• Examine the ceiling frescoes of Carracci, Reni, da Cortona, Gaulli, and Pozzo (see pages 705-708).  What themes are evoked, beyond the imagery itself, by the theatrical and illusionistic devices used by these artists?
• In what ways does the pictorial content change as a result of the expanding mercantile classes in the Dutch Republic?  (see pages 718-720).
  
• Explore the graphic medium of etching and why it became important to Rembrandt's popularity (see page 724).
• How do Dutch 'table still-life' paintings present "morality and humility central to Calvinist faith (see pages 730-732)?

• What philosophical, religious, and stylistic issues contributed to the completion of St. Peter's, Vatican City, Rome (see pages 691-695)?
• David  (see page 695) and Ecstasy of Saint Theresa (see page 696) by Gianlorenzo Bernini.  What elements of the Baroque style are embodied in both these works?
• Examine the facade of San Carlo alle Quartro Fontane, Rome, designed by Francesco Borromini (see page 697).  What is the "new dynamism" that appears in this structure?
• Compare Conversion of St. Paul by Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi) (see page 701) with Judith Slaying Holofernes by Artemesia Gentileschi (see page 703).  What four elements seen in both these works clearly identify them as Baroque?  In what one important way are they different and why?
• Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez (see page 712) displays 'a duality of themes' as well as a statement about the artist's profession.  What are these three 'subjects' of the painting and how does Velazquez create this content?
• In Elevation of the Cross (page 714) and in Allegory of the Outbreak of War  (page 716) the artist Peter Paul Rubens uses "straining forces and counterforces" to pull the composition together, as well as foreshortened anatomy, 'contortion of violent action,' and strong modeling in light and dark.  What are the artist's intentions or goals in using these devices?
• Compare the Archers of Saint Hadrian by Frans Hals (see page 720) with the Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq (The Night Watch) by Rembrandt van Rijn (see page 722).  Why do such genre scenes appear in the Dutch Republic at this time?  What elements do these paintings share?
• Consider View of Haarlem from the Dunes at Overveen by Jacob van Ruisdael (see page 727) and Burial of Phocion by Nicholas Poussin (see page 733).  Explore why and how these two landscape paintings are different.
•  Examine the Baroque architecture and decoration of the Galerie des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors) (see page 739), palace at Versailles, designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart and Charles Le Brun. 

    a)  Explore European Baroque art and more at the Metropolitan Museum of Art!
    b)  Here's a look at "some Baroque projects and masters" -- look at them all!
    c)  Fifteen works by Caravaggio...click on each one for details!
    d)  View Versailles and spectaular French Baroque.
    e)  Examine architecture in Spain --  in Burgos and Toledo.
    f)  Attend an on-line exhibit at the National Gallery of Art entitled "The Triumph of the Baroque."
    g)  Visit the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C.