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7 What Was the Baroque Style of Art? Who Did It Glorify?


The Apotheosis of St Ignatius
(1694) San Ignazio, Rome, by Pozzo.
1 of the Bizarre's about inspiring
religious paintings ever created.

Definition: What is Baroque Art?

In fine art, the term Baroque (derived from the Portuguese 'barocco' significant, 'irregular pearl or stone') describes a fairly complex idiom, originating in Rome, which flowered during the menstruation c.1590-1720, and which embraced painting, and sculpture as well as architecture. After the idealism of the Renaissance (c.1400-1530), and the slightly 'forced' nature of Mannerism (c.1530-1600), Baroque art above all reflected the religious tensions of the age - notably the want of the Catholic Church in Rome (every bit annunciated at the Quango of Trent, 1545-63) to reassert itself in the wake of the Protestant Reformation. Thus it is nearly synonymous with Catholic Counter-Reformation Art of the period.

Many Catholic Emperors and monarchs beyond Europe had an of import pale in the Catholic Church's success, hence a large number of architectural designs, paintings and sculptures were commissioned by the Imperial Courts of Spain, France, and elsewhere - in parallel to the overall campaign of Cosmic Christian art, pursued by the Vatican - in society to glorify their own divine grandeur, and in the process strengthen their political position. By comparing, Baroque art in Protestant areas like Kingdom of the netherlands had far less religious content, and instead was designed substantially to appeal to the growing aspirations of the merchant and middle classes.

Styles/Types of Baroque Art

In lodge to fulfill its propagandist part, Catholic-inspired Baroque art tended to be large-scale works of public art, such as monumental wall-paintings and huge frescoes for the ceilings and vaults of palaces and churches. Baroque painting illustrated central elements of Catholic dogma, either straight in Biblical works or indirectly in mythological or allegorical compositions. Along with this monumental, high-minded approach, painters typically portrayed a strong sense of motion, using swirling spirals and upward diagonals, and strong sumptuous colour schemes, in order to dazzle and surprise. New techniques of tenebrism and chiaroscuro were developed to enhance atmosphere. Brushwork is flossy and broad, often resulting in thick impasto. However, the theatricality and melodrama of Baroque painting was not well received by later critics, like the influential John Ruskin (1819-1900), who considered it insincere. Baroque sculpture, typically larger-than-life size, is marked by a similar sense of dynamic motion, along with an active use of space.

Baroque architecture was designed to create spectacle and illusion. Thus the straight lines of the Renaissance were replaced with flowing curves, while domes/roofs were enlarged, and interiors carefully constructed to produce spectacular effects of light and shade. It was an emotional style, which, wherever possible, exploited the theatrical potential of the urban landscape - as illustrated by St Peter'south Square (1656-67) in Rome, leading up to St Peter's Basilica. Its designer, Bernini, ane of the greatest Bizarre architects, ringed the square with colonnades, to convey the impression to visitors that they are existence embraced by the arms of the Cosmic Church.

As is axiomatic, although most of the architecture, painting and sculpture produced during the 17th century is known as Bizarre, information technology is by no means a monolithic mode. In that location are at to the lowest degree three different strands of Baroque, as follows:

(i) Religious Grandeur
A triumphant, extravagant, well-nigh theatrical (and at times) melodramatic fashion of religious art, commissioned past the Cosmic Counter Reformation and the courts of the absolute monarchies of Europe. This blazon of Baroque art is exemplified by the bold visionary sculpture and architecture of Bernini (1598-1680), by the trompe fifty'oeil illusionistic ceiling frescoes of Pietro da Cortona (1596-1669) - see his masterpiece Allegory of Divine Providence (1633-39) - and by the grandiose paintings of the Flemish principal Rubens (1577-1640).

(2) Greater Realism
A new more life-like or naturalist style of figurative limerick. This new approach was championed past Carravaggio (1571-1610), Francisco Ribalta (1565–1628), Velazquez (1599-1660) and Annibale Carracci (1560-1609). The boldness and physical presence of Caravaggio's figures, the life-similar approach to religious painting adopted past Velazquez, a new form of motility and exuberance pioneered past Annibale Carracci, and a realistic course of rustic Biblical genre painting, complete with animals, evolved by Castiglione (1609-64) - all these elements were part of the new and dynamic style known every bit Baroque. See also: Classicism and Naturalism in Italian 17th Century Painting.

(iii) Easel Fine art
Unlike the large-scale, public, religious works of Baroque artists in Cosmic countries, Bizarre art in Protestant Holland (oft referred to as the Dutch Gilt Age) was exemplified by a new type of easel-art - a glossy form of genre-painting - aimed at the prosperous conservative householder. This new Dutch Realist School of genre painting also led to enhanced realism in portrait art and landscape painting, flower pictures, animal compositions and, in particular, to new forms of still life painting, including the Protestant-inspired genre known as vanitas painting (flourished 1620-50). Different towns and areas had their own 'schools' or styles, such every bit Utrecht, Delft, Leiden, Amsterdam, Haarlem and Dordrecht. Run across: Dutch Realist Artists.

In addition, to complicate matters further, Rome - the very center of the movement - was also home to a "classical" way, as exemplified in the paintings of the history painter Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665) and the Idealized mural creative person Claude Lorrain (1600-82).

Notation: For other important historical stylistic trends like Baroque, run across Art Movements, Periods, Schools (from about 100 BCE).

History of Baroque Art

Post-obit the pronouncements made by the Council of Trent on how art might serve organized religion, together with the upsurge in confidence in the Roman Cosmic Church, it became clear that a new manner of Biblical fine art was necessary in guild to support the Catholic Counter Reformation and fully convey the miracles and sufferings of the Saints to the congregation of Europe. This fashion had to be more forceful, more emotional and imbued with a greater realism. Strongly influenced by the views of the Jesuits (the Bizarre is sometimes referred to as 'the Jesuit Mode'), architecture, painting and sculpture were to piece of work together to create a unified upshot. The initial impetus came from the arrival in Rome during the 1590s of Annibale Carracci and Carravaggio (1571-1610). Their presence sparked a new interest in realism besides every bit antique forms, both of which were taken up and developed (in sculpture) by Alessandro Algardi (in sculpture) and Bernini (in sculpture and architecture). Peter Paul Rubens, who remained in Rome until 1608, was the only great Cosmic painter in the Baroque idiom, although Rembrandt and other Dutch artists were influenced by both Caravaggism and Bernini. France had its ain (more secular) relationship with the Bizarre, which was closest in architecture, notably the Palace of Versailles. The key figure in French Baroque art of the 17th century was Charles Le Brun (1619-ninety) who exerted an influence far beyond his own metier. See, for case, the Gobelins tapestry mill, of which he was director. Spain and Portugal embraced it more enthusiastically, equally did the Catholic areas of Germany, Austria, Hungary and the Castilian Netherlands. The culmination of the movement was the Loftier Bizarre (c.1625-75), while the apogee of the motion'south grandiosity was marked by the phenomenal quadratura known as Apotheosis of St Ignatius (1688-94, S. Ignazio, Rome), by the illusionist ceiling painter Andrea Pozzo (1642-1709). Surely one of the best Baroque paintings of the 17th century.

Naples, in 1600 the second largest metropolis in Europe after Paris, was an of import centre of Counter-Reformation Bizarre art. The Neapolitan School was developed past Caravaggio, Ribera, Artemesia Gentileschi, Mattia Preti (1613-99) Luca Giordano (1634-1705), Francesco Solimena (1657-1747) and others. For more than, run across: Painting in Naples (1600-1700) and Caravaggio in Naples (1607, 1609-x). For the early 17th century, see: Neapolitan School of Painting (1600-56); for subsequently developments see: Neapolitan Baroque Painting (c.1650-1700).

Note: It took longer for the Baroque fashion to reach Russia. Indeed, information technology wasn't until the flow of Petrine art in St Petersburg under Peter the Great (1686-1725), that architects like Rastrelli, Domenico Trezzini, Andreas Schluter, Gottfried Schadel, Leblond, Michetti, and Matarnovi began designing in the style of Russian Baroque.

For details of the development of Bizarre art outside Italy, meet: Flemish Bizarre (c.1600-80), Dutch Baroque (c.1600-80) and Spanish Bizarre (1600-1700).

Past the end of the 17th century the m Baroque style was in decline, as was its principal sponsor, Italia. The coming European power was France, where a new and contrasting style of decorative art was offset to emerge. This lite-hearted style before long enveloped architecture, all forms of interior decoration, furniture, painting, sculpture and porcelain design. It was known as Rococo.

Famous Bizarre Painters (and Paintings)

Hither is a short list of the greatest One-time Masters of the Baroque Menstruum, together with some of their works:

Annibale Carracci (1560-1609) of the Bolognese School (1590-1630)
- Christ Wearing the Crown of Thorns (1585-7, Gemaldegalerie, Dresden)
- Farnese Gallery fresco paintings (1590s, Rome)
- Flight into Egypt (1604, Doria Gallery, Rome)

Together with his brother Agostino Carracci (1557-1602), and cousin Ludovico Carracci (1555-1619), Annibale founded an art academy called the Accademia dei Desiderosi, later renamed the Academy of the Progressives (Accademia degli Incamminati). This was the core of the Bolognese school of painting.

Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)
- Descent from the Cross (Rubens) (1612-fourteen) Cathedral, Antwerp.
- The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus (1618) Alte Pinakothek, Munich.
- Judgement of Paris (1632-5) National Gallery, London.

Carravaggio (1571-1610)
- The Calling of Saint Matthew (1600) Contarelli Chapel, Rome.
- The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew (1600) Contarelli Chapel, Rome.
- Conversion on the way to Damascus (1601) Cerasi Chapel, Rome.
- Supper at Emmaus (1601) National Gallery, London.
- Crucifixion of Saint Peter (1601) Cerasi Chapel, Rome.
- Expiry of the Virgin (1601-half dozen) Louvre, Paris.
- The Entombment of Christ (1601-3) Vatican Museums, Rome.

Domenichino (1581-1641)
- The Last Communion of St Jerome (1614) Pinacoteca, Vatican.
- Scenes from the Life of St Andrew (1622-7) Frescoes, South. Andrea della Valle.

Simon Vouet (1590-1649)
- Psyche Watching Amor Sleep (1626) Musee des Beaux-Arts, Lyon
- Presentation in the Temple (1641) Louvre, Paris.

Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1656)
- Judith Beheading Holofernes (1620) Uffizi Gallery, Florence.

Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665)
- Abduction of the Sabine Women (1634-v) Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Et in Arcadia Ego (Arcadian Shepherds) (1637) Louvre, Paris.

Diego Velazquez (1599-1660)
- Waterseller of Seville (1618-22) Apsley House, London.
- Christ on the Cross (1632) Prado, Madrid.
- The Give up of Breda (1634-5) Prado, Madrid.
- The Rokeby Venus (1647-51) National Gallery, London.
- Portrait of Pope Innocent X (1650) Doria Pamphilj Gallery, Rome.
- Las Meninas (1656), Museo del Prado, Madrid.

Rembrandt (1606-69)
- The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (1632) Mauritshuis.
- The Night Watch (1642) Rijksmuseum.
- Aristotle Contemplating the Bosom of Homer (1653) Metropolitan Museum, NY.
- Bathsheba With Rex David's Letter (1654) Louvre.
- Jan 6 (1654) The Six Collection, Amsterdam.
- The Syndics of the Clothmakers Guild (The Staalmeesters) (1662).
- The Suicide of Lucretia (c.1666) The Minneapolis Constitute of Arts.
- The Jewish Bride (c.1665-8) Rijksmuseum.

Carlo Maratta (Maratti) (1625-1713)
- Constantine ordering the Destruction of Pagan Idols (1648) Rome.
- Portrait of Pope Cloudless Ix (1669) Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg.

Among other outstanding Bizarre painters are: the portraitist Van Dyck (1599-1641), see also: Baroque Portraits - and the foremost however life and fauna painter Frans Snyders (1579-1657). Among the great Catholic Baroque painters from Spain are the intense realist painter Jusepe Ribera (1591-1652), the pious chiaroscuro proficient and tenebrist Francisco Zurbaran (1598-1664) and Bartolome Esteban Murillo (1618-82) of Seville, known for his idealized and sentimental religious pictures. In French Bizarre art, the top caravaggesque painter was Georges de la Tour (1593-1652). In Italy, mention should exist made of the Parma artist Giovanni Lanfranco (1582-1647), noted for his extreme foreshortening technique (di sotto in su), and the Genoese decorative creative person Baciccio (1639-1709), noted for his cangianti technique of using vibrant colours to draw shade.

Exponents of Dutch Realism from the Bizarre era include: the portraitists Frans Hals (1581-1666) - come across his masterpiece The Laughing Cavalier (1624) by the great Dutch portraitist Frans Hals (1582-1666).and Rembrandt (1606-69); the genre painters Hendrik Terbrugghen (1588-1629), Jan Steen (1626-79) and Jan Vermeer (1632-75); the 'interiors' and 'perspective' artist Samuel van Hoogstraten; the withal life painters Frans Snyders (1579-1657), Jan Davidsz de Heem (1606-84) and Willem Kalf (1619-93); the flower painter Rachel Ruysch (1664-1750); and the landscape artists Salomon van Ruysdael (1600-70), Aelbert Cuyp (1620-91), Jacob van Ruisdael (1628-82) and Meyndert Hobbema (1638-1709).

For other painters and sculptors, see: Italian Bizarre Artists; and French Baroque Artists. See likewise: Spanish Baroque Artists. For Baroque in Frg, see: German Bizarre Artists.

Famous Bizarre Sculptors (and Sculptures)

Giovanni Bernini
The greatest Baroque sculptor, noted for:
The Rape of Proserpine
(1621-22) Galleria Borghese, Rome.
Apollo and Daphne (1622-25), Galleria Borghese, Rome.
Ecstasy of Saint Teresa (1647-52), Cornaro Chapel, Santa Maria della Vittoria.

Juan Martines Montanes (1568-1649)
Spanish virtuoso wood-carver, noted for:
The Merciful Christ (The Christ of Clemency) (1603) Seville Cathedral
The Santiponce Altarpiece (1613).

Jorg Zurn (1583-1638)
German master carver, famous for:
High Altar of the Virgin Mary (1613-xvi), Church of Saint Nicholas, Uberlingen.

Francois Duquesnoy (1597-1643)
Classical manner, sculpted in marble, stone, statuary, and noted for the statues:
St Andrew (1629-33) Basilica di San Pietro, Vatican
St Susanna (1630-33) Santa Maria di Loreto, Rome

Alessandro Algardi (1598-1654)
High Bizarre classicist, noted for:
Tomb of Pope Leo Eleven (1634-44) St Peter's Rome
Ecstasy of Saint Philip Neri (1638) Santa Maria in Vallicella, Rome
Pope Leo Driving Attila from the Gates of Rome (1646-53) St Peter'south Rome

Alonzo Cano (Granada, 1601-1667)
Known as the "Spanish Michelangelo", noted for:
The Immaculate Formulation (1655, Granada Cathedral) and paintings.

Pierre Puget (1622-1694)
The greatest Baroque sculptor in 17th century France, noted for:
Milo of Crotona (1671-82)

Francois Girardon (1628-1715)
Classical Baroque sculptor, popular with Louis 14, noted for:
Apollo Tended past the Nymphs (1666-75)
Monument of Richelieu (1675-94)
The Abduction of Proserpine (1677-99)

Antoine Coysevox (1640-1720)
Sculpted in the manner of Bernini; noted for portrait busts.
Charles Lebrun (1676)
Louis 14 (1686).

Andreas Schluter (1664-1714)
Berlin sculptor/architect; noted for his statues of Frederick III, including:
Equestrian Statue of Frederick William the Corking (1689-1703).
See besides: German language Baroque Art (1550-1750).

Guillaume Coustou (1677-1746)
French Baroque artist best known for his equestrian statues.
Equus caballus restrained by a Groom ("Marly Horses") (1739-45).

Other, tardily Baroque sculptors include: Balthasar Permoser (1651-1732) and Louis-Francois Roubiliac (1695-1762). Besides, for biographical details of one of the greatest wood-carvers of the flow, see Grinling Gibbons (1648-1721).

For more 17th century sculpture, come across: Baroque Sculptors.

Famous Bizarre Architects (and building designs)

Pietro Berrettini da Cortona (1596-1669)
Architect to Pope Urban Eight
- SS. Luca eastward Martina (1635-64, Rome)
- St Maria della Pace, facade (1656-vii, Rome)
- St Maria in Via Lata (1658-62, Rome)
Bernini (1598-1680)
The greatest of all Baroque architects and sculptors.
- Palazzo Barberini (1628-32, Rome)
- St Peter's Foursquare (1656-67)
- St Andrea al Quirinale (1658-71, Rome)
Francesco Borromini (1599-1667)
A lifelong rival of Bernini
- St Carlo alle Quattro Fontane (1634-68, Rome)
- Palazzo Sapienza and St Ivo alla Sapienza, dome/facade (1640-60, Rome)
- St Agnese in Ago (1653, Rome)
Louis Le Vau (1612-lxx)
Primary co-architect of the Palace of Versailles.
- Hotel Lambert (1642-four, Paris)
- Saint-Sulpice (1646, Paris)
- Marble Court (1669, Palace of Versailles)
Jules Hardouin Mansart (1646-1708)
Chief co-builder of the Palace of Versailles & dome of Les Invalides in Paris
- Chateau de Marly (1679-86, Marly-le-Roi)
- Dome of Les Invalides (1679-91, Paris)
- Grand Trianon (1687-8, Palace of Versailles)
Christopher Wren (1632-1723)
Dominant church builder in London.
- St Paul's Cathedral (1674-1710)
John Vanbrugh (1664-1726)
Leader of the English Baroque movement
- Castle Howard (1702-12)
- Blenheim Palace (1705-24)
Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach (1656-1723)
Eminent Austrian Bizarre builder, brough Italian styles to central Europe.
- Kollegienkirche (1694-1707, Salzburg)
- Stadtpalais (1695-8, Vienna)
- Church building of St Charles (1716-30, Vienna)
Balthasar Neumann (1687-1753)
Leading German Late Baroque designer, Royal architect to Schonborn family unit.
- Wallfahrtskirche (1730-ix, Gossweinstein)
- Staircase for Wurzburg Residenz (1737)
- Staircase for Augustusburg Palace (1743-8, Bruhl)
• Bartolomeo Rastrelli
(1700-1771)
Responsible for Russian Baroque.
- Smoly Cathedral (1748-57, St Petersburg)
- Winter Palace (1754-62, St Petersburg)
- Redesign of Catherine'due south Palace (1756, virtually St Petersburg)

• For other fine art movements and periods, see: History of Art.
• For more than near the origins & development of painting/sculpture, meet: Homepage.


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