4.1 — The Baroque Style
Baroque art (c. 1600–1750) is dramatic, theatrical, and emotionally charged. It flourished amid religious conflict and global expansion, using movement, light, and rich materials to persuade, inspire, and captivate viewers.
Historical Context
The Catholic Counter-Reformation promoted art that was vivid and accessible to rekindle faith. Courts and monarchies used spectacle to assert power. Expanding trade networks spread materials, motifs, and artistic exchange.
Key Characteristics
- Dramatic Light: Tenebrism and spotlighting to heighten emotion (Caravaggio, Artemisia Gentileschi).
- Dynamic Composition: Diagonals, spirals, and off-center focal points that imply movement.
- Theatrical Space: Illusionistic ceilings, painted architecture, and blurred boundaries between viewer and scene.
- Opulent Materials: Marble, gilt stucco, colored stone, and rich textiles in architecture and interiors.
Definition: Tenebrism
An extreme form of chiaroscuro where figures emerge from deep shadow into intense light, creating stark, theatrical contrast.
Painting Highlights
- Caravaggio: Realist bodies, gritty settings, and tenebrism (“Calling of Saint Matthew,” “Judith Beheading Holofernes”).
- Artemisia Gentileschi: Powerful heroines and dramatic light (“Judith Slaying Holofernes”).
- Peter Paul Rubens: Sweeping diagonals, fleshy figures, and vibrant color (“Elevation of the Cross,” “Marie de’ Medici Cycle”).
- Guido Reni & Annibale Carracci: Classicizing Baroque, balancing drama with idealized form.
Architecture and Urbanism
Baroque architects sculpt space with curves, ovals, and dramatic light effects.
- Bernini: Piazza and Baldacchino at St. Peter’s, Ecstasy of Saint Teresa (Cornaro Chapel) blending sculpture, light, and theater.
- Borromini: Undulating walls and inventive geometry (San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane; Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza).
- Urban Planning: Grand avenues and vistas in Rome and later Versailles set stage-like cityscapes.
Sculpture
Baroque sculpture emphasizes movement, textures, and interaction with space (Bernini’s “David,” “Apollo and Daphne”). Marble seems to ripple like fabric and skin under raking light.
Note: Engaging the Viewer
Baroque works often break the picture plane or niche—figures extend into the viewer’s space, inviting emotional and physical engagement.
Global Circulations
Baroque styles traveled via missionaries, trade, and colonial networks, mingling with local traditions in Latin America, the Philippines, and beyond—producing hybrid altarpieces, churches, and devotional images.
Looking Ahead
Next, Chapter 4.2 explores the Dutch Golden Age, where a burgeoning market fostered intimate portraits, still lifes, and landscapes for private homes.