Activity #12: Write About It: Style and Movement

In 1655, Rembrandt van Rijn created “Abraham’s Sacrifice,” a print on paper utilizing etching and drypoint during the Baroque Era (1600s-1700s). During this era, Rembrandt utilized a naturalistic approach to his representational art style. Style is a characteristic or multiple characteristics that are identified as constant or recurring in the work of an artist, movement or period (587). Representational art depicts forms in the natural world (587). Naturalistic is descriptive of an approach that portrays the visible works as objective observation and accurate imitations of appearances while being construed as a broader approach, permitting a degree of idealization and embracing a stylistic range across cultures (585). The techniques and elements of design used, such as etching and line, allow Rembrandt to achieve the fine detail present in this depiction of an epic biblical story and express the emotion typical of the Baroque Era. Movements in art are associated with periods and are generally shorter periods of time. The French, American, and Industrial Revolutions sparked the beginnings of movements and gave way to rapid successions of new and unique styles around the 1800s (505). With this, Rembrandt’s works were not specific to any movement; rather, they were apart of an entire period that is know as Baroque.



In 1943, M.C. Escher created a lithograph on paper known as “Reptiles” during what is known today as the Modern Period. The Modern Period is characterized by rapid change and ranges from early 19th century to the middle of the 20th century (1800-1945). The rapid changes in style are known as movements, shorter spans of time within periods. Style is a characteristic or multiple characteristics that are identified as constant or recurring in the work of an artist, movement or period (587). Escher’s style, like Rembrandt’s, is representational of naturalism. Naturalism is a broad approach representational art, permitting a degree of idealization and embracing a stylistic range across cultures (585). Also present in many of Escher’s works is trompe l’oeil. This is French for “fool the eye” and is present in representational art that mimics optical experience so closely that it may be mistaken for reality (30). In “Reptiles” we see this trickery where the lizards wretch themselves from the drawing and then return. It can be said that his style was strongly influenced by the movement during the time. Escher was apart of a movement known as surrealism. Surrealism grew out of Dada and appreciated the logic of dreams, the mystery of the unconscious, and the lure of the bizarre, the irrational, the incongruous, and the marvelous (529). Typical of this movement and Escher’s works are impossible perspectives, fantastic metamorphoses and general eye-trickery. This work, as well as others from Escher and members of this surrealism movement, are interesting and allow for the liberation of the mind and extract the imaginative powers of the unconscious.