Why did Baroque artists use dramatic lighting and emotional scenes in religious works?

Baroque artists utilized dramatic lighting and emotional scenes primarily as part of a deliberate Counter-Reformation program adopted by the Roman Catholic Church following the Council of Trent.123

To counter the spread of the Protestant Reformation, the Church sought to stimulate the public’s faith and devotion through art that made an overtly sensory and emotional appeal. The use of these techniques served several key purposes:123

• Stimulating Piety: Dramatic and illusory effects were employed to convey the splendour of the divine and direct the observer’s senses toward heavenly concerns.23
• Accessibility: While dramatic lighting—often achieved through chiaroscuro or tenebrism—heightened emotional tension, a naturalistic treatment of figures made religious images more comprehensible and relatable to the average churchgoer.243
• Active Engagement: By depicting emotionally charged moments with vivid realism, artists aimed to make viewers feel like active participants in the religious event, thereby strengthening their connection to church doctrine.4