anthropocentric tendency to study and research Greek literature and culture led to a fresh interest in Aristotle's Poetics. Aristotle's concepts and theories in Poetics, such as his definition of tragedy, became benchmarks for writers, artists, and thinkers. Traces of this influence can be observed in the paintings of the time.
This article aims to examine Aristotle's Poetics’ impact on the Baroque era and elucidate his influence on the period's paintings. It seeks to answer: What elements of Aristotle's Poetics are evident in Baroque paintings, and how can they be explained?
The research method was descriptive-analytical. Data were collected from library sources, and paintings from prominent Baroque artists—Reni, de Ribera, Rubens, Rembrandt, and Poussin—were examined based on records. To avoid prolixity, five works, one from each artist, were randomly selected from the abundant Baroque corpus. The authors analyzed these works according to the stated approach.
The research findings highlighted that all examined paintings depicted mythological, religious, ritualistic, or historical themes, consistent with Aristotle's notion of tragedy in Poetics as a meaningful, significant, and serious portrayal of human fate. Suffering and drama were vividly conveyed through facial expressions and life-sized figures. Figures were often represented against predominantly dark backdrops with theatrical lighting, imprinting Aristotle's tragic form upon the audience's memory and eliciting catharsis and engagement, central aims of Aristotle’s Poetics. |
|
| Keywords: Butiqa, Aristotle, century, 17th, painting, baroque, tragedy. |
|
|
Full-Text [PDF 889 kb]
(1366 Downloads)
|
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2023/05/10 | Accepted: 2024/03/16
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Send email to the article author |
|
|
|
| Add your comments about this article |
|
|
|
