Baroque art and architecture Name:________________________________________________________________

1. Baroque art can be found in nearly every country in _______________________ as well as in

___________________________________________________________________.
2. The origin of the word Baroque is __________________________ because it does not accurately define
_________________________________________________________.
3. Some critics, such as Jakob Burckhardt considered the art of the Baroque period to be
______________________________________________________________.
4. Baroque art includes vast ________________________________.
5. The 17th century could be considered the first __________________________________.
6. The scientific discoveries of scientists such as __________________________ and ________________________
helped to change peoples’ view of the world around them.
7. The realization that the ____________________ is not the center of the universe coincided in art with the rise of
_____________________________________________.
8. Colonization of exotic places led to __________________________________________.
9. The __________________________________________ was a great patron of the arts due to its desire to
propagate the faith and works of art reflected the majesty of kings such as _________________________ and
_____________________________ through their size and splendor.
10. Among the traits of Baroque art are a sense of _____________________________, _______________________,
and __________________________.
11. Strong contrasts in _______________________________ and __________________________ are also used to
create dramatic effects in painting and sculpture.
12. Unlike the works scene in the Renaissance, _________________________________ is often suggested in
Baroque paintings.
13. ________________________ is another important aspect of this time period and allows painted figures to have
their own personalities. This is mostly because the artists of the time wanted to display an individual’s
___________________________ on their face.
14. The roots of this style are traced back to _____________________________________.
15. ______________________ art is one of strict naturalism; his paintings often include types drawn from
_______________________ engaged in completely believable activities.

BAROQUE ART AND ARCHITECTURE

The art and architecture of Europe and certain European colonies in the Americas in the 17th century are included in the
Baroque era. A number of its characteristics continue in the art and architecture of the first half of the 18th century,
although this period is generally termed rococo (see ROCOCO STYLE,). Manifestations of baroque art appear in virtually
every country in Europe, with other important centers in the Spanish and Portuguese New World and in other outposts.
The term baroque also defines periods in literature and music.

Definition.

The word itself is elusive; it does not accurately define or even approximate the meaning of the style to which it refers.
The origins of the word baroque are not clear. It may have been derived from a medieval philosophical term connoting
the ridiculous or the strange, or from the Portuguese barocco or the Spanish barueco to indicate an irregularly shaped
pearl. In any case, by the end of the 18th century baroque had entered the terminology of art criticism as an epithet
leveled against 17th-century art, which many later critics regularly dismissed as too bizarre or strange to merit serious
study. Writers such as the 19th-century Swiss cultural historian Jakob Burckhardt considered this style the decadent end
of the Renaissance; his student Heinrich Wölfflin (1864-1945), in Principles of Art History (1915; trans. 1932), first
pointed out the fundamental differences between the art of the 16th and 17th centuries, stating that "baroque is
Baroque art and architecture Name:________________________________________________________________
neither a rise nor a decline from classic, but a totally different art."Baroque art encompasses vast regional distinctions. It
may seem confusing, for example, to label two such different artists as Rembrandt and Gian Lorenzo Bernini as baroque;
yet despite differences, many shared stylistic preoccupations and common themes were handled by each artist in his
own way.

Historical background.

Understanding the various forms of baroque art requires knowledge of its historical context. The 17th century could be
called the first modern age. Human awareness of the world was continuously expanding. Many scientific discoveries
influenced art; Galileo's investigations of the planets, for example, account for astronomical accuracy in many paintings
of the time. The assertion of the Polish astronomer Copernicus that the planets did not revolve around the earth was
only fully accepted after 1600. The realization that the earth was not at the center of the universe coincided in art with
the rise of pure landscape painting devoid of human figures. The active trade and colonization policies of many
European nations accounted for numerous portrayals of exotic places and peoples. Religion determined many aspects of
baroque art. The Roman Catholic Church was a highly influential patron, and its Counter Reformation, a movement to
combat the spread of Protestantism, employed emotional, realistic, and dramatic art as a means of propagating the
faith. The simplicity of Protestantism in countries such as the Netherlands and northern Germany likewise explains the
severity of the architectural styles in those areas. Political situations also influenced art. The absolute monarchies of
France and Spain prompted the creation of works that reflected in their size and splendor the majesty of their kings,
Louis XIV and Philip IV.

Baroque characteristics.

Among the general characteristics of baroque art are a sense of movement, energy, and tension (whether real or
implied). Strong contrasts of light and shadow enhance the dramatic effects of many paintings and sculptures. Even
baroque buildings, with their undulating walls and decorative surface elements, imply motion with contrasts in light and
color. Intense spirituality is often present in works of baroque art; in the Roman Catholic countries, for example, scenes
of ecstasies, martyrdoms, or miraculous apparitions are common. Infinite space is often suggested in baroque paintings
or sculptures, no longer the contained units they were in the Renaissance. Realism is another integral feature of baroque
art; the figures in paintings are not types but individuals with their own personalities. Artists of this time were concerned
with the inner workings of the mind and attempted to portray the passions of the soul on the faces they painted and
sculpted. The intensity and immediacy of baroque art and its individualism and detail--observed in such things as the
convincing rendering of cloth and skin textures--make it one of the most compelling periods of Western art.

Early baroque styles.

The roots of baroque styles are found in the art of Italy and especially in that of Rome in the late 16th century. A desire
for greater clarity and simplification inspired a number of artists in their reaction against the anticlassical Mannerist
style, with its subjective emphasis on distortion, asymmetry, bizarre juxtapositions, and biting colors. Annibale Carracci
and Michelangelo Merisi, called Caravaggio, were the two artists in the forefront of the early baroque reforms, which
they accomplished in two ways. Caravaggio's art is one of strict naturalism; his paintings often include types drawn from
everyday life engaged in completely believable activities. The school that developed around Carracci, on the other hand,
attempted to rid art of its mannered complications by returning to the High Renaissance principles of clarity,
monumentality, and balance. This baroque classicism remained important throughout the century. Meanwhile, a third
baroque style developed in Rome about 1630, the so-called high baroque; it is generally considered the most
characteristic mode of 17th-century art, with its exuberance, emotionalism, theatricality, and unrestrained energy.