Choose a topic:
1) Considering two important Baroque works – Bernini’s Ecstasy of St. Teresa and Pozzo’s Apotheosis of Saint Ignatius, which one do you think is better “propaganda” for the Church’s attempt to win followers back after the Protestant Reformation? Why? Which one appeals more to you personally? Why?
[Suggestion: begin with some background informaton on the Counter-Reformation and what it hoped to achieve through art and architecture.]
2) Discuss how two elements, tenebrism and composition, contribute to a sense of drama in one or two paintings from the Baroque period, e.g. Caravaggio’s Conversion of St. Paul or The Calling of St. Matthew, or Genteleschi’s Judith and Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes.
3) Compare the interior of the Choir of Saint Bavo’s Church at Haarlem with the interior of St. Peter’s basilica, showing Bernini’s baldacchino. How did these two very different interiors reflect the interpretation and practice of Christianity in their locations?
Formatting: You are graded on using correct formatting, whether MLA or APA. Owl Purdue has a good, easy-to-use website on MLA style, which requires a heading in the upper-left corner of the first page:
Your Name
HUM 333 Age of Revolution
Date of Submission
Essay Topic # [fill in]
Then skip a space and center the title of your essay, but don’t underline, italicize, or bold it. Number the pages (either top or bottom is fine). Doublespace the body of the paper and consistently use a 12-point font.
Writing/Mechanics –50 points: uses MLA or APA style consistently; essay employs clear, focused, effective writing; uses words and terms appropriately; follows a clear and logical structure; has none of the errors on the Essay Checklist; spelling-and-grammar checker does not reveal any errors. Effective introductory and concluding paragraphs, body organized logically.
~*~
You do not necessarily need any outside sources to write the essay. If you do use them, be sure to cite them properly and include a Works Cited listing after the essay. Avoid using long quotes (more than a sentence or two). You do not need to use a citation when you’re relating basic facts known or accessible to a college-age audience in an encyclopedia (e.g., the dates of Picasso’s life or the names and dates of his artistic periods); but you do need it if you’re using or quoting an opinion you didn’t personally arrive at (“Bernini’s David is the best interpretation of the subject”
