Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness

“Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness” is an English work of art painted by Joshua Reynolds in 1776. I had already decided that I wanted to do a Reynolds piece, and as I was scrolling through Google Images, I noticed that most of his works were of the Aristocracy and upper class in general. His portraits (which were basically all he painted) included serious faces, garnished in elegant and lavish clothes. Now this is what English Baroque art predominately was, so it is only fitting that an English Baroque artist paints in the manner. However, this typical English Baroque art isn’t what captivated me. What really grabbed my attention was this little, half-naked boy, with his mouth gapping open, arm up in the air, and a lamb by his side (note that the lamb’s mouth is open too, so it looks as though the boy and the lamb are singing together). From first glance, I thought it was hilarious, adorable, and just all around one of the best paintings I’ve seen in a while.

The little boy in the picture is Saint John the Baptist, portrayed as a child. I find it really intriguing that John the Baptist is shown as a child, because it depicts a sense of pure innocence. The lamb, which is commonly thought of as a symbol of innocence, gentleness, and tenderness as well, is also what John called Christ when he first saw him (a Lamb of God, that is). What I found really interesting was that this painting is religious. England was a Protestant state, and Protestants didn’t believe in the use of religious art; that was a Catholic notion. However, the father of Reynolds was a clergyman so that might have had something to do with it.

Now, the question is, does this painting characterize Baroque art? Well, simply the fact that Reynolds painted this during the Baroque era would mean that yes, this painting is Baroque by definition. However, that does not mean this painting is necessarily Baroque, or more specifically, English Baroque. The accurate and beautiful use of light and dark is definitely an important element of Baroque art. I mean, it’s so obvious that the light source is coming from the upper left area of the painting, as John the Baptist is elegantly lit, while the lamb is pretty much set in the dark. But, this painting does not depict the upper class wearing ornate clothes, so I would not consider it “English Baroque.” Because it is intense, full of motion, and evokes a wide range of emotions, it definitely has a Baroque feel to it, maybe just not an English one. But that’s okay because Reynolds was influenced by many non-English artists like Raphael and Rembrandt, so he probably got influence from them for this masterpiece.

 I don’t think too much historical context is necessary for a painting like this, because it’s very religious (Christian, to be more specific), and that was an important part of Europe since even the birth of Christianity. I think what is important to note about this painting, however, is the manner it is painted in. If you look at a painting from the Renaissance depicting young John the Baptist singing with a lamb (if that even exists), it would look so different from this Baroque painting, you might not even be able to tell they were both painting the same scene, and I think that’s what really has to be thought of here. This painting is BAROQUE; not all the elements of typical Baroque art are used, but in the sense of lighting and movement, it’s 100% Baroque. Just maybe not your stereotypical English Baroque art.