Baroque

• The term Baroque was derived from

the Portugese word ‘Barocco’ which
means ‘irregular pearl’
• Eventually, it came to describe an
extravagant style of art characterized
by curving lines, gilt, and gold.
 Baroque
• Baroque art is dynamism(a
sense of motion). Strong
curves, rich decoration, and
general complexity are all
typical features of Baroque
art.
Baroque iconography was
direct, obvious, and dramatic,
intending to appeal above all to
the senses and the emotions. “David” by
“Marsyas” by Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Balthasar Permoser
• A good word for Renaissance art is
“stabilize,” while a good one for the Baroque
is “dramatize.”
 Baroque
• Baroque architecture is a highly decorative
and theatrical style which appeared in Italy
in the early 17th century and gradually
spread across Europe. It was originally
introduced by the Catholic church,
particularly by the Jesuits, as a means to
combat the Reformation and the Protestant
church with a new architecture that inspired
surprise and awe.
 Characteristics
• Domes
Domes were a common feature. Their interiors
were often painted with a sky filled with angels
and sculpted sunbeams, suggesting glory or a
vision of heaven.
 Characteristics
• Quadratura
Paintings in trompe-l’ oeil of
angels and saints in the dome
and on the ceiling, combined
with stucco frames or
decoration, which give the
illusion of three dimensions,
and of looking through the
ceiling to the heavens.
 Characteristics
• Grand stairways.
Stairways often occupied a
central place and were used for
dramatic effect. winding
upwards in stages, giving
changing views from different
levels, serving as a setting for
ceremonies.
 Characteristics
• Cartouches
Cartouches in elaborate forms and sculpted
frames break up the surfaces and add three-
dimensional effects to the walls.
 Characteristics
• Mirrors
To give the impression of depth and greater
space, particularly when combined with windows,
as in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles.
 Characteristics
• Chiaroscuro
Use of strong contrasts of
darkness and light for
dramatic effect.
 Characteristics
• Overhead sculpture
Figures on or just below the
ceiling, made of wood (often
gilded), plaster or stucco, marble
or faux finishing, giving the
impression of floating in the air.
 Characteristics
• Twisting columns
Which gave an illusion of motion.
 Characteristics
• Elliptical or oval spaces
Eliminating right angles. Sometimes an oval nave was
surrounded by radiating circular chapels. This was a
distinctive feature of the Basilica of the Fourteen Holy
Helpers of Balthasar Neuman.
 Stages Of Baroque Architecture
• Early Baroque ca. 1600-1625
The foremost pioneer of Baroque
architecture was Carlo Maderno, whose
masterpiece is the facade of Saint Peter's
Basilica, Vatican City. Saint Peter's features a
mixture of Renaissance and Baroque
components. Saint Peter's can therefore be
roughly divided into two parts: the core
(designed largely by Michelangelo) and the
front extension (designed by Maderno). The
great dome of Saint Peter's is also chiefly
Michelangelo's work, though Maderno did
adjust its proportions (by stretching it
vertically).
Stages Of Baroque Architecture

Church of the Gesu

Stages Of Baroque Architecture
• High Baroque ca. 1625-75
The two foremost names in Baroque
architecture are Bernini and Borromini,
both of whom worked primarily in
Rome.
Two masterpieces of Gian Lorenzo
Bernini are found at St Peter's. One is
the four-story baldachin that stands
over the high altar. (A baldachin is an
indoor canopy over a respected object,
such as an altar or throne.) The other is
the curving colonnades that frame St
Peter's Square.
 Stages Of Baroque Architecture

Santi Luca e
Martina, Rome
 • Bernini’s most famous building is the
small church of ‘Sant’ Andrea al
Quirinale (Saint Andrew’s on
Quirinal Hill)
• Quirinal hill is one of the “seven hills of
Rome”

Gian Lorenzo
Bernini
• The master of curved-wall
architecture
• His most famous and influential
work is the church of Saint Charles
at the four fountains. Can be also
found at Quirinal Hills.

Francesco
Borromini
 Stages Of Baroque Architecture
• Late Baroque ca. 1675-1725
The Late Baroque marks the ascent of France as the heart of
Western culture. Baroque art of France (and northern Europe
generally) tends to be restrained, such that it can be described
as a classical-Baroque compromise.

Les Invalides, France

 Rococo
A Shift in Expression
Rococo, also known as ‘late Baroque’, was an extreme,
decorative development of Baroque architecture that
emerged in the 18th century as a reaction against grandeur
and symmetry. It was a more fluid and florid elaborate style,
comprising ornate, asymmetric designs and pastel shades.
Although there are many similarities between Rococo and
Baroque architecture, the design approach tends to be more
playful, light and with an exuberant use of curves. One of the
principal differences between the styles is with regard to
symmetry; Rococo emphasising the asymmetry of forms.
 Rococo
The word 'Rococo' stems from the French word
rocaille meaning 'decorative rock' or 'shell
work’. The Rococo Style or time period took place in
the 18th century, corresponding most directly with the
reign of King Louis XV from 1715-1774. The Rococo
period maintains the intense, highly decorative style
of its predecessors, but it has a much more
lighthearted and playful appearance.
 Rococo
The exteriors of Rococo buildings are often simple, while the
interiors are entirely dominated by their ornament. The style
was highly theatrical, designed to impress and awe at first
sight. Floor plans of churches were often complex, featuring
interlocking ovals; In palaces, grand stairways became
centrepieces, and offered different points of view of the
decoration.
The style often integrated painting, molded stucco, and wood
carving, and quadratura, or illusionist ceiling paintings, which
were designed to give the impression that those entering the
room were looking up at the sky, where cherubs and other
figures were gazing down at them.
 Rococo

Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers

 Rococo

Ottobeuren Abbey
 Rococo
Features of Rococo Architecture
• Elaborate curves and scrolls
• Complex, assymetrical shapes
• Rocaille (Ornaments shaped like shells and plants)
• Acanthus leaf
• Light, Pastel colors.
• Simple Exterior
 Rococo
• Rocaille
An 18th-century artistic or architectural style of
decoration characterized by elaborate
ornamentation with pebbles and shells, typical of
grottos and fountains.
 Rococo
• Acanthus Leaf
An ornament carved into stone or wood that resemble leaves
from the Mediterranean species of the Acanthus genus of
plants.
 Rococo

Birnau Basilica, Germany Saint Mark’s Basilica, Italy

Pilgrimage Church of Wies