THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST
BY – FRANCESCO ALBANI
The Baptism of Christ is a painting by the Italian painter Francesco Albani. TheBaptism of Christ was painted between 1630 and 1635 probably in Rome, Italy where the painter resided at the time. During the Baroque period there were a lot of influences on the arts, but the one influence that seems to have the most effect on Francesco Albani’s work is the Council of Trent. The Council of Trent had a large influence on art during the Baroque period because during this time the Catholic church was trying to define the churches doctrine once and for all. The Catholic church wanted to separate themselves from the doctrines of the Protestant church and to condemn the teachings of Protestantism. The Catholic church decided through the Council of Trent that art should be easily understood unlike paintings during the mannerism era where the target audience was more the educated population. The Council of Trent also decided that the Catholic churches interpretation of the bible was the ultimate interpretation and anyone including artists who tried to challenge the church would be considered heretics. This was a direct hit on Protestantism because Protestants interpreted the bible differently than the Catholic church did. This split of the churches had a very large influence on the arts in general. If you were on the side of the Catholic church and you were an artist, any paintings that were produced by you that had a religious theme needed to follow the doctrine of the Catholic church. The Baptism of Christ by Francesco Albani is a great example of how an artist created work that followed the doctrine of the Catholic church. The painting depicts a story in the bible about Jesus Christ being baptized. The painting does not appear to show anything that would be inaccurate to the bible or something that the Catholic church would be opposed to.
The reason I choose this painting was for the occurrence of such a holy occasion and its depiction with several elements present in it. The blue sky in the background helps to add a very puristic sense to the painting. The minute details of the painting amuses me where a lady in the corner is explaining to her child what is going on. Overall this painting is very relieving as it displays an eventful of purity and joy.
References –
http://history.hanover.edu/texts/trent.html
Csborade's Blog 
You gave factual information of the painting, and reasons you liked it. There were definitely connections to the influences of the time, and reading the background information about the two conflicting churches was interesting. I like the reasons that you enjoy this painting. It is unusual to me that a person in the painting is pointing out what others are doing. I wonder, is all that happens in this painting depicted in the bible, or did Albani add extra things to it?
Great response. Your analysis of Baroque art being inspired by the Council of Trent is really insightful. Also, the way that the Catholic Church controlled art was really helpful in describing the painting. You gave a lot of great information about the piece. Your description of the painting and your reason for choosing it was also very interesting.
I was not really a fan of the piece, but I really enjoyed your response. You definitely backed up your statement of this piece being inspired by the Council of Trent with your Catholism vs Protestantism statements. Great Job!!!