1600-1830: Baroque

Architecture History Photo Guide: Baroque Architecture

Early in the 1600s, an exuberant new style called Baroque lavished buildings wit
h complex shapes, extravagant ornaments, opulent paintings, and bold contrasts.
In Italian, the word barocco means bizarre, and Baroque architecture certainly w
as extravagant. Buildings in the Baroque style have many of these features:
Complicated shapes
Large curved forms
Twisted columns
Grand stairways
High domes
Trompe l'oeil paintings
Elements of the elaborate Baroque style are found throughout Europe and also tra
veled to Latin America and European settlements around the world. While Baroque
architecture was always highly decorated, it found expression in many ways.
Italian Baroque: Catholic Popes in Italy wanted architecture to express holy spl
endor. They commissioned churches with enormous domes, swirling forms, huge spir
aled columns, multicolored marble, and lavish murals. The same exuberance was ex
pressed in non-religious buildings. Example: The Trevi Fountain in Rome
French Baroque: The Baroque style became more restrained in France. While lavish
details were used, French buildings were usually symmetrical and orderly. The P
alace of Versailles shown above is a landmark example.
English Baroque: Baroque architecture emerged in England after the Great Fire of
London in 1666. Architect Christopher Wren used restrained Baroque styling when
he helped rebuild the city. Example: St. Paul's Cathedral
Spain and Latin America: Builders in Spain, Mexico, and South America combined B
aroque ideas with exuberant sculptures, Moorish details, and extreme contrasts b
etween light and dark. Called Churrigueresque after a Spanish family of sculptor
s and architects, Spanish Baroque architecture was used through the mid-1700s, a
nd continued to be imitated much later. Example: Casa del Prado in California is
a lavish re-invention of Spanish Baroque, or Churrigueresque, architecture.
Rococo: In Germany, Austria, Eastern Europe, and Russia, Baroque ideas were ofte
n applied with a lighter touch. Pale colors and curving shell shapes gave buildi
ngs the delicate appearance of a frosted cake. The term Rococo was used to descr
ibe these softer versions of the Baroque style.