Baroque Art and Architecture

I INTRODUCTION Baroque Art and Architecture, the

style dominating the art and architecture of Europe and certain European
colonies in the Americas throughout the 1!!s, and in some places, until
1"#!$ A num%er of its characteristics continue in the art and architecture of
the &rst half of the 1'th century, although this period is generally termed
rococo (see Rococo )tyle* and corresponds roughly +ith ,ing -ouis ./ of
0rance$ 1anifestations of %aro2ue art appear in 3irtually e3ery country in
Europe, +ith other important centers in the )panish and 4ortuguese
settlements in the Americas and in other outposts$ The term baroque also
de&nes periods in literature and music$

II DE0INITION
The origins of the +ord baroque are not clear$ It may ha3e %een deri3ed
from the 4ortuguese barocco or the )panish barueco to indicate an
irregularly shaped pearl$ The +ord itself does not accurately de&ne or e3en
appro5imate the meaning of the style to +hich it refers$ 6o+e3er, %y the
end of the 1'th century baroque had entered the terminology of art
criticism as an epithet le3eled against 1"th7century art, +hich many later
critics regularly dismissed as too %i8arre or strange to merit serious study$
9riters such as the 1:th7century )+iss cultural historian ;a<o% =urc<hardt
considered this style the decadent end of the Renaissance> his student
6einrich 9?l@in, in Principles of Art History (1:1#> translated 1:AB*, &rst
pointed out the fundamental diCerences %et+een the art of the 1th and
1"th centuries, stating that D%aro2ue is neither a rise nor a decline from
classic, %ut a totally diCerent art$E
=aro2ue art encompasses 3ast regional distinctions$ It may seem confusing,
for e5ample, to la%el t+o such diCerent artists as Rem%randt and
Fianloren8o =ernini as %aro2ue> yet despite diCerences, they shared certain
%aro2ue elements, such as a preoccupation +ith the dramatic potential of
light$
A 6istorical =ac<ground
Understanding the 3arious forms of %aro2ue art re2uires <no+ledge of its
historical conte5t$ The 1"th century could %e called the &rst modern age$
6uman a+areness of the +orld +as continuously e5panding$ 1any scienti&c
disco3eries inGuenced art> FalileoHs in3estigations of the planets, for
e5ample, account for astronomical accuracy in many paintings of the time$
The assertion of the 4olish astronomer Copernicus that the planets did not
re3ol3e around the earth +as +ritten %y 1#A!, pu%lished in 1#IA, and only
fully accepted after 1!!$ The reali8ation that the earth +as not at the
center of the uni3erse coincided in art +ith the rise of pure landscape
painting de3oid of human &gures$ The acti3e trade and coloni8ation policies
of many European nations accounted for numerous portrayals of places and
peoples that +ere e5otic to Europeans$
Religion determined many aspects of %aro2ue art$ The Roman Catholic
church +as a highly inGuential patron, and its Counter Reformation, a
mo3ement to com%at the spread of 4rotestantism, employed emotional,
realistic, and dramatic art as a means of propagating the faith$ The
simplicity sought %y 4rotestantism in countries such as the Netherlands and
northern Fermany li<e+ise e5plains the se3erity of the architectural styles
in those areas$
4olitical situations also inGuenced art$ The a%solute monarchies of 0rance
and )pain prompted the creation of +or<s that reGected in their si8e and
splendor the maJesty of their <ings, -ouis .I/ and 4hilip I/$
= =aro2ue characteristics
Among the general characteristics of %aro2ue art is a sense of mo3ement,
energy, and tension (+hether real or implied*$ )trong contrasts of light and
shado+ enhance the dramatic eCects of many paintings and sculptures$
E3en %aro2ue %uildings, +ith their undulating +alls and decorati3e surface
elements, imply motion$ Intense spirituality is often present in +or<s of
%aro2ue art> in the Roman Catholic countries, for e5ample, scenes of
ecstasies, martyrdoms, or miraculous apparitions are common$ In&nite
space is often suggested in %aro2ue paintings or sculptures> throughout the
Renaissance and into the %aro2ue period, painters sought a grander sense
of space and truer depiction of perspecti3e in their +or<s$ Realism is
another integral feature of %aro2ue art> the &gures in paintings are not
types %ut indi3iduals +ith their o+n personalities$ Artists of this time +ere
concerned +ith the inner +or<ings of the mind and attempted to portray
the passions of the soul on the faces they painted and sculpted$ The
intensity and immediacy of %aro2ue art and its indi3idualism and detailK
o%ser3ed in such things as the con3incing rendering of cloth and s<in
te5turesKma<e it one of the most compelling periods of 9estern art$
C Early %aro2ue styles
The roots of %aro2ue styles are found in the art of Italy, and especially in
that of Rome in the late 1th century$ A desire for greater clarity and
simpli&cation inspired a num%er of artists in their reaction against the
anticlassical 1annerist style, +ith its su%Jecti3e emphasis on distortion,
asymmetry, %i8arre Ju5tapositions, and %iting colors$ Anni%ale Carracci and
1ichelangelo 1erisi, called Cara3aggio, +ere the t+o artists in the forefront
of the early %aro2ue$ Cara3aggioHs art is inGuenced %y naturalism and the
grand humanism of 1ichelangelo and the 6igh Renaissance$ 6is paintings
often include types dra+n from e3eryday life engaged in completely
%elie3a%le acti3ities, as +ell as heroic and tender depictions of religious and
mythological su%Jects$ The school that de3eloped around Carracci, on the
other hand, attempted to rid art of its mannered complications %y returning
to the 6igh Renaissance principles of clarity, monumentality, and %alance$
This %aro2ue classicism remained important throughout the century$ A third
%aro2ue style de3eloped in Rome a%out 1A!, the so7called high %aro2ue> it
is generally considered the most characteristic mode of 1"th7century art,
+ith its e5u%erance, emotionalism, theatricality, and unrestrained energy$
III =AROLUE ART IN ITA-M
In Italy painting, sculpture, and architecture e3ol3ed from 1annerism to an
early %aro2ue mode$ This change follo+ed the Council of TrentHs call in 1#A
for art that +ould instruct and culti3ate piety through simplicity$
A Italian =aro2ue 4ainting
)ome of the &rst and most inGuential artists to underta<e a systematic
reform of the 1annerist style +ere of the Carracci family$ Anni%ale, his
%rother Agostino, and their cousin -udo3ico +ere =olognese artists +ho had
an enormous impact on the art of the %aro2ueHs greatest center, Rome$
Anni%ale arri3ed there in 1#:#$ 6a3ing already %ecome famous for his
frescoes in =ologna, he +as commissioned to e5ecute the ceiling painting
(1#:"71!!* in the Falleria of RomeHs 0arnese 4alace, his most signi&cant
+or< and a <ey monument in the de3elopment of the classical or ideal,
%aro2ue manner, of +hich Anni%ale +as the chief initiator$ This style
appealed to such artists as Fuido Reni, Domenico Nampieri, called
Domenichino, and 0rancesco Al%ani, +ho +ere trained %y the Carracci at
their +or<shop in =ologna$ Other %aro2ue classicists, such as the 0rench
painters Nicolas 4oussin and Claude -orrain, came from a%road to +or< in
Rome$ Also dra+n to Rome +as Cara3aggio, +ho %ecame the principal ri3al
of Anni%ale$ 9or<s such as the Calling and the Martyrdom of Saint Matthew
(1#::O71!!, )an -uigi dei 0rancesi, Rome* found sympathetic response,
and Cara3aggio came to %e the guiding spirit %ehind an entire school of
%aro2ue naturalists$ Naturalism +as spread throughout Italy in the &rst t+o
decades of the 1"th century %y such nati3e painters as Ora8io Fentileschi
and his daughter Artemisia, =artolomeo 1anfredi, and Caracciolo, called
=attistello, and later %y foreigners +or<ing in Italy, including the 0rench
painter /alentin de =oulogne, Ferrit 3an 6onthorst from the Netherlands,
and the )paniard ;usepe de Ri%era$ Although of lesser importance in Italy
after a%out 1A!, %aro2ue naturalism continued to ha3e an enormous
impact throughout the rest of the century in all parts of Europe$
Another turning point in the history of %aro2ue painting too< place in the
late 1B!s$ 1any artists attempted to introduce greater li3eliness and
drama into their +or<s to create illusions of limitless space (illusionism*$
0rom 1B# to 1B" Fio3anni -anfranco painted the enormous dome of the
church of )antH Andrea della /alle in Rome +ith his Assumption of the
Virgin. Although this fresco +as inspired %y CorreggioHs Renaissance ceilings
in 4arma, it 3irtually o3er+helmed contemporary spectators +ith its
e5u%erant illusionistic eCects and %ecame one of the &rst high %aro2ue
masterpieces$ -anfrancoHs +or< in Rome (11A71A!* and in Naples (1AI7
1I* +as fundamental to the de3elopment of illusionism in Italy$
The illusionistic ceiling fresco +as a particularly important medium for high
%aro2ue painters$ 4ietro =errettini, called 4ietro da Cortona, de3eloped it to
an e5traordinary degree in +or<s such as the ceiling (1AA71A:* of the
gran salone of RomeHs =ar%erini 4alace$ 0rom 1" to 1": Fio3anni
=attista Faulli, also called =aciccio, painted Adoration of the Name of esus
on the ceiling of the FesP Church in Rome$ 0rom 1:1 to 1:I Andrea
4o88o painted !he "ntrance of Saint #gnatius into Paradise for the ceiling of
)antH Igna8io, Rome, +ith the same theatricality, drama, and emotion that
had characteri8ed high %aro2ue painting throughout the century$
= Italian =aro2ue )culpture
Anti71annerism in Italian sculpture is &rst seen in Saint Cecilia (1!!, )anta
Cecilia in Traste3ere, Rome* %y )tefano 1aderno$ Its simple cur3ing lines
represent a dramatic departure from the more pronounced contortions of
earlier +or<s$ It +as Fianloren8o =ernini, ho+e3er, +ho dominated %aro2ue
sculpture in Rome$ Among his early o3er7life7si8e group sculptures,
Abduction of Proserpina (1B171BB* and Apollo and $aphne (1BB71BI,
%oth Falleria =orghese, Rome* display his 3irtuosity in the handling of
mar%le, creating eCects of realistic dramatic tension, strong light7and7dar<
contrasts, and the illusion of 3ariegated colors$ 6is "cstasy of Saint !heresa
(1I#71#B, Cornaro Chapel, )anta 1aria della /ittoria, Rome* epitomi8es
the highly charged theatricality that is a hallmar< of the %aro2ue$ =ernini
+as the fa3orite artist of the popes, for +hom he did highly am%itious +or<s
in the /atican$ The huge %aldachin, a pillared canopy (1BI71AA*, a%o3e
the high altar in )aint 4eterHs Church, as +ell as the Cathedra 4etri (Chair of
)aint 4eter, 1#"71* in the apse of the church, attest in their colossal
si8e and precious materials (including mar%le and gilded %ron8e* to the
sumptuous splendor of Roman Catholicism$ =ernini also e5celled in
portraiture, as may %e seen in such e5amples as Costan%a &uonarelli
(1A#O, =argello, 0lorence* and Pope #nnocent ' (1I"O, 4ala88o Doria7
4amphili, Rome*$ 6is only ri3al in this genre +as the sculptor Alessandro
Algardi$
0ountains +ere among the principal types of %aro2ue pu%lic monuments,
and those %y =ernini are among the most outstanding e5amples$ (ountain
of the (our )i*ers (1I'71#1* in RomeHs 4ia88a Na3ona startles the 3ie+er
+ith its mammoth statues and o%elis< %alanced almost precariously on
ledges from +hich gush dramatic cascades of +ater$ =ernini +as also an
important and inGuential architect> in addition to the 3ast colonnade (%egun
1#* em%racing )aint 4eterHs )2uare, he designed such churches as )antH
Andrea al Luirinale (1#'71"!* in Rome$
C Italian =aro2ue Architecture
Among the &rst maJor architects of the early %aro2ue +as Carlo 1aderno,
+ho is <no+n principally for his +or< on )aint 4eterHs$ =et+een 1! and
11B he %uilt the na3e e5tension and facade of this structure, %egun
appro5imately 1!! years earlier %y Donato =ramante$ Aside from =ernini,
the maJor architects of the Roman %aro2ue +ere 0rancesco =orromini and,
to a lesser e5tent, Carlo Rainaldi$ Together they designed )antH Agnese
(%egun 1#B* in 4ia88a Na3ona$ The elegantly undulating facade of
=orrominiHs )an Carlo alle Luattro 0ontane (1#71"* in Rome, +ith its
con3e5 and conca3e rhythms echoing those of the interior, might %e called
the 2uintessence of Italian %aro2ue architecture$
=uilding acti3ity also occurred in centers outside Rome during the early
decades of the 1"th century$ 0rancesco 1aria Ricchino, in 1ilan, and
=aldassare -onghena, in /enice, %oth designed central7plan churches$
-onghenaHs )anta 1aria della )alute (%egun 1A1* has %een noted for its
e5tra3agantly ornate e5terior and its super% site at the entrance to the
Frand Canal$ Especially theatrical is the +or< of Fuarino Fuarini in Turin$
6is Cappella della )anta )indone (Chapel of the 6oly )hroud, 1"7:I*
astounds the o%ser3er +ith its intricate geometric forms deri3ed from
Islamic %uildings in the unusually high dome$
I/ =AROLUE ART IN )4AIN Although he is
ac<no+ledged as one of the great )panish painters, the inGuence of El
FrecoHs 1annerism +as fairly slight in )pain$ The early appearance of a
naturalistic %aro2ue style +as due to an inGuence from Italy$
A )panish =aro2ue 4ainting
/incente Carducho, a 0lorentine artist, +as inGuential in esta%lishing a
Counter Reformation anti71annerist painting style in central )pain$ ;uan
)anche8 Cotan and ;uan 3an der 6amen +ere %oth e5pert at painting
realistic still lifes that com%ine an inGuence from the Netherlands +ith that
of Cara3aggio$ In /alencia, a naturalistic %aro2ue mode is o%ser3ed in the
+or< of 0rancisco Ri%alta, inspired %y the art of %oth the Italian 6igh
Renaissance painter Titian and ;usepe de Ri%era$ )e3ille and 1adrid
%ecame the t+o greatest centers of )panish %aro2ue art$ 0or e5ample, early
in the 1"th century, %aro2ue characteristics emerged in the paintings of
;uan de las Roelas, 0rancisco 4acheco, and 0rancisco de 6errera the Elder$
In his early +or<, 0rancisco de Nur%arQn, +ho settled in )e3ille in 1B:,
deri3ed some of his inspiration from 0lemish prints, %ut his most impressi3e
%aro2ue compositions are deeply mo3ing for their direct and realistic
approach to religious su%Ject matter$ Nur%arQn +or<ed almost e5clusi3ely
for con3ents and monasteries$ -ate in his life his style +as touched %y the
softening inGuence of =artolomR Este%an 1urillo$
9or<s %y Cara3aggio +ere seen in )e3ille %y 1!A$ Their popularity partially
accounts for the strong realist inGuence on the +or< of )painHs greatest
%aro2ue painter, Diego de /elQ82ue8$ In )e3ille /elQ82ue8 painted such
earthy +or<s as +ld ,oman (rying "ggs (11', National Fallery of
)cotland, Edin%urgh*$ In 1BA he mo3ed to 1adrid to ser3e as portraitist to
4hilip I/, a post he retained throughout his life$ 6is series of royal portraits
culminated in !he Maids of Honor (1#, 4rado, 1adrid*, representing the
royal family, court functionaries, and the artist himself$ /elQ82ue8 +as also
noted for historical and mythological compositions and for his +or< as an
architect and decorator$
T+o other important artists of /elQ82ue8Hs generation +ere also from
AndalucSaKAlonso Cano and 1urillo$ Cano (also a sculptor and architect* is
noted for his sensiti3e renderings of Gesh, as in the $escent into -imbo
(1#!O, -os Angeles County 1useum of Art*, one of the fe+ )panish
%aro2ue treatments of the nude$ 1urillo speciali8ed in sentimental genre
paintings and renderings of the Immaculate Conception$ The late %aro2ue in
)e3ille is %est represented %y ;uan de /aldRs -eal, +hose t+o paintings
(1"B* of *anitas (reminders of mortality* su%Jects in the 6ospital of -a
Caridad, )e3ille, are horrifying in their mor%id, ultrarealistic depictions of
s<eletons and putrefying cada3ers$ In 1adrid, the last generation of
%aro2ue painters includes 0rancisco Ri8i, ;uan CarreTo de 1iranda, and
Claudio Coello, artists +ho culti3ated a style %ased on the Italian high
%aro2ue$
= )panish =aro2ue )culpture Italian art had little
impact on )panish %aro2ue sculpture, +hich +as essentially an outgro+th
of the medie3al +oodcar3ing tradition$ Realism and intense attention to
detail characteri8e all )panish +ood sculpture> it is usually polychromed,
and, at times, pro3ided +ith glass eyes, hair, and garments$ Among the
most important +or<s of )panish %aro2ue sculpture are numerous car3ed
+ood reta%les (altar pieces*, many of considera%le si8e and richness,
produced %y sculptor7architects$ Of these, Fregorio 0ernQnde8, +ho +or<ed
principally in /alladolid, +as the maJor sculptor of central )pain, +hile the
southern school is %est represented %y ;uan 1artSne8 1ontaTRs and ;uan de
1esa from )e3ille and 4edro de 1ena and Alonso Cano +or<ing in Franada$
C )panish =aro2ue Architecture )panish
architecture of the early %aro2ue often continues the pattern of the muted
se3ere style of the monastery7palace of El Escorial (1#A71#'B* near
1adrid, as in the =uen Retiro 4alace (%egun 1A1, no+ destroyed* in
1adrid$ CanoHs facade for Franada Cathedral (designed 1"* contains
classical elements %ut, in its surface decoration, points the +ay to the
de3elopment of the rococo style$ The most ornate %aro2ue %uildings are
found in AndalucSa$ )e3illeHs 6ospital of -os /enera%les )acerdotes (1'"7
1:"*, designed %y -eonardo de 0igueroa, is typical$ In the rest of the
country the Churrigueres2ue style, a +ildly e5u%erant %aro2ue mode named
for the Churriguera family of architects, is e3ident in richly adorned
%uildings in =arcelona, 1adrid, and especially )alamanca$
D )panish =aro2ue in the Ne+ 9orld The art of
the Ne+ 9orld in the 1"th century follo+ed lines similar to that of the
I%erian countries$ Among the maJor centers in )panish America +ere
1e5ico, Fuatemala (especially the city of Antigua Fuatemala*, and 4eru
(Cusco and -ima*$ The art of =ra8il follo+ed the patterns set %y 4ortugal$ In
painting, the styles of Cara3aggio, Nur%arQn, and 1urillo had tremendous
impact$ 4aintings of the Cusco school com%ined indigenous decorati3e
forms +ith European7li<e &gures$ )culptural decoration from nati3e sources
also ser3ed as an integral part of the interiors and e5teriors of the hundreds
of %aro2ue churches constructed in a Gam%oyant and e5aggerated
Churrigueres2ue mode, in all parts of the )panish colonies at this time$
/ =AROLUE ART IN NORT6ERN EURO4E The
%aro2ue spread rapidly to the countries of northern Europe from Italy,
+here most of the maJor masters +ent to study the manifestations of the
ne+ style$ Each country, ho+e3er, de3eloped distincti3e 3ersions of the
%aro2ue, depending on its particular political, religious, and economic
conditions$
A 0lemish =aro2ue
The 0lemish %aro2ue is dominated %y the %rilliance of 4eter 4aul Ru%ens$
6is youthful painting style +as formed from such di3erse Italian sources as
Cara3aggio, the Carracci, and 1ichelangelo, e3idenced %y his )ape of the
$aughters of -eucippus (11711"O, Alte 4ina<othe<, 1unich*$ Ru%ens and
his atelier e5ecuted a large num%er of mythological and religious paintings
for patrons all o3er Europe$ Ru%ensHs mature style, +ith its e5ceedingly rich
colors, dynamic compositions, and 3oluptuous female forms, is the pea< of
northern %aro2ue painting and is e5empli&ed %y his famous series of B1
huge can3ases, !he -ife of Marie de M.dicis (1B171B#, -ou3re, 4aris*$
Among Ru%ensHs pupils, his most +orthy successor +as Anthony 3an Dyc<,
+hose specialty +as elegant portraiture, such as Portrait of Charles # in
Hunting $ress (1A#, -ou3re*$ ;aco% ;ordaens and Adriaen =rou+er are %est
<no+n for their con3incing peasant genre scenes, +hich are also the
su%Jects of 0lemish artist Da3id Teniers and Dutch artist Adriaen 3an
Ostade$
0lemish %aro2ue sculptors often deri3ed inspiration from Italian art$ 0ranUois
Du2uesnoy +or<ed +ith =ernini in Rome, e5ecuting the gigantic Saint
Andrew in )aint 4eterHs in 1AA$ The style of the +or< of Artus Luellinus
+as deri3ed from Italy and from Ru%ens$ Italian taste is e2ually present in
architecture, as in the former ;esuit church of )aint Charles =orromeo
(11#71B1, no+ a museum*, in Ant+erp, =elgium$
= Dutch =aro2ue
At the turn of the 1"th century many Dutch artists, such as 6endri<
Folt8ius, +ere still +or<ing in the 1annerist idiom$ Cara3egges2ue %aro2ue
+as %rought to the Netherlands +hen se3eral artists, including Ferrit 3an
6onthorst and 6endri< Ter%rugghen, returned to their homeland from Italy>
%y the 1B!s naturalism +as entrenched in Utrecht$ In that decade and the
ne5t 0rans 6als produced portraits remar<a%le for their deft %rush+or<,
informality, and naturalness$ 1any of 6alsHs paintings are of local militia
companies, as is !he Night ,atch (1IB, RiJ<smuseum, Amsterdam* %y the
greatest Dutch %aro2ue master, Rem%randt$ Unli<e most Dutch artists,
Rem%randt painted a +ide 3ariety of su%JectsKportraiture, history,
mythology, religious scenes, and landscapeK+ith unmatched 3irtuosity$ 6is
handling of glo+ing light against dar< %ac<grounds, his deft, Gic<ering
%rush+or< in thic< paint, his truthful %ut sympathetic rendering of his
su%Jects are among the 3irtues that place Rem%randt in the highest ran< of
painters$ 6is fame as a graphic artist is also unsurpassed$ The creation of a
con3incing psychological am%ience and masterly e3ocation of shimmering
light eCects distinguish the midcentury +or< of ;an /ermeer> his meticulous
draftsmanship and delicate handling of pigment, often imitated, are uni2ue$
-andscape, still life, animal painting, and architectural 3ie+s no+ %ecame
important genres in Dutch %aro2ue painting$
Until a%out 1#!, Dutch sculpture remained 1annerist> a strongly %aro2ue
e5u%erance +as then introduced %y 0lemish sculptors, most nota%ly %y
Luellinus +ith his +or< for the interior and e5terior of the Amsterdam To+n
6all$ The %uilding, no+ the Royal 4alace, +as %egun in 1I' to the plans of
;aco% 3an Campen$ It epitomi8es the per3asi3e taste of the time for a
classicism %ased on the pu%lished designs of the 1th7century Italian
architect Andrea 4alladio$
C English =aro2ue =aro2ue painting in England +as
dominated %y the presence of Ru%ens and 3an Dyc<, +ho inspired an entire
generation of portraitists$ =ritish sculpture +as inGuenced e2ually %y Italian
and 0lemish styles$ The architect Inigo ;ones studied the classicism of
Andrea 4alladio in Italy, as is e3ident in his =an2ueting 6ouse (11:71BB,
-ondon*, +ith a spectacular ceiling painting, Allegory of Peace and ,ar
(1B:*, %y Ru%ens$ )ir Christopher 9ren also Journeyed to Italy, and his
plans for )aint 4aulHs Cathedral (%egun 1"#, -ondon* re3eal his study of
=ramante, =orromini, and other Italian architects$ 9ren, +ho +as in charge
of the re%uilding of -ondon after the &re of 1, inGuenced the course of
architecture in England and its North American colonies for o3er a century$
D 0rench =aro2ue
At the start of the 1"th century in 0rance, the 1annerist school of
0ontaine%leau +as still acti3e in commissions for the 4alace of
0ontaine%leau, +here proJects such as the decoration of the Chapel of
Trinity +ith paintings (11:* %y 1artin 0rRminet continued earlier traditions$
1annerism is also found in the prints of ;ac2ues Callot and ;ac2ues
=ellange$ The candlelit scenes of Feorges de -a Tour, ho+e3er, suggest
Cara3aggioHs inGuence$ =aro2ue naturalism arri3ed +ith artists such as
/alentin de =oulogne, +ho had li3ed in Italy and +ith those +ho had contact
+ith 0lemish realism, such as the -e Nain %rothers and 4hilippe de
Champaigne$ Of greatest importance for the history of 0rench %aro2ue
painting is the classicism of Nicolas 4oussin$ Although he li3ed for most of
his creati3e life in Rome, 4oussinHs impactKand that of his fello+ e5patriate
Claude -orrainKin his o+n land +as enormous$ -ate in the century
classicism com%ined +ith a high %aro2ue manner in Charles -e%runHs
frescoes at the 4alace of /ersailles$ In the late %aro2ue paintings of Antoine
Coypel, the per3asi3e inGuence of Ru%ens is strongly apparent, especially in
those for the Royal Chapel of /ersailles$
The sculpture of 4ierre 4uget is also in the high %aro2ue style> 0ranUois
Firardon and Antoine Coyse3o5 e5pressed a mar<ed classicism in
monumental sculptures for the <ing$ FirardonHs group Apollo and the
Nymphs (171"B*, in the Frotto of Thetis at /ersailles, is indicati3e of
the 0rench taste for a chaste 3ersion of the anti2ue$
The 4alace of /ersailles (%egun 1:*, created for -ouis .I/Kthe )un ,ingK
%y -ouis -e /au, AndrR -e NVtre, and Charles -e%run, is the single most
important 0rench %aro2ue architectural monument$ It is dedicated to the
)un ,ing, and its measured classical forms, 3ast and comple5 gardens, and
sumptuous interiors glorify the po+er of the monarchy> it ga3e rise to
imitations %y do8ens of other rulers throughout Europe$ A similarly
grandiose proJect +as the enlargement (1!s71"!s* of the -ou3re %y -e
/au, -e%run, Claude 4errault, and others, a +or< of great restraint and
su%tlety$
E Austrian and Ferman =aro2ue
Although political e3entsKthe Thirty MearsH 9ar (11'71I'* in Fermany
and the Tur<ish presence in AustriaKpre3ented %aro2ue art in those
countries from truly Gourishing until the 1'th century, some 1"th7century
artists of merit did emerge$ T+o masters of Ferman %aro2ue painting are
Adam Elsheimer, +ho mo3ed to Rome in 1!!, +or<ed in a classical manner
and +as strongly inGuenced %y Italian painters, and ;ohann -iss, +ho
tra3eled to /enice in 1B1 and +or<ed there and in Rome$
)culpture in 1"th7century Fermany and Austria retained a late Fothic or
1annerist 2uality in the 1"th century$ In Fermany the W%erlingen altar
(11A711:* %y ;?rg NXrn represents the continuity of the alpine
+oodcar3ing tradition$ The altar (1BAO* at the Inster%urg -utheran parish
church, %y -ud+ig 1unstermann, epitomi8es the 1annerist inGuence$
=althasar 4ermoser, a =a3arian, assimilated high %aro2ue styles in Italy and
%rought them to Dresden, +here he %ecame its leading %aro2ue sculptor$
6is festi3e sculptures for the N+inger 4a3ilion (%egun 1"11*, the Dresden
4alaceHs grandiose e5tension %y 1atthYus 4?ppelman, account for much of
the structureHs %eauty$ In /ienna, as in Dresden, %aro2ue architecture found
fa3or +ith the ruling court on a spectacular scale$ One of AustriaHs greatest
%aro2ue architects, ;ohann =ernhard 0ischer 3on Erlach, demonstrated his
understanding of Italian forms in his masterpiece, the opulent ,arls<irche
(1"171"A"* in /ienna$
Contri%uted =yZ
Ed+ard ;$ )ulli3an
1
1"Baroque Art and Architecture."Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2001. 1993-
2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights resered.