Day 48 - Baroque Italy & Spain Recap

The term Baroque is thought to have come form the Potuguese word barroco  which means an irregularly shaped pearl, and may have been a critique of the roughness associated with the art of this time as compared to the Renaissance.  The Baroque period of the 17th century saw many advances in perspective and refinement of architecture, so over time the negative connotations associated with the term has faded.

Baroque artists created dynamic work full of drama, theatrical composition, and elaborate ornamentation which combined in an effect that imposed direct emotional involvement of the viewer in an attempt by the Catholic church during the Counter-Reformation as a way of pulling worshipers away from Protestantism.  The drama grandiose presentation impressed the power and control over the viewer leaving them to revel in the opulence and drama of the style.

PIETRO DA CORTONA  (1596-1669),
View Of The galleria Pamphili

Architects such as Bermini used the whole space when designing places of worship created with sculpture, light, painting and structure a synthesized creation in which worshipers could experience the power of God and heaven on earth.

The Church of Sant'Andrea al
Quirinale, designed by
Gian Lorenzo Bernini

References:

1. Gardner's Art Through the Ages, A Global History, 13th ed., by Fred S. Kleiner - Chapter 24
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baroque
3. http://artmight.com/Artists/Pietro-Da-Cortona-1596-1669/PIETRO-DA-CORTONA-View-Of-The-galleria-Pamphili-32242p.html