Baroque Art: Evolution and Key Characteristics
Baroque Art: 17th and 18th Centuries
Baroque art served as propaganda for the Church, absolutist states, and the Protestant bourgeoisie. It emphasized the human figure in both idealized and realistic forms.
The Baroque period is divided into three phases:
- Early/Primitive (1580-1630)
- Full (1630-1680)
- Late/Rococo (1680-1750)
Baroque Architecture
Baroque architecture is characterized by its integration with urbanism, creating scenic cities. Palaces were urban apartment buildings for powerful families, while hotels were bourgeois family homes with gardens. Temples became sites for theatrical religious performances.
Italy
Rome was a major center of Baroque architecture. Key figures include:
- Carlo Maderna: Santa Maria della Vittoria
- Giacomo della Porta: Facade of the Gesù
- Gian Lorenzo Bernini: St. Peter’s Basilica colonnade, San Andrea al Quirinale
- Francesco Borromini: San Ivo alla Sapienza
- Guarino Guarini: San Lorenzo and Chapel of the Holy Shroud in Turin
France
French Baroque architecture featured majestic palaces with elongated bodies and wings. Notable architects include:
- Jacques Lemercier: Church of the Sorbonne, Palace of Richelieu
- François Mansart: Mansart roofs
- Claude Perrault: Louvre
- Louis Le Vau and Charles Le Brun: Versailles
Spain
Spanish Baroque was patronized by the clergy and nobility, focusing on religious buildings and urban squares. Key figures include:
- Alonso Carbonell: Buen Retiro
- Juan Gómez de Mora: Plaza Mayor, Court Prison
- Alonso Cano: Facade of Granada Cathedral
Latin America
Baroque architecture flourished during the colonization of the Indies, with new cities and rebuilt structures. Notable examples include the Cathedrals of Mexico, Puebla, Lima, Cuzco, and Quito.
Baroque Sculpture
Baroque sculpture featured secular and mythological themes, emphasizing nudity and urban integration. It is characterized by its strength, monumentality, movement, dynamism, and expressiveness.
Italy
Gian Lorenzo Bernini was a key figure, using sculpture to enhance architecture. Notable works include Apollo and Daphne and the Baldacchino of St. Peter.
France
French Baroque sculpture focused on courtly, mythological, and decorative themes. François Girardon and Pierre Puget were prominent sculptors.
Spain
Spanish sculpture emphasized painted wood imagery for religious purposes. Key figures include Gregorio Fernández, Manuel Pereira, Juan Martínez Montañés, Juan de Mesa, Alonso Cano, Pedro Mena, and Francisco Salzillo.
Baroque Painting
Baroque painting depicted reality with unclear boundaries, dynamic compositions, and dramatic lighting. Subjects included religious scenes, mythology, portraits, and still life.
Italy
Caravaggio pioneered the use of chiaroscuro. The Carracci family established the Academy of Bologna. Other notable painters include Luca Giordano and Gian Battista Tiepolo.
France
French painting was more classical and courteous. Key figures include Georges de La Tour, Philippe de Champaigne, and Jean-Antoine Watteau.
Flanders
Flemish painting emphasized bourgeois tastes and detailed realism. Peter Paul Rubens, Anton van Dyck, and Jacob Jordaens were prominent artists.
Netherlands
Dutch painting focused on Protestantism and the bourgeoisie. Frans Hals and Rembrandt were leading figures.
Spain
Spanish painting experienced a golden age during the Baroque period. Key schools and artists include:
- Valencian School: Francisco Ribalta, José de Ribera
- Andalusian School: Francisco de Zurbarán, Alonso Cano, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Juan de Valdés Leal
- Madrid School: Diego Velázquez