4 Badass Baroque/Renaissance Paintings

There's nothing like a trip to an Art Gallery or Museum when you want some inspiration or just to shift perspectives. Transport yourself to a different time period where your stressors do not exist and take part in a little escapism :-P. 

I put together 4 paintings from the Renassiance and Baroque time period that might just give you that epiphany you are looking for.

1) FRANS FRANCKEN II 
Mankind’s Eternal Dilemma: The Choice Between Virtue and Vice (1633)

This beautiful and deeply allegorical painting by Flemish painter Frans Francken II explores our “eternal dilemma”—the everyday, very human choice between virtue and vice. It dives into temptation and sensuality (Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Envy, Pride, Wrath, Heresy, Violence, Fraud, and Treachery) versus the orderly, grounding qualities of virtue: Faith, Hope, Charity, Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, and Temperance.

The painting splits itself into three realms: Hell at the bottom, Earth in the middle, and Heaven at the top. Reminds me of themes from the Divine Comedy, in the best way.

 

2) HIERONYMUS BOSCH 
The Garden of Earthly Delights (1490-1510)

This triptych by Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch is nothing short of a masterpiece (seriously!!!).

With a theme somewhat similar to Francken’s Mankind’s Eternal Dilemma, Bosch’s work is a full visual exploration of Adam & Eve, temptation, earthly pleasure, and the consequences of vice. The left panel shows Adam & Eve; the center panel is the namesake “Garden of Earthly Delights,” overflowing with carnal desires and indulgence (and yes — Bosch definitely leans into the sultry, strange, sexy chaos we still see around us today). The right panel? Pure, nightmarish Hell.

And when the triptych is closed, it forms a sphere meant to depict creation itself — the world before humans arrived. With a sphere representing perfection and wholeness. Amazing.

 

 

3) ANDREA MANTEGNA 
Triumph of the Virtues (1502)

Italian Renaissance painter Andrea Mantegna depicts Minerva (in blue), the Roman goddess of wisdom, intellect, and moral strength. She swoops in to drive out the vices while the virtues stand behind her, ready to take their place. Most figures represent either a vice or a virtue — greed, sloth, justice, fortitude, and so on.

Minerva brings the clarity and wisdom needed to clear out the lower vibes of humanity and replace them with higher ones, ultimately lifting the soul toward higher realms (aka, heaven). Talk about deeply meaningful, transformative energy radiating from a painting!!

 

4) GIOVANNI BATTISTA GAULLI (BACICCIO) 

The Triumph of the Name of Jesus (1672-1685)

This awe-inspiring fresco by Baciccio covers the ceiling of the Church of the Gesù in Rome. The painting blends seamlessly into the architecture, creating the illusion that the heavenly figures are literally bursting out—ascending into our space.

At the center, the glowing “IHS” monogram (the Greek abbreviation for Jesus) radiates outward, symbolizing Christ as the light of the world. Surrounding it are cascades of angels and the blessed, all rising toward divine illumination.

But look toward the lower edge, and you’ll see the damned—those whose choices or actions keep them from reaching those higher realms—tumbling away from the light.

This piece is a total visual explosion, but the symbolic depth is just as intoxicating.

 

These four paintings share a focus on moral and spiritual themes, exploring virtue and vice, human choices, and the consequences of actions. They depict struggles between heaven and hell, ascension and downfall, showing the tension between earthly desires and higher ideals. Through dramatic composition, expressive figures, and symbolic imagery, each painting invites viewers to reflect on ethics, destiny, and the moral paths available to humanity.

 

Well, how did those land for you? If you're feeling a bit off, give it some time. These 4 paintings are not simple. If you want to view each one in more detail check out the links I have provided at the bottom. You can zoom in for even more detail! Enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

Image References

1. “Mankind’s Eternal Dilemma – The Choice Between Virtue and Vice” (1633), Frans Francken the Younger. Image via Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frans_Francken_(II)_-_Mankind%27s_Eternal_Dilemma_%E2%80%93_The_Choice_Between_Virtue_and_Vice.jpg

2. “The Garden of Earthly Delights” (c. 1490–1510), Hieronymus Bosch. Image via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Garden_of_Earthly_Delights_by_Bosch_High_Resolution.jpg

2a. “The Garden of Earthly Delights – Exterior (shutters)” (c. 1490), Hieronymus Bosch. Image via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hieronymus_Bosch_-_The_Garden_of_Earthly_Delights_-_The_exterior_(shutters).jpg

3. “Triumph of the Virtues (Minerva Expelling the Vices)” (1502), Andrea Mantegna. Image via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Minerve_chassant_les_Vices_du_jardin_des_Vertus,_Mantegna_(Louvre_INV_371)_02.jpg

4. “Triumph of the Name of Jesus” (1672–1685), Giovanni Battista Gaulli (Baciccio). Image via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:G.B.Gaulli-Triumph_of_the_Name_of_Jesus.jpg