Baroque Architecture and Sculpture: Splendor and Emotion
Baroque Architecture and its Splendor
Baroque architecture is characterized by its function to impress and showcase splendor. The interiors were designed for major religious ceremonies or courtesans, with attention given not only to the interior and exterior but also to the architectural framework and its immediate surroundings. Urban planning was also a key focus. The floors of the buildings often featured elliptical or complex geometric shapes, and columns were used to decorate the facade and create perspective effects.
A strong sense of movement is present, with buildings designed to be viewed from the side rather than head-on. Colossal facades, often more decorated on the interior, and elaborate gardens were common features.
In Italy, churches aimed to counter the Protestant Reformation. They featured sumptuously decorated facades and retables. Designs varied greatly, from longitudinal basilicas to oval, elliptical, or cruciform layouts. Inner and outer spaces were integrated, and new structures, such as monumental staircases, emerged.
Palaces and residences were also important, often resembling buildings, squares, and closed fortresses in appearance. The leading Italian Baroque masters included Maderno, Bernini, and Borromini.
Baroque Sculpture: Emotion and Faith
In sculpture, downtown Rome was the birthplace and propagator of Baroque forms, though other Italian cities and schools would later contribute. The general characteristics of Baroque sculpture include the strength and passion it conveys. Its mission to promote the Catholic faith is combined with a tendency toward motion, projected outward, resulting in open sculptures. Expressive gestures and the figura serpentinata release emotion and movement through the body. Dramatic plays of light and shadow are also characteristic.
Bernini: A Master of Baroque Sculpture
This is best exemplified in the work of Bernini, the great Italian sculptor. His extensive body of work includes the statues of the Vatican Square, early works in the Mannerist style of his father (The Rape of Proserpine, David and Apollo and Daphne), sculptures for Urban VII, his funerary monument, various fountains throughout Rome, portraits, and The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, a sculpture in a chapel in a Roman church and considered one of his greatest masterpieces.
Baroque Sculpture in Spain
Baroque sculpture in Spain flourished during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, amidst a general crisis. With a limited bourgeoisie to commission works, confraternities, religious orders, parishes, and convents became the primary patrons. The subject matter was predominantly religious. Two main types of representations emerged: altarpieces and processional sculptures.
Altarpieces
The altarpiece evolved through two stages: the first half of the seventeenth century, which was more classical (2 to 3 levels, separated by paths and images in niches), and the second half of the seventeenth century, which was fully Baroque (Solomonic columns, no niches, and sculptural groups with a single protagonist).
Processional Sculptures
Processional sculptures, derived from the word “passion,” were created to enhance contact with the faithful and evoke religious fervor, promoting anti-Erasmian piety through popular processions (flagellants, penitents, etc.). The figures tended toward realism and anatomical perfection.
The materials used were wood carvings of pine or walnut, and the estofado technique. Common subjects included the Penitent Magdalene, the Mater Dolorosa, and Ecce Homo or Christ on the Cross.
Major Spanish Schools of Baroque Sculpture
Three major schools are distinguished in Spain:
- Castilla: Simple but dramatic, very tragic. Noteworthy is Gregorio Fernandez, master of expressions. Examples include Christ Recumbent and Mater Dolorosa.
- Andalusia: Comprising the schools of Seville and Granada. The art is calmer, more serene, seeking formal beauty. Notable artists include Juan Martinez Montanes (Immaculate Conception and Christ of Clemency), Juan de Mesa (Cristo del Gran Poder), Alonso Cano (Immaculate Conception in the sacristy of the cathedral of Granada), and Pedro de Mena (Penitent Magdalene).
- Murcia: Francisco Salcillo stands out, whose main contribution was the introduction of nativity scenes in Spain, a tradition typical of Naples.