68 Baroque Art Facts: Examples, History, Identity And More

The intense baroque art styles of sculptures, paintings, and architecture are pretty distinctive.

Baroque art differs from all other art forms of the world, as it takes you through striking movements, contrasting colors, and effervescent details. If you want to know more, keep reading!

There are three sources from where the term 'baroque' is derived: Italian, French, and Portuguese. In the Middle Ages, the philosophers of Italy coined the term 'Barocco' which means to trace a hurdle in logical schematics. The Portuguese and French terms define it as an irregularly shaped pearl.

This term has come a long way as it still thrives in the world of accessories like the famous baroque pearls. In a more generalized meaning, the word 'baroque' states something fanciful in a heightened way abandoning all orthodox mental faculties. Baroque art has spectacularly paved the way to establish such picturesque artforms, giving us a glorious past to look into. As we all have seen, when such intellectual movements break the norm, they cause disruptions in societies. The criticisms of these art forms are prevalent too.

Facts About Baroque Art

This era brought intense mingling of religious themes and western art. The artistic style used during this period wanted to portray emotions through painting, sculpture, music, and architecture. The mystery doesn't end here!

• The Baroque style originated in Europe at the end of the 15th century and went on till the middle of the 17th century.
• The visual dramatics of the Baroque Period was considered to be quite complex and Dionysiac at the time.
• The grandeur and extravagance of the Baroque period, such as its sculptures, paintings, music, theater, and architecture, reveal an enigmatic richness and strike the senses of every individual.
• The Baroque Era started in Italy, covering parts of Europe, America, the Philippines, Russia, Germany, Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Cuba, Colombia, Bolivia, Guatemala, and Puerto Rico.
• The Renaissance and Mannerism art (late renaissance) heralded the platform for early Baroque and Rococo styles.
• The distinctive features are its decorative style of art with exquisite ornamentation.
• One of the most noteworthy appeals of the Baroque era is its sense of style in producing effects of surprise.
• A much lesser-known facet of the Baroque style is that it was adopted by the Catholic Church due to the Protestant Reformation (a major movement of the 16th century opposing the religious, political, and papal authority of the Catholic Church).
• The Catholic Church then validated the ideology of Baroque art at the Council of Trent (1545-1563).
• As a result of the Protestant Reformation, they adopted such themes which blended emotions with religion for the benefit of the wider population.
• The Church saw this as an opportunity to gain the faith of people back; this genre infuses religious and sensual influences by dramatically inculcating them.
• Baroque art fragmented into numerous forms like Baroque paintings, landscape paintings, religious paintings, Baroque sculptures, Baroque architecture, and Baroque churches.
• The Baroque era charmed everyone, including the churchgoers, with vivid descriptions of realistic themes.

History Of Baroque Art

The Baroque era arose due to certain movements of protests against the authority of the Catholic Church. Let's go back to find out the events that gave birth to the Baroque era.

• Martin Luther was one of the most significant figures of the protestant movement.
• He was a German priest, author, theologian, and Augustinian friar (a religious mendicant order of the Catholic Church).
• He exposed the Catholic Church's corruption and his ideas helped in launching the Protestant Movement, which significantly changed the whole of Europe.
• In 1517 he wrote 'The Ninety-Five Theses On The Power of Indulgences.'
• During those times, Europe was going through political, religious, and military agitations.
• As he saw the abuse of power by the Catholic Church, he became their active critique.
• The Catholic Church saw a deepening crisis and gave two theories in retaliation.
• The Church worked towards obliterating the corruption and preserving their doctrines.
• The 16th century saw periods of excessive splurge by the papacy followed by economic moderation.
• Since the Catholic Church was desperate to get back in power, by the end of the 16th century, they came back with a sense of a novel vitality; their motive and purpose were quite clear.
• They wanted to turn the faith of the population towards Catholic ideologies and encourage morality.
• The center of papal authority, Rome, started to embellish its image through the Baroque style.
• The Protestants severely rebuked the tone of the Baroque painting, but the Catholic Church encouraged this painting style.
• The Baroque style of art was fundamentally linked to the religious themes to showcase power and clarity.
• The ultimate goal was to inspire and influence people coming from all walks of life.
• The expression of the Baroque style was to put an individual through such an astonishing journey that represented the effects of shock, devotion, piety, and expressions of the divinity of both man and nature alike.
• Monarchies rose, and the new powerful middle class also came forward, greatly influencing art patronage.
• The centralized states brought majestic Baroque style and Baroque architecture.

Characteristics Of Baroque Art

Let's go on to read more about the Baroque art and Rococo style, broadening our cognitive horizons. The Baroque period ushered people into a more engaging sense of passion and vision.

• The Baroque style and art can be divided into Baroque architecture, Baroque sculpture, Baroque painting, and Baroque music.
• The Baroque era was illustrated by many famous artists.
• Since the art is massively distinctive, it can easily be identified.
• The architecture of Baroque art is emphasized through spectacularly built churches.
• Baroque churches are defined with a vast center; the altar is close with an overhead dome allowing the light to fall below.
• The dome acts as a sign of Baroque architecture depicting the union between heaven and earth.
• The interior of the churches is lavishly decorated with paintings of angels, saints, and stunning statuettes made up of stucco (material made up of fine plaster used during decorative architectural construction).
• Another exquisite feature of the baroque churches is quadratura, a type of trompe-l'œil (deceives the eye).
• It is an art technique using realistic imagery to create a visual illusion of 3D.
• The ceilings are thoroughly covered in paintings of saints and angels, with significant details given to consoles and balustrades.
• Twisted columns with a cartouche (an oval design that is ornamentally carved) is a signature facet of Baroque art.
• Exemplary Baroque painters have set themselves apart from any other known art, especially from Renaissance and Mannerism painters.
• The use of intense and warm colors was intended to attract the viewers' attention to the action of the figure and their expressions.
• Their brilliance can be seen in how they wanted their arts to be portrayed; even in the painting, they depicted drama and tempestuous movements.
• The dominating impressions were about asymmetry and dramatic emotions; every painting had a message, symbols being encrypted, and characters of allegory (deep hidden meaning).
• The sculptures made during the Baroque era were earnest emotional illustrations of saints and figures.
• Roman statuary was the inspiration behind the style of Baroque sculpture.
• Certain types of motifs were used in furniture inspired by Baroque art.
• They were 'horns of plenty,' festoons, baby angels, acanthus leaves, classical columns, and pediments.
• Ebony, copper, and exotic woods were used in the Baroque furniture.
• During the Baroque era, a certain genre of music was also composed; it was an age of innovation and invention for music.
• Opera as a form of theater took birth during the end of the 16th century.
• The Baroque era was considered to be the most glorious period for the theater, especially in France and Spain.
• The size of theaters was bigger with detailed machinery, and to hide the machinery, a proscenium arch was used.
• Classic theater developed alongside opera and ballet.
• Last but not least were Baroque gardens which were developed through intricate gardening and required a lot of care.
• Their patterns were geometric in nature to depict the brilliance of their builder.

Examples Of Baroque Art

Baroque art is a vivid experience in itself, and it gave the world some unforgettable historical artifacts. Why not take a look at some of their momentous examples!

• Annibale Carracci was an Italian painter and instructor who worked closely with his brother Agostino and cousin Ludovico.
• He is considered to be one of the predecessors of Baroque style painting.
• 'The Butcher's Shop' (1583), 'The Beaneater' (1585), and 'River Landscape' (1590) are some of the best works of Carracci.
• Caravaggio was an Italian painter famous for his intense religious works.
• 'The Calling of Saint Matthew' (1600), 'The Incredulity of Saint Thomas' (1601-1602), and 'The Taking of Christ' (1602) are some of his best works.
• Artemisia Gentileschi was a virtuoso who started producing professional work from the age of 15.
• She is known for portraying female figures using intense hues of colors for dramatic dimensions.
• 'Judith and Her Maidservant' (1618), 'Madonna and Child' (1613), and 'Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting' (1638-1639) are a few of her most notable works.
• Some of the other famous painters of the Baroque era are Andrea Pozzo, Rembrandt, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Judith Leyster, Peter Paul Rubens, Giovanni Battista Gaulli and Bartolomeo Manfredi.
• Baroque artists complemented the grand architecture and sculpture by using highly decorative techniques, and you can witness these prime skills in some of the 18th-century art forms.
• Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Italian sculptor and architect) was a prime figure in the world of architecture and sculpture; he is credited as the creator of the Baroque style of sculpture.
• He was considered a prodigy due to his versatile skill and technical finesse.
• 'Baldacchino di San Pietro' (1623-1634), 'St. Peter's square' (1656-1667), 'The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa' (1647-1652), and 'Trevi Fountain' (1629) are a few of his celebrated works.
• Other noteworthy architects and sculptors of the Baroque style were Guarino Guarini, Alonso Cano, Guillaume Coustou the Elder, Stefano Maderno, Andreas Schlüter, Alessandro Algardi, François Mansart, and Adriaen de Vries.
• One of the most exemplary hallmarks of the Baroque era was the rendition of the music.
• Marked by the arrival of the orchestra, the composers used intricate polyphony (a type of musical note using a combination of different notes) with harmony.
• Johann Sebastian Bach was a German musician and composer of the late Baroque era.
• A great genius of his time, he pioneered different kinds of music.
• He composed recitatives, suites, concertos, and da capo arias (a musical form sung by a soloist with multiple instruments).
• Bach, an organist with extraordinary aptitude, garnered praise for his excellence in music globally.
• His spiritual connection was elemental in all his music compositions.
• Antonio Vivaldi was a virtuoso baroque composer and violinist of Italian descent.
• He was also an acclaimed impresario and Roman Catholic priest.
• A sovereign master of the violin and multiple instruments, he is considered one of the most celebrated composers of the Baroque era.
• Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons' was one of his most prominent creations giving poetic and musical expression to each season of the year.
• The composition of 'Four Seasons' invokes emotions with the changing seasons.
• Few of the other music prodigies of the Baroque era were George Frideric Handel, Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi, Giovanni Gabrieli, Giovanni Girolamo Kapsperger, Francesco Cavalli, John Blow and Giovanni Battista Pergolesi.