Renaissance vs. Baroque Art (MET Museum)

From its architecture to its massive art collection, the MET has a little bit of everything where everyone can find something interesting to him/her. The MET is one of the biggest museums I have ever been to, and it amazed me by its exterior architecture. It reminds me of European architecture and it emulates the Gothic style. Interior architecture is beautiful, too, however, what catches my attention are sights, scenes, and light. At this time I went to see Renaissance and Baroque Art, to see and observe the differences between them.

The MET

This composition (below) is characteristic of the Antwerp Mannerism style of the first half of the 16th century. Mannerism is known as the Late Renaissance, a style of European Art. “The Adoration of the Magi” was a work made/painted for the opulent taste of the cosmopolitan community in Antwerp. The style of this art piece reminded me of many works of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, all because their compositions were similarly flat, soft, and unnaturally elegant.

The Adoration of the Magi,1526
Quentin Metsys, Netherlandish
Renaissance Art
Fig.1

Fig.2

The composition below is an example of Baroque Art (16th century) by Anthony van Dyck. We can see playful infant Jesus on Saint Catherine’s lap. The painting portrays warm humanity, it made me stare for a while and feel calm; it also portrays “elegantly rhythmic composition reflect Van Dyck’s great admiration for Titian, Veronese, and other North Italian artists during his years in Italy (1621–27)”.

Virgin and Child with Saint Catherine of Alexandria, ca. 1630
Anthony van Dyck, Flemish
Baroque Art
Fig. 1

Fig. 2

So, the differences, Renaissance began early in the 1400s when Baroque art came later in the 1600s. The artist Quentin Metsys of “The adoration of the Magi” composition is more famous than the artist Anthony van Dyck (second painting ) by his style, which was similar to da Vinci’s. I noticed that Baroque art depicts more emotions than Renaissance art like they focused more on the drama of the subject they were trying to showcase. However, both Baroque and Renaissance artists showed rich colors and realism, balance, and symmetry.

As for the frames of the paintings, I noticed that Quentin Metsys frame of the painting looks more simple like he wanted the frame to disappear but made a focus on the painting itself, style, and human proportions, when Anthony van Dyck’s frame of his painting was fancier, bringing more drama into the artwork. It is also important to note that the artworks of both the Renaissance and Baroque periods were generally commissioned by wealthy patrons or ruling families.