Influential Work by Baroque Artists Showcased in Toledo Museum of Art Exhibition

The Fall of the Giants by Salvator Rosa (Italian, 1615–1673).
Etching and drypoint, about1663. Toledo Museum of Art purchase, 1978.38

TOLEDO – A wide range of styles and techniques used by leading European artists to tell stories visually is showcased in The Dramatic Image: Baroque Prints of the 17th Century, a new exhibition at the Toledo Museum of Art.

Approximately 80 etchings, engravings and woodcuts from the Museum’s collection of prints from the 17th century through the early 18th century are on view Feb. 25–July 31, 2011 in the Works on Paper Galleries.

The free exhibition includes prints by such notable artists as Annibale Carracci, Agostino Carracci, Salvator Rosa, Jusepe de Ribera, Claude Lorrain, Christoffel Jegher, Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione and Jacques Callot. Many are the same individuals who inspired contemporary Columbian artist Fernando Botero (born 1932), whose work is the focus of the touring exhibition The Baroque World of Fernando Botero that opens later this spring at the Museum.

Tom Loeffler, who organized the print exhibition, noted that the Baroque period, roughly 1600–1750, was inspired by the Catholic Church, which wanted to display realistic images to influence its congregation. Artists responded by creating works of art that show emotion and tell stories in dramatic ways.
In Italy, Baroque works were mainly about religious themes, but in northern Europe, artists focused more on landscapes and scenes from the daily lives of common people, said Loeffler, who is associate curator of works on paper at the Museum.

The Dramatic Image: Baroque Prints of the 17th Century is made possible by Toledo Museum of Art members and supported in part through the sustainable grant program of the Ohio Arts Council.
An exhibition catalog will be available online at www.toledomuseum.org.

The Baroque World of Fernando Botero, organized and circulated by Art Services International, Alexandia, Va., will be on display March 19–June 12, 2011 in the Levis Galleries at the Museum. Admission to that exhibition is free for TMA members and children under 6 years of age. Admission for nonmembers is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors ages 65 and over, and $5 for students ages 6 to 22. Reduced rates are available for student and other groups. Tickets can be purchased online beginning one month before the exhibition opening. There is a $1 handling charge for tickets purchased online.

The Toledo Museum of Art is a nonprofit arts institution funded through individual donations, foundation grants, corporate sponsorships, and investments. The Ohio Arts Council helps fund programs at the Toledo Museum of Art through a sustainable grant program that encourages economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

Admission to the Museum is free. The Museum is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, Noon to 6 p.m.; closed Mondays and major holidays. Friday evening hours are made possible by Fifth Third Bank.