Baroque and Rococo Art and Architecture
Baroque Art and Architecture
The Baroque period, falling between the Renaissance and Neoclassical periods, saw the Catholic Church responding to revolutionary cultural and religious shifts like the Protestant Reformation.
Characteristics of Baroque Art
Baroque art is characterized by:
- Curved lines and elaborate decor
- Grandiose buildings and exaggerated gestures
- Emphasis on color, diagonal lines, and light
- Extension of artwork beyond its frame
It reacted against the Renaissance’s serenity and balance, embracing expressiveness and emotionality, often to the point of extravagance. However, Baroque art wasn’t uniform. Different artistic hubs like the Roman Curia, the Versailles court, and the bourgeois Netherlands fostered distinct styles.
Baroque Architecture
Baroque architecture rejected simplicity, favoring complexity. While it didn’t reject classical forms like columns, arches, and pediments, it used them in imaginative ways. Buildings often resembled large sculptures, with curved entablatures and dynamic spaces. Features include:
- Elliptical and oval shapes
- Concave and convex walls
- Illusion of infinity
- Giant order columns spanning multiple floors
- Decorated bell towers
- Light and shadow effects (chiaroscuro)
- Dramatic and theatrical elements
- Exuberant ornamentation
- Curved Solomonic columns
- Mixtilíneo arches and oval windows
- Use of both Roman and Byzantine arch styles
- Large posters and new building types (palaces, religious structures, gardens, galleries)
Baroque Sculpture
Continuing the Renaissance tradition, Baroque sculpture used polychrome wood and focused on religious themes. Altarpieces and processional images were common, often depicting dramatic realism with haggard faces, open wounds, and expressions of pain.
Rococo Art and Architecture
Rococo style moved away from grand classical orders, favoring smaller rooms and cabinets. It shifted from grandiose themes to lighter, more pleasant subjects, with an emphasis on color. Ceilings and floors became lower, creating more intimate spaces. Decorative elements and furniture were key, complemented by mirrors and curved lines. Gardens became integral parts of buildings.
Romantic Painting
Romantic painting embraced subjectivity and originality, often depicting violent scenes like Goya’s The Charge of the Mamelukes. It emphasized drama and emotion, using strong contrasts of light and shadow (chiaroscuro). Color played a secondary role to the expression of feelings. Brushstrokes were visible and impetuous, with thick, lumpy impasto adding a tactile quality. The unfinished look of a sketch was sometimes intentional. Romanticism’s energy, contrasts, and colors suggest a neo-Baroque influence. Painters like Caravaggio, Rubens, and Delacroix influenced Romantic artists like Géricault and Gros, while others, like the Nazarenes, drew inspiration from Italian Primitives.