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Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, European artists and architects adopted an increasingly elaborate style.
Today, the Baroque period remains one of the most celebratedcultural movementsin western art history.
What was the Baroque period?
Nicolas Poussin, ‘A Bacchanalian Revel before a statue of Pan' (ca. 1632-1633) (Photo:The National Gallery, LondonviaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Nicolas Poussin, A Bacchanalian Revel before a statue of Pan' (ca.
Caravaggio, The Calling of Saint Matthew (ca.
Often, this action-packed iconography was inspired by tales from the bible and stories from ancient mythology.
Caravaggio, ‘The Calling of Saint Matthew ‘ (ca. 1599 or 1600) (Photo:IbiblioviaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Gentileschi, David and Goliath' (ca.
Rubens avoided painting in such a way that the color sank in.
Peter Paul Rubens, Samson and Delilah (ca.
Rembrandt, ‘The Nightwatch' (1642) (Photo:The RijksmuseumviaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Through swirling silhouettes, twisted contours, and flowing drapery, sculptors likeBerniniwere able to evoke movement.
Added elements like water fixtures often enhanced this theatrical approach.
They also were commissioned for other grandiose parameters, likegildedchurch interiors and royal gardens.
Gentileschi, ‘David and Goliath' (ca. 1605-1607) (Photo: viaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Similarly,puttiCupid-like figuresoften adorned tapestries and ceiling paintings.
The Dauphin’s Bedroom in the Palace of Versailles
Exteriors
Baroque architecture is also characterized by ornamentation.
Above all else, Baroque architecture conveyed a preference forbalance.
Peter Paul Rubens, ‘Samson and Delilah (ca. 1609-1610) (Photo:The National Gallery, LondonviaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
His artistic legacy is just as evocative in style and technique.
Never before had an artist used normal people as the models for paintings of biblical characters.
His distinct style emphasized color, movement, and dramaall key characteristics of the Baroque period.
Bernini, ‘Apollo and Daphne' (1622-1625)
As a child prodigy, Bernini was creating large-scale marble sculptures as a teen.
What does Baroque mean?
The Baroque style is named afterbarrocoa Portuguese term for an irregularly shaped pearl.
Bernini, ‘The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa' (1647–1652)
What is the Baroque period known for?
The Baroque period is defined by the grandeur and opulence of its art and architecture.
What is the Baroque style?
Charles Le Brun, The Fountain of Apollo in the Gardens of Versailles (1668-1671)
How is Baroque sculpture different from classical sculpture?
Interior of Herzogenburg Abbey Church, Lower Austria (Photo:Uoaei1viaWikimedia Commons,CC BY-SA 3.0 AT)
Interior of the Schaezlerpalais, Augsburg, Germany (Photo:Adam63viaWikimedia Commons,CC BY-SA 3.0)
The Dauphin’s Bedroom in the Palace of Versailles
St. Charles Church, Vienna (1737)
Dome of Santissimo Nome di Maria al Foro Traiano Church, Rome (1736-1751)
Portrait of Carvaggio by Ottavio Leoni, c. 1621 (Photo:Biblioteca MarucellianaviaWikimedia Commons)
Peter Paul Rubens, “Portrait of the Artist,” 1623 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
Artemisia Gentileschi, “Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting,” 1638–1639 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Gian Lorenzo Bernini, “Self Portrait,” c. 1635 (Photo: Uffizi viaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Nicola Salvi, The Trevi Fountain' (1732-1762) (Photo:RoyFokkerviaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
