Baroque Art
Seventeenth Century Movement in Painting, Sculpture & Architecture.
Encyclopedia of Irish and World Art - HOMEPAGE - Timeline For History of Western Art: Movements, Styles

Baroque Art Style

In fine art, the term Baroque (from the Portuguese 'barocco' meaning, 'irregular pearl or stone') encompasses a wide range of 17th century and early 18th century art styles in painting, sculpture and especially architecture. It reflects both the religious tensions of the age, along with the divine grandeur and religious certainty of Catholic monarchs, as well as the influence of the growing merchant and middle classes.

The three main strands of Baroque were: (1) A grand, extravagant almost theatrical style associated with the Catholic Counter Reformation and the courts of the absolute monarchies of Europe. This type of Baroque art is exemplified by the bold visionary sculpture of Bernini (1598-1680), and by the large-scale grandiose set-piece paintings of the Flemish master Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640).

(2) A dramatic realistic style exemplified by Michelangelo Merisi da Carravaggio and by Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velazquez (1599-1660). (3) Genre-scene realism, a style mastered in Holland by the Dutch Realist Schools of Delft and Utrecht, and exemplified by the paintings of Rembrandt (1606-69), and Jan Vermeer (1632-75).

The first two Baroque styles (both stimulated by the Catholic Church, then the leading patron of the arts, as a reaffirmation of tradition and spirituality) led artists to explore the depiction of light and shadow (chiaroscuro, tenebrism) on the canvas, and all three made full use of the new medium of oil painting, to create rich, sometimes sumptuous colour palettes. In contrast to the Renaissance and Mannerism, when a significant amount of art comprised large scale public works, Baroque artists executed a growing proportion of easel-paintings for private and domestic viewing.

The Burial Of Count Orgaz, Detail
Of The Franciscans (1623) by El Greco.

WORLD'S GREATEST ARTWORKS
For a list of the Top 10 painters/
sculptors: Best Artists of All Time.
For the Top 300 oils, watercolours
see: Greatest Paintings Ever.
For the Top 100 works of sculpture
see: Greatest Sculptures Ever.

Famous Baroque Paintings by Old Masters

Peter Paul Rubens
Samson and Delilah (1609), National Gallery, London.
The Judgement of Paris (1635-38), National Gallery, London.
Carravaggio
The Conversion on the Way to Damascus (1601), Chapel of Santa Maria Rome.
Supper at Emmaus (1602), National Gallery, London.
Diego Velazquez
The Surrender of Breda (1634-5), Museo del Prado, Madrid.
Las Meninas (1656), Museo del Prado, Madrid.
Rembrandt
The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp (1632), Mauritshuis, The Hague.
The Night Watch (1642) Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
Jacob Blessing the Children of Joseph (1656), Gemaldegalerie, Kassel.
Jan Vermeer
The Girl with the Pearl Earring (1665), Mauritshuis, The Hague.
The Artist's Studio (c.1665), Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.

Among other outstanding Baroque artists are: the portrait painter Van Dyck (1599-1641), - for more portraitists, see Baroque Portraits - and Frans Snyders (1579-1657) the foremost still life and animal painter. For details of other painters and sculptors of the era, see: Italian Baroque Artists; and French Baroque Artists. For the Spanish school, see: Baroque Artists, Spain.

Apollo and Daphne (1622-25)
Gianlorenzo Bernini.

For more about architectural design
during the 17th century, see:
Baroque Architecture.

Famous Baroque Sculptures

Giovanni Bernini
The Rape of Proserpine (1621-22) Galleria Borghese, Rome.
Apollo and Daphne (1622-25), Galleria Borghese, Rome.
Cornaro Chapel (1645-52), Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome.

For details of sculpture from the 17th century, see: Baroque Sculptors.

18th Century Developments

By the end of the 17th century the grand Baroque style was in decline, as was its principal sponsor, Italy. The coming European power was France, where a new and contrasting style of decorative art was beginning to emerge. This light-hearted style soon enveloped architecture, all forms of interior decoration, furniture, painting, sculpture and porcelain design. It was known as Rococo.

• For other art movements and periods, see: History of Art.
• For styles of painting and sculpture in Ireland, see: Irish Art Encyclopedia.

• How to Update This Mini Review of Baroque Art

HOME | Art Questions | Sitemap: Art in Ireland | Sitemap: Irish Painters/Sculptors | Sitemap: International Fine Arts | Art Glossary | Best Art Museums
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF IRISH AND WORLD ART
© visual-arts-cork.com 2008-2009 All rights reserved.