Italian Baroque

OUTLINE
1. Introduction
2. General Characteristics
3. Elements Of Baroque Architecture
4. Architectural Landmarks
5. Characteristics Of Interior Design
6. Furniture Design
BAROQUE
originally meant overdone
too much color in painting, and too grand in architecture
 BAROQUE HISTORY
1590-1720
Portuguese 'barocco' meaning, 'irregular pearl or stone'
Catholic Counter-Reformation Art
Originating in Rome, Baroque art above all, reflected the
religious tensions of the age - notably the desire of the Catholic
Church in Rome to reassert itself in the wake of the Protestant
Reformation.
 BAROQUE ART
Dramatic, emotional Colors were brighter than bright; darks
were darker than dark Counter-Reformation art. Paintings &
sculptures in church contexts should speak to the illiterate
rather than to the well-informed.
Italian Baroque
CHARACTERISCTICS
dynamism
strong curves
rich decoration
elaborate ornamentation
heightened sensuality with spirituality
richly sculpted surfaces
molded surfaces
sculpted classicism
treated as a continuous whole
Italian Baroque
Architecture
 CHARACTERISCTICS
ARCHITECTURE: Italy
• They evolved from the Renaissance forms
• Movement toward grand structures with flowing, curving shapes
• Landscape was frequently incorporated
• New elements as gardens, squares , courtyards and fountains.
• Influence of the rebuilding of Saint Peter, in which classical forms
integrated with the city.
 SUMMARY OF BAROQUE ARCHITECTURE
Early Baroque High Baroque Late Baroque Rococo
ca. 1600-25 ca. 1625-75 ca. 1675-1725 ca. 1725-1800
Austria/southern
Maderno Bernini and Borromini chateaux
Germany
(facade of St Peter's) (sacred architecture) (notably Versailles)
(notably churches)
EARLY ITALIAN BAROQUE HIGH ITALIAN BAROQUE
• The foremost pioneer of Baroque • The two foremost names in
architecture was Carlo Maderno, Baroque architecture are Bernini
whose masterpiece is the facade of and Borromini, both of whom
Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican City. worked primarily in Rome.
 Architects
CARLO MADERNO BALDASSARE LONGHENA
• He made the Vatican’s façade
• His design was selected for
(works: •Santa maria della
building Santa Maria della Salute (
Vittoria)
Work: Santa Maria della Salute)
 Architects
GIOVANNI LORENZO BERNINI FRANCESCO BORROMINI
• He made the Vatican’s façade
• His design was selected for
(works: Santa maria della Vittoria)
building Santa Maria della Salute (
Work: Santa Maria della Salute)
Italian Baroque
1. BASILICA OF ST. PETER’S, ROME
DOME COMPLETED BY GIACOMO
DELLA PORTA, C. 1590
2. FACADE AND PIAZZA OF ST.
PETER’S, ROME FACADE BY CARLO
MADERNA, C. 1600-1612 PIAZZA BY
GIANLORENZO BERNINI, C. 1657
3. SAN CARLO ALLE QUATTRO
FONTANE, ROME
4. SANT’ IVO ALLA SAPIENZA,
ROME
5. SAN LORENZO, TURIN,
NORTHERN ITALY
Italian Baroque
CHARACTERISCTICS
Floors - typically made of solid wood or marble
Hand-woven rugs - placed to soften spaces
Furnitures - detailed with curved legs, carved details, and gilding
Commonly used
– Gold frames and gilding on statues and pottery
– Large mirrors, crystal chandeliers, door knobs and pulls
Luxury fabrics in damask and floral prints
Vaults, Arches and Buttresses
CHARACTERISCTICS
Color Schemes
A palette of rich, vibrant hues
Contrast between light and shadow
ORNAMENTS
Characteristics
Foliage Motifs
Putto/Putti
Marquetry
Crests and Initials
Lambrequin Motif
FURNITURES
Gilded wood, oak or walnut
Lion commodes
With “cassoni”
Florentine Console Tables
End.