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Baroque
Baroque
Contents
1 Etymology
3 Development
o 3.1 Periods
4 Painting
5 Sculpture
o 5.1 Bernini's Cornaro chapel
6 Architecture
7 Theatre
o 7.1 England
o 7.2 Germany
o 7.3 Spain
9 Music
o 9.1 Composers and examples
10 See also
11 Notes
12 References
13 Further reading
14 External links
Etymology
In informal usage, the word baroque can simply mean that something is "elaborate", with many
details, without reference to the Baroque styles of the 17th and 18th centuries.
The word "Baroque", like most periodic or stylistic designations, was invented by later critics
rather than practitioners of the arts in the 17th and early 18th centuries. It is a French
transliteration of the Portuguese phrase "prola barroca", which means "irregular pearl", and
natural pearls that deviate from the usual, regular forms so they do not have an axis of rotation
are known as "baroque pearls".[9]
The term "Baroque" was initially used in a derogatory sense, to underline the excesses of its
emphasis. In particular, the term was used to describe its eccentric redundancy and noisy
abundance of details, which sharply contrasted the clear and sober rationality of the Renaissance.
Although it was long thought that the word as a critical term was first applied to architecture, in
fact it appears earlier in reference to music, in an anonymous, satirical review of the premire in
October 1733 of Jean-Philippe Rameau's Hippolyte et Aricie, printed in the Mercure de France in
May 1734. The critic implied that the novelty in this opera was "du barocque", complaining that
the music lacked coherent melody, was unsparing with dissonances, constantly changed key and
meter, and speedily ran through every compositional device.[10]
Development
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The Baroque originated around 1600, several decades after the Council of Trent (154563), by
which the Roman Catholic Church answered many questions of internal reform, addressed the
representational arts by demanding that paintings and sculptures in church contexts should speak
to the illiterate rather than to the well-informed. This turn toward a populist conception of the
function of ecclesiastical art is seen by many art historians as driving the innovations of
Caravaggio and brothers Agostino and Annibale Carracci, all of whom were working (and
competing for commissions) in Rome around 1600.
The appeal of Baroque style turned consciously from the witty, intellectual qualities of 16thcentury Mannerist art to a visceral appeal aimed at the senses. It employed an iconography that
was direct, simple, obvious, and theatrical (illustration, right). Baroque art drew on certain broad
and heroic tendencies in Annibale Carracci and his circle, and found inspiration in other artists
like Correggio and Caravaggio and Federico Barocci (illustration, right), nowadays sometimes
termed 'proto-Baroque'. Germinal ideas of the Baroque can also be found in the work of
Michelangelo. Some general parallels in music make the expression "Baroque music" useful:
there are contrasting phrase lengths, harmony and counterpoint have ousted polyphony, and
orchestral color makes a stronger appearance. Even more generalized parallels perceived by
some experts in philosophy, prose style and poetry, are harder to pinpoint.
Though Baroque was superseded in many centers by the Rococo style, beginning in France in the
late 1720s, especially for interiors, paintings and the decorative arts, the Baroque style continued
to be used in architecture until the advent of Neoclassicism in the later 18th century. See the
Neapolitan palace of Caserta, a Baroque palace (though in a chaste exterior) whose construction
began in 1752.
St. Nicholas Church in Lesser Town in Prague was founded in 1703 under lead of Baroque
architect Christoph Dientzenhofer.
In paintings Baroque gestures are broader than Mannerist gestures: less ambiguous, less arcane
and mysterious, more like the stage gestures of opera, a major Baroque art form. Baroque poses
depend on contrapposto ("counterpoise"), the tension within the figures that move the planes of
shoulders and hips in counterdirections. See Bernini's David.
The dryer, less dramatic and coloristic, chastened later stages of 18th century Baroque
architectural style are often seen as a separate Late Baroque manifestation, for example in
buildings by Claude Perrault. Academic characteristics in the neo-Palladian style, epitomized by
William Kent, are a parallel development in Britain and the British colonies: within interiors,
Kent's furniture designs are vividly influenced by the Baroque furniture of Rome and Genoa,
hierarchical tectonic sculptural elements, meant never to be moved from their positions,
completed the wall decoration. Baroque is a style of unity imposed upon rich, heavy detail.
The Baroque was defined by Heinrich Wlfflin as the age where the oval replaced the circle as
the center of composition, that centralization replaced balance, and that coloristic and "painterly"
effects began to become more prominent. Art historians, often Protestant ones, have traditionally
emphasized that the Baroque style evolved during a time in which the Roman Catholic Church
had to react against the many revolutionary cultural movements that produced a new science and
new forms of religionReformation. It has been said that the monumental Baroque is a style
that could give the Papacy, like secular absolute monarchies, a formal, imposing way of
expression that could restore its prestige, at the point of becoming somehow symbolic of the
Counter-Reformation.
Whether this is the case or not, it was successfully developed in Rome, where Baroque
architecture widely renewed the central areas with perhaps the most important urbanistic
revision.
Periods
The Baroque era is sometimes divided into roughly three phases for convenience:[13][14][15]
Late Baroque is also sometimes used synonymously with the succeeding Rococo movement.
Painting
Main article: Baroque painting
The later Baroque style gradually gave way to a more decorative Rococo.
A rather different art developed out of northern realist traditions in 17th century Dutch Golden
Age painting, which had very little religious art, and little history painting, instead playing a
crucial part in developing secular genres such as still life, genre paintings of everyday scenes,
and landscape painting. While the Baroque nature of Rembrandt's art is clear, the label is less
often used for Vermeer and many other Dutch artists. Flemish Baroque painting shared a part in
this trend, while also continuing to produce the traditional categories.
In a similar way the French classical style of painting exemplified by Poussin is often classed as
Baroque, and does share many qualities of the Italian painting of the same period, although the
poise and restraint derived from following classical ideas typically give it a very different overall
mood.
Sculpture
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Architecture
Architecture
Interior of the Cornaro Chapel, Santa Maria della Vittoria church, Rome including the
Cornaro portraits, but omitting the lower parts of the chapel.
Theatre
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England
The influence of the Renaissance was also very late in England, and Baroque theatre is only
partly a useful concept here, for example in discussing Restoration comedy. There was an 18year break when the London theatres were closed during the English Civil War and English
Commonwealth until the Restoration of Charles II in 1660.
Germany
German theatre in the 17th century lacked major contributions. The best known playwright was
Andreas Gryphius, who used the Jesuit model of the Dutch Joost van den Vondel and Cornielle.
There was also Johannes Velten who combined the traditions of the English comedians and the
commedia del'arte with the classic theater of Corneille and Moliere. His touring company was
perhaps the most significant and important of the 17th century.
Spain
Lope de Vega
The Baroque had a Catholic and conservative character in Spain, following an Italian literary
models during the Renaissance.[21] The Hispanic Baroque theater aimed for a public content with
an ideal reality that manifested fundamental three sentiments: Catholic religion, monarchist and
national pride and honor originating from the chivalric, knightly world.[22]
Two periods are known in the Barocan Spanish theater. The separation between them was
emphasized in 1630; the first period consists of a principle representant who is Lope de Vega,
and also Tirso de Molina, Gaspar de Aguilar, Guilln de Castro, Antonio Mira de Amescua, Luis
Vlez de Guevara, Juan Ruiz de Alarcn, Diego Jimnez de Enciso, Luis Belmonte Bermdez,
Felipe Godnez, Luis Quiones de Benavente or Juan Prez de Montalbn; and in the second
period Caldern de la Barca and the other play writers Antonio Hurtado de Mendoza, lvaro
Cubillo de Aragn, Jernimo de Cncer y Velasco, Francisco de Rojas Zorrilla, Juan de Matos
Fragoso, Antonio Coello y Ochoa, Agustn Moreto or Francisco de Bances Candamo.[23] It is
possible to speak about a loosely classification, because each author had his own way and could
occasionally adhere himself to the formula established by Lope. Perhaps, the "manner" of Lope
was more liberal and structured than Calderon's.[24]
Felix Lope de Vega y Carpio introduced through his Arte nuevo de hacer comedias en este
tiempo (1609) the new comedy. He established a new dramatic formula that broke the three
Aristotle unities of the Italian school of poetry (action, time and place) and a forth unity of
Aristotle which is about style, mixing of tragic and comic elements showing different types of
verses and stanzas upon what is represented.[25] Although Lope has a great knowledge of the
plastic arts, he did not use it during the major part of his career nor in theater or scenography.
The Lope's comedy granted a second role to the visual aspects of the theatrical representation.[26]
Tirso de Molina along with Lope de Vega and Caledron were of the most important play writers
in Spain during the golden era. Their works, known for its subtle intelligence and profound
comprehension of a person's humanity, could be considered a bridge between primitive Lope's
comedy and a more elaborate Calderon's comedy. Although part of the critics argued their
writings showing that Tirso de Molina was known for two flawless works, The convicted
suspicions, The Trickster of Seville, a principal sources of the Don Juan myth.[27]
Upon his arrival to Madrid, Cosimo Lotti brought to the Spanish court the most advanced
theatrical techniques of Europe. His techniques and mechanic knowledge were applied in palace
exhibitions called "Fiestas" and in lavish exhibitions of rivers or artificial fountains called
"Naumaquias". He was in charge of styling the Gardens of Buen Retiro, of Zarzuela and of
Aranjuez and the construction of the theatrical building of Coliseo del Buen Retiro.[28] Lope's
formulas begins with a verse that it unbefitting of the palace theater foundation and the birth of
new concepts that begun the careers of some play writers like Pedro Calderon de la Barca.
Marking the principal innovations of the New Lopesian Comedy, Calderon's style marked many
differences, with a great deal of constructive care and attention to his internal structure.
Calderon's work is in formal perfection and a very lyric and symbolic language. Liberty, vitality
and openness of Lope gave a step to Calderon's intellectual reflection and formal precision. In his
comedy it reflected his ideological and doctrine intentions in above the passion and the action,
the work of Autos sacramentales achieved high ranks.[29] The genre of Comedia is political,
multi-artistic and in a sense hybrid. The poetic text interweaved with Medias and resources
originating from architecture, music and painting freeing the deception that is in the Lopesian
comedy was made up from the lack of scenery and engaging the dialogue of action.[30]
Music
Main article: Baroque music
Giovanni Gabrieli (c. 1554/15571612) Sonata pian' e forte (1597), In Ecclesiis (from
Symphoniae sacrae book 2, 1615)