Abstract

Beginning in 1517, the Protestant Church began a reformation within the Roman Church. This call for revival acted as a way of renewing Protestant values while criticizing those of the Catholic Church. Under the heavy judgment of European society, the Catholic Church implemented a Counter-Reformation by starting the Council of Trent in 1545. Various doctrines and propositions during the twenty-fifth and final meeting of the Council shifted how not only the Church, but the public were to view art. Art gained a new purpose as the Catholic Church intended for visual representations to glorify and spread Catholic teachings. Similarly to this change was that which came as a result of the Spanish Inquisition lasting from 1478 to 1834. The significance and influence of the Inquisition are seen in Early Romantic art along with themes from the Age of Enlightenment. The wide-scale movement aimed to further the understanding of science, social constructs, and politics. The symbolism of these changes is embedded into the work of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio’s The Entombment of Christ (1602-1604) and Francisco Jose de Goya’s Witches’ Sabbath (1797-1798). An in-depth analysis of each work will be used to decipher how art and society were affected. The research includes a brief history of Italy and Spain to provide additional background knowledge on the respective artists. This history helps outline the symbiotic relationship between art and the change in political, religious, and societal attitudes during the Baroque and early Romantic periods.

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