The Baroque is perhaps, along with the Middle Ages, one of the most reviled periods on an artistic level. And its own name, “baroque”, comes from a pejorative voice: during the Enlightenment it served to name the “overloaded” and “excessive” style of the 17th and early 18th centuries, in an attempt to contrast it with the “balanced” ” Neoclassicism.
The problem is that The term “baroque” is based on a limited conception of this art Because although there is a dynamic and theatrical Baroque, it is no less true that there is another that follows the classical canons and that at no time abandons the precepts of classicism. Without forgetting, of course, the Baroque of northern Europe, championed by Dutch artists, a much more intimate and simple Baroque.
In today’s article we will try to illustrate what the Baroque is through 10 examples of baroque art, in which we have tried to include works of architecture, sculpture and painting from various latitudes, with the aim that our vision of this artistic movement is as complete as possible. We hope it is useful to you.
1. San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, by Francesco Borromini
For many, it represents the apotheosis of baroque architecture. Francesco Borromini, real name Francesco Castelli, emerged as Bernini’s true rival in 17th century Rome. However, although the latter was unparalleled as a sculptor, Borromini is probably the best architect of his time.
In San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, a monastic complex commissioned by the Barefoot Trinitarians and sponsored by Cardinal Francesco Barberini (nephew of Pope Urban VIII), Borromini displays all his architectural originality. In the building, the elliptical and ascending shapes give a strong dynamism to the construction, which thus breaks the classical precepts. In this sense, Borromini goes beyond Bernini by dispensing with the classicist canons prevailing in the Roman Baroque Furthermore, the whiteness of the building makes it a very sober and spiritual construction.
2. Palace of Versailles, by Hardouin-Mansart and others
In 1661, Louis XIV of France decided to remodel an old hunting lodge that his father, Louis XIII, had built near Paris. The work was commissioned to Louis Le Vau who, upon his death in 1670, was replaced by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, the person primarily responsible for the classicist grandeur of the palace.
The palace of Versailles (on the cover) represents the summit of the tradition of chateau French, whose main characteristic is to be divided into three main bodies (unlike the palazzo Italian) The classic forms of the French Baroque, evident in this architectural work, can also be seen in other designs by Mansart, such as the magnificent building of Les Invalides of Paris (1677-1706).
It has often been commented that the Baroque in France follows much more “pure” classical lines than the Italian Baroque, although this is a generalization that deserves to be questioned. For example, St. Peter’s Square by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), another of the great works of Baroque architecture, shows a colonnade of Tuscan Doric order that corresponds to the identification of the holy martyrs with the classical heroes.
3. Trevi Fountain, by Nicola de Salvi and Pietro Bracci
This spectacular fountain is designed to create a “shock” in the passer-by, a typical baroque conception by which the architectural element suddenly “opens” among the tangle of streets. This is exactly what happens to Anita Ekberg’s character in the legendary movie scene. The sweet life, when, after wandering through the Roman streets, he enters the square and sees the colossal architecture. Already in 1625, Pope Urban VIII commissioned Gian Lorenzo Bernini to remodel the fountain located at the confluence of three streets, considering it “antiquated.” The project however was too expensive and was scrapped.
Some decades later, Nicola Salvi takes it up again under the auspices of the new Pope Clement XII and designs an impressive fountain a conception that will be continued after his death by Pietro Bracci and Giovanni Pannini.
4. Apollo and Daphneby Gian Lorenzo Bernini
This work is one of the most famous and spectacular of the Baroque. The great Bernini (one of the greatest exponents of 17th century sculpture) is inspired by the Metamorphosis by Ovid, and captures the moment when the nymph Daphne, pursued by the god Apollo, transforms into a laurel tree to escape from him. Characteristic of the Baroque is to freeze the instant of the climax: in this case, we see how Daphne’s soft flesh gradually turns into the rough bark of the laurel; fingers and toes give way to branches and roots.
In the exalted expression of the nymph, who seems to scream for help with her mouth half open, we can recognize the figure of Laocoön, from the Hellenistic school of Rhodes, which demonstrates, once again, the inspiration that the Baroque takes from the classical world..
Luisa Roldán (1652-1706), better known as The Rollerwas one of the most famous and appreciated sculptors in the Hispanic Baroque of the late 17th century and early 18th century. It was requested by King Charles II himself and, later, by Philip V, the first Spanish Bourbon
His San Miguel Arcangel It is amazingly spectacular. The archangel raises his sword, about to let it fall, in a fatal blow, on the Devil. He writhes under his sandals (the angel is dressed as a Roman soldier) and seems to ask for mercy with his hands raised.
The peculiarity of this Demon is its face, not at all creepy or twisted, very similar to that of a flesh and blood human being. The polychromy, based on contrasting basic tones (including the nuclear white face and skin), is typical of the 18th century Baroque.
6. Penitent Magdaleneby Pedro de Mena
The Granada native Pedro de Mena (1628-1688) is especially known for his extraordinary way of capturing textures. In the case of this Penitent Magdalene, we clearly see the coarse esparto grass with which the saint covers her naked body. With a gesture characteristic of the Baroque, the Magdalene places her hand on her chest, in an attitude that seems taken directly from the stage, as if the saint were declaiming.
The wood is polychrome with exquisite realism, which further accentuates the naturalism of the work The straight and greasy hair of the holy hermit and her poor attire contrast with her beautiful face, pink and luminous, typical of Mena.
7. Doubt about Saint Thomasby Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
The characteristic tenebrism of the early Baroque and, especially, of Caravaggio (1571-1610) is perfectly captured in this work, probably one of the artist’s best. Collect the scene in which Saint Thomas, incredulous at the Resurrection of Christ, puts his finger into Jesus’ wound to make sure that he is, indeed, the resurrected master
Caravaggio’s naturalism is reflected in the astonishing realism when representing flesh; The saint’s finger is literally “inserted” into the skin of Christ. On the other hand, the anatomical study, also characteristic of the Baroque, is extraordinary.
Caravaggio chose his models from the slums of Rome; Therefore, his characters are flesh and blood humans, not idealized beings, who show all his flaws. We must not only relate this fact to the character of the painter, bellicose and rebellious, but it is also closely linked to the counter-reformation message, which advocated the close representation of religious figures, with the aim of making the faithful feel identified with them.
We have already commented in the introduction that the Baroque of northern Europe, that of the Protestant area, is very different from that developed in the southern Catholic countries. Specifically, in the area of the United Provinces there was an important rise of the bourgeoisie, which emerged in the 17th century as the main patron of artistic works. As a result, the paintings reduce their size and take on the motifs of everyday life and the home environment.
One of the greatest exponents of this Baroque is Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675), the great Delft painter. His milkmaid It captures an intimate moment from everyday life, in which a woman who appears to be in a kitchen or pantry pours milk from a jug into another container. The light that surrounds the figure is soft and placid, and the attitude of the milkmaid is calm and serene Vermeer thus establishes himself as an expert in freezing moments, an aspect that, on the other hand, is essential in the Baroque.
9. The Abduction of Hippodamiaby Peter Paul Rubens
The great profusion of characters and the enormous dynamism that the work gives off make it a paradigm of baroque expression in painting. Rubens (1577-1640) was inspired by the Metamorphosis and captures the moment when Hippodamia is kidnapped on the same day of her wedding We see the young woman, with the painter’s characteristic abundant and pearly flesh, writhing in the arms of her captor, the centaur Eurytus, invited to the wedding banquet. The apparent disorder that reigns in the composition (apparent, we say, because, in reality, it is carefully studied) perfectly reflects the moment of climax, in which the centaur, eager for desire, takes the bride before the astonished gaze of the people that is here.
Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1653) is one of the great names of Baroque painting. His composition, highly influenced by Caravaggio’s tenebrism, sometimes surpasses the “master” It is the case of your Judithwhich, in expression, composition and strength, far surpasses Caravaggio’s painting of the same name.
Of the Judith of Gentileschi there are two versions, both by the same artist. Perhaps the most famous is the one preserved in the Capodimonte Museum in Naples, where the biblical heroine appears dressed in a silky blue dress, which is not an impediment for her, with a concentrated and powerful gesture, to sever the neck of General Holofernes. The scene, which turns into a gruesome carnage, shines for its naturalism and the sobriety of the composition.
