By embracing the naturalistic aims of the Baroque era and depicting life as it was, as it appeared to him, without the fineries of the Mannerist method of art, Velazquez became a chronicler of the present as well as a depicter of the past. Velazquez did this by developing a technique that was "fluid" and broke with conventional methods of painting (Brown 18)
Thus, his canvases offer a stunning variety of form to the viewer, with unexpected moments of brilliance balanced by unexpected moments of complete opacity -- both of which are capable of producing a vivid third dimensional effect in their own ways, one using light and the other using the physical attributes of built-up paint. Rubens was also a fast painter like Rembrandt and utilized the sprezzato method to complete paintings quickly and with vibrant results (Bruce-Gardiner 580)
The same technique is evident in the Gerbier Family (1629). The underpainting is evident in the areas where shadows and translucent areas meet, allowing the picture to a holographic feel and a hypnotizing appearance (Buck 32)
He also did a series of paintings of musicians, which are character portraits, lively, jovial pictures of musicians that are as colorful as they are eye-catching. The Caravaggio technique is evident in these paintings as well, but to a less serious degree (Bussagli, Reiche 63)
Rembrandt's themes were diverse, though he has been characterized as a history painter (Johnson 372). He examined Jewish, Christian, and Dutch lives and stories, focusing on real people rather than idealistic beauty (Fuchs 136) as was common in the earlier Renaissance era
The action stands out for the contrast of Judith's white blouse and creamy features with the shadowy backdrop. The sheen with which Caravaggio produces his picture is said to have been made by the application of "a thin layer of tempera" over the oil, giving it a subtle gloss in order to help capture and retain light (Gash 104)
Caravaggio also employed a "sprezzato" technique, exemplified by "rapid, cursory" strokes which would later be utilized by the Impressionist painters centuries later. This technique allowed Caravaggio to cultivate a simpler form of expression that still remained true to the naturalistic aim of the artist (Gregori 310)
His ability to depict reflections stemmed from his nuance of accent, using a "silvery transparency" to "heighten the mirrored reflections" of objects within the paintings (Serullaz 21). This ability to attain a gloss that carried with it real depth of space would rival that of the Dutch painter Vermeer, who also depicted realistic scenes by applying layer after layer of translucent paint until the characters and their settings leapt from the canvas like a hologram (Gudiol 87)
This is a particularly dramatic technique that Honthorst uses to compel the viewer to feel a part of this very intimate scene, hidden from the world in the prison cell where Christ is mocked. The effect is of being invited to the spectacle and ones feels helpless to intervene, which may perhaps be the purpose of the artist (Hagen 224)
This candlelight technique was what distinguished Honthorst from others: it was his niche way of producing a dramatically effective work of art. Whereas other painters of tenebrism and chiaroscuro would play with light and darkness by highlighting and illuminating certain passages without ever directly referencing the source of light, as is often the case in Caravaggio's technique, Honthorst does not do this: he portrays scenes which include the source of light, giving them a more realistic, robust, hearty, and naturalistic effect (Hoogewerff 22)
But even his works contain a Dutch quality that is unmistakable. Rembrandt's themes were diverse, though he has been characterized as a history painter (Johnson 372)
In Woman with Guitar (1631), the backdrop is blue and matches the yellow and blue dress of the musician as well as her wood paneled guitar and the feather in her hat. There is a tonal harmony in these paintings that is reminiscent of the tonal harmonies produced by Velazquez (Judson 67)
This is the Caravaggio technique being utilized by the Dutch sensibility, striving for realism but also for dramatic and artistic appeal. Honthorst frames the scene with alternating shadows and glows, ultimately bringing the viewer's eyes to rest on the merriment of the Matchmaker and her prominently displayed bosom, indicating and reinforcing the theme of the narrative: she holds the keys to the happiness of the supplicating figures who are enshrouded in the darkness of bachelorhood (Marucci 345)
Velazquez used a more dignified approach to painting, one that was less traditional, but more intuitive; one that was less artificial, yet more realistic; one that created impressions without surrendering any sense of realism. Velazquez laid the groundwork for future Spanish artists like Goya, who would look to the painter for guidance in the areas of producing effect by confidently applying the right amount of pigment, with tonal unity in mind, and with saturation also in view (Perez 60)
The backdrop is not as entrenched in shadow as a Caravaggio or as Rubens's Two Satyrs, which mainly focuses on the features of the myth, but rather allows the features of the room and even the soldiers in the hallway outside the room to add to the drama of the scene. One soldier in the far backdrop carries a torch which helps to balance the painting by bringing some illumination to the right side of the panel, reflecting in a way the illumination of the left side's lamp, which highlights the charms of Delilah and the curls of Samson's hair which are being cut off (Plesters 40)
If it leapt from the canvas with life and realism, this was what was essential. In his mature works, Velazquez uses layers to "soak in light" and then reflect it back onto the viewer (Sanchez 38)
The oil on wood medium appears to have allowed the colors to stand out one from another, giving the overall mood of the painting a gauzy, dreamy quality that reflects the thematic nature of the narrative. In this sense, it appears that Rubens's technique is to mirror the story in the application of the paint itself (Saunders 77)
He strived to create an effect of color harmonies in his works and to create the impression of refracted light, as is seen in a mirror. His ability to depict reflections stemmed from his nuance of accent, using a "silvery transparency" to "heighten the mirrored reflections" of objects within the paintings (Serullaz 21)
Rather than painting in an idealized manner, as other artists do, in order to create an effect of beauty and harmony, Caravaggio effected the Baroque manner by treating of his subjects with a realistic eye for detail. Caravaggio's "vigorous" method of painting in a realistic way, albeit with an eye for the dramatic effect, is what helped make the Baroque era so lifelike and animated (Slive 7)
His technique was tonally harmonious, like Velazquez, and the overall output indicates that there was something joyous and playful in his approach to his subject, when it was not something sorrowful like one of the Passion depictions. When his attention was turned to the happy portraits of musicians, for instance, Honthorst could became a kind of clownish Caravaggio, one who was able to use the effect of the Italian master for a heartier and more down-to-earth depiction of the other aspects of human nature that are seldom called to mind by the dramatic technique of chiaroscuro (Viardot 329)