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Apr 27, 2023 · In this guide from AD, learn just how Baroque architecture came to be, discover famous examples of the style, and study what exactly makes the look different from other ornamented aesthetics.
- Katherine Mclaughlin
- Summary of Baroque Art and Architecture
- Key Ideas & Accomplishments
- Beginnings of Baroque Art and Architecture
- Baroque Art and Architecture: Concepts, Styles, and Trends
- Later Developments - After Baroque Art and Architecture
In 1527 Europe, religious dominance had the power to direct and inform the content and climate of society's artistic output. At the time, a backlash against the conservative Protestant Reformation was compelled by the Catholic Church to re-establish its importance and grandeur within society. Artists followed suit by reviving Renaissance ideals of ...
Baroque brought images for religious worship back into the public eye after being banned for their glorification of the ethereal and ideal. The movement's leaders professed that art should be easil...Baroque churches became a pivotal example of the invigorated emphasis on the glory of Catholicism with their designs that incorporated a large central space with a dome or cupola high overhead, all...The defining characteristics of the Baroque style were: real or implied movement, an attempt to represent infinity, an emphasis on light and its effects, and a focus on the theatrical. A number of...Baroque ushered in a new era for European sculpture, led largely by the work of Gian Lorenzo Bernini, which emphasized sensual richness, dramatic realism, intense emotion, and movement. In Baroque...The Term: Baroque
The origin of the term Baroque is a bit ambiguous. Many scholars think it was derived from the Portuguese barrocco, meaning an imperfect or irregularly shaped pearl. And some, like the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau thought it was derived from the Italian barocco, a term used to describe an obstacle in formal logic in the medieval period. In growing usage the term originally contained negative connotations, the artwork within its cadre viewed as bizarre and sometimes ostentatious. But in 1...
The Counter-Reformation
Rather than having a single moment of inception, the Baroque period brought together a number of innovative developments in the late 1500s as it was informed by the different and rival painting styles of Caravaggio, the Bolognese School led by Annibale Carracci, and the architecture of Giacomo Della Porta. A deciding factor in the formation of the movement's intensity and scope was the patronage of the Catholic Church's Counter-Reformation. Following the 1527 Sack of Rome, and in efforts to o...
Giacomo Della Porta
The architect Giacomo Della Porta came from a family of Italian sculptors and was a student, and later collaborator of both Michelangelo and the leading Mannerist architect in Rome, Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola. He worked with Barozzi on the building of the Church of the Gesù (1584) and, following the older man's death in 1573, completed the project with a reinterpreted design. His façade both reduced the number of architectural elements, while simultaneously clustering those elements that rema...
Spanish Baroque
Spanish Baroque was noted for its distinctive style, as a somber and, even sometimes, gloomy mood prevailed in Spanish culture. The Eighty Year War (1568-1648) where the Spanish sought unsuccessfully to maintain control of the Netherlands, and the Anglo-Spanish War (1585-1604) where the Spanish Armada, attempting to invade England, was defeated, drained Spanish finances and created an economic crisis. At the same time, Catholicism was informed by the severity of the Inquisition. In architectu...
French Baroque and French Classicism
Architecture was the dominant expression of the French Baroque style. Called Classicism in France, it rejected the ornate in favor of geometric proportion and less elaborate facades. While Louis XIV invited Bernini to France to submit a design for his Palace of Versailles in 1661, the King instead chose Louis Le Vau's classical design with Charles Le Brun as decorator. As the director of the Gobelins tapestry, Le Brun's work became influential throughout Europe. The Galerie des Glaces (Hall o...
Russian Baroque
Russian Baroque is also called Petrine Baroque, named in honor of Peter the Great who promoted the style in rebuilding St. Petersburg, when he named it the new Russian capital in 1712. He had been inspired by French Baroque following his 1697-1698 visit to Versailles and the Chateaux of Fontainebleau. The Menshikov Palace (1711-1727) became a notable early example of Russian Baroque. Architects like Andreas Schluter, Gottfried Schadel, and Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Le Blond were leading archite...
The Baroque period came to an end with the emergence of Rococo in Paris around 1720. Some scholars refer to Rococo as "Late Baroque," yet it took on a very light-hearted and entertaining style bound to courtly life. Nonetheless Baroque artists continued to be influential in the Rococo period, as Rubens influenced Jean-Antoine Watteau, François Bouc...
Baroque architecture often used visual and theatrical effects, designed to surprise and awe the viewer: domes were a common feature. Their interiors were often painted with a sky filled with angels and sculpted sunbeams, suggesting glory or a vision of heaven.
- Palace of Versailles – Versailles, Île-de-France, France. The Palace of Versailles is arguably the most impressive Royal Palace on earth. It was built by one of Europe’s most powerful monarchs, King Louis XIV, who ruled France for over 70 years from 1643-1715.
- St. Peter’s Square & The Baldacchino – Vatican City, Rome, Italy. St. Peter’s Square or Piazza San Pietro is located within Vatican City in the heart of Rome.
- St. Paul’s Cathedral – London, England, United Kingdom. St Paul’s Cathedral, the largest church in the English Capital of London, is one of the world’s greatest examples of Baroque Architecture.
- Winter Palace – St. Petersburg, Russia. The Winter Palace is one of several massive palaces built by the Romanov Rulers of Russia. Tsar Peter the Great moved the capital of Russia from Moscow to St. Petersburg during the heart of the Baroque Age in 1713.
Key Points. Baroque architecture was linked to the Counter-Reformation, celebrating the wealth of the Catholic Church. It was characterized by new explorations of form, light and shadow, and dramatic intensity. Bernini was the master of Baroque architecture in Rome; St. Peter’s Square was one of his greatest achievements.
Mar 13, 2021 · Baroque: A period in western art from c. 1600 to the middle of the 18th century, characterized by drama, rich color, and dramatic contrast between light and shadow. Obelisk: A tall, square, tapered stone monolith topped with a pyramidal point, frequently used as a monument.
Years active. 17th–18th centuries. The Baroque ( UK: / bəˈrɒk / bə-ROK, US: /- ˈroʊk / -ROHK; French: [baʁɔk]) is a Western style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from the early 17th century until the 1750s. [1]
