The Baroque Period: Art, Architecture, and Urbanism

The Baroque Period

Introduction

The Baroque period spanned the 17th and first half of the 18th century. Originating in France, it flourished under Pope Sixtus V. The religious division between Catholics and Protestants fueled the Baroque’s development, with the Jesuits playing a key role in its ideological dissemination. Baroque art emphasized grandeur and aimed to overwhelm the senses, contrasting with the rationality of the Renaissance. It featured capricious, disproportionate, and dramatic forms. Politically, this era saw the triumph of absolute monarchies. It was also a time of great creativity in literature, music, opera, and philosophy, with figures like Descartes, Galileo, Pascal, and Newton.

Foci of Baroque

England

From 1535, Henry VIII established the Anglican Church. While Baroque swept Europe, English architecture leaned towards classicism with architects like Inigo Jones (1573-1652), known for the Queen’s House in Greenwich, and Christopher Wren (1632-1723), who designed St. Paul’s Cathedral. After the Great Fire of London in 1666, new spaces like squares and circuses were planned. Van Dyck was the most influential painter of the time.

France

French Baroque served as propaganda for absolutism, utilizing classical canons. The state controlled art under figures like Colbert, who in 1664 appointed himself protector of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. Key architectural works include the Palace of Versailles, with its horizontal layout, two wings, and high-rise prismatic roofs. Churches, such as the Church of the Sorbonne, were built on three floors with domes. Jules Hardouin-Mansart was a prominent architect.

Austrian Empire

Central Europe emulated French court art, with princes, the Church, and nobility as patrons. The Thirty Years’ War hampered architectural development in Germany, but notable figures like Daniel Pöppelmann emerged. Protestant Baroque flourished in the Netherlands. In Flanders, under Spanish rule, the aristocracy and Church had limited artistic freedom, unlike artists like Rubens. In Protestant Holland, patrons included burghers, municipalities, corporations, and hospitals, who favored realistic depictions of life.

Spain

Spanish Baroque, also known as Counter-Reformation Baroque, emphasized mystical-religious themes, upholding the values of the Council of Trent. This marked a shift from Renaissance thinking, countering Protestant ideas. The 17th century was a golden age for Spanish literature, with religious congregations and the court commissioning works. The Baroque style served as a tool for spreading Catholic ideology.

Baroque in Navarre

The Baroque style arrived in Navarre during the 17th and 18th centuries. Churches adopted a Latin cross plan, featuring barrel vaults, domes at the crossing, choir lofts, and side chapels. Examples of this style can be found in Pamplona, including the Carmelite and Augustinian churches. Sculpture is evident in various altarpieces, such as those in Santa Maria de Viana. In the late 18th century, Baroque evolved into Rococo. Notable painters include the regionalist Berdusán, with works in Tudela and Funes. The dome of Santa Maria de Viana, by Luis Paret y Alcázar, is also noteworthy.

Characteristics of Baroque Architecture

Baroque architecture is characterized by freedom in the use of elements, valuing invention and originality. Artificiality sometimes overshadowed functionality, prioritizing overall effect. Lighting effects were also crucial. Key characteristics include:

  1. Rejection of classical purity and Renaissance modes. Emphasis on liberty and a disregard for rules, prioritizing sensation over order. Use of ashlar stone (exterior) and marble (interior).
  2. Mastery of curved lines in both decoration and building facades. Diagonal viewpoints are encouraged.
  3. Giant columns and Solomonic brackets. Classical proportions are abandoned in favor of monumental scale. Columns could be decorated in various ways, including spiraling, resulting in the Solomonic column.
  4. Complex geometric shapes in floor plans, such as ellipses, ovals, circles, and cruciform shapes. Churches often featured a single nave with side chapels, an apse, and a dome at the crossing.
  5. Diverse ceiling systems, often false, decorated with paintings, moldings, or other additions.

Building Types

Temples: Churches adopted Greek cross and basilical plans.

Palaces: Designed for grand living, palaces incorporated extensive gardens and urbanized spaces, exemplified by the Palace of Versailles.

European Urbanism

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