Baroque

**UNIT 11 BAROQUE **  All branches of culture flourished during this period. Baroque **art ** was also inspired by classical forms. However, artists wanted to portray reality as it was, without idealising it, and their works were full of movement and contrast. Major works of **literature ** were written. It was the age of great playwrigths and poets, such as **Shakespeare, Molière, Cervantes ** or **Lope de Vega **. It was also an exceptional time for **music **, with great composers, such as **Vivaldi, Bach ** and **Handel **. In the 17th century, there was great interest in new methods of obtaining knowledge. Scientists and thinkers looked for truth through observation and experiment ( **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">empiricism **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">), and the use of reason ( **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">rationalism **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">). It was the time of **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Galileo, Newton **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> and **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Kepler **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">. In some countries, governments encouraged research and created **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">academies of sciences. **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> So, they hoped to improve their economies. Buildings were built to attract the attention of passers-by. To do this, architects used the following features: **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">curved lines, light effects, rich ornamentation **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> and **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">colourful materials **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">. Rome was the capital of baroque. With the Counter-Reformation, the Popes decided to reconstruct the city to reinforce its reputation as the centre of Christianity. The greatest architects of this time were **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Bernini **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> and B **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">orromini **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">. Baroque architecture spread rapidly to most of Europe. In **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Spain **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">, was characterised by rich ornamentation. The most famous architect for his extravagant style was José de Churriguera ( **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">churrigueresque **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">). A typical aspect of Spain baroque was the construction of **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">town squares **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">, like the one in Salamanca. In **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">France **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">, the Crown and nobles built great palaces. The most famous was **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Versailles **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">SOCIAL STUDIES. Summaries in English ** <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">WHAT WAS BAROQUE? **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Baroque **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">is the name given to European culture in the period which started in the 17th century and lasted for most of the 18th century. Baroque was influenced by the religious conflict which had divided Europe.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">BAROQUE CULTURE **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">BAROQUE ARCHITECTURE **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">

The main characteristics of baroque painting are: **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">realism **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">, a **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">sense of movement **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> and **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">energy **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">, **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">strong emotions **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> and a **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">variety **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> of **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">subjects **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> (religion, mythology, scenes from daily life, portraits, landscapes, etc.). In spite of these common features, there was a wide range of schools and styles:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">BAROQUE PAINTING **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The Italian School **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">. The most outstanding artist was **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Caravaggio **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">, who searched inspiration by ordinary people. He introduced **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">tenebrism technique **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">, a form of **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">chiaroscuro **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">.
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The Dutch School **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">. It was greatly influenced by the taste of the merchants, who commissioned and paid for the paintings. The most important artists were **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Rembrandt, Frans Hals **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> and **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Vermeer **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">.
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The Flemish School **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">. This school was influenced by **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">naturalism **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> of Italian painting. The best painters were **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Rubens **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> and his disciple **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Van Dyck **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">.

The 17th century was a period of great splendour to Spanish painting, which served to spread the ideals of Counter-Reformation. This school is characterised by **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">realism **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> and **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">strong emotion, **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> especially in the religious paintings. The principal painters were:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">THE GOLDEN AGE OF SPANISH PAINTING **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Diego Velázquez **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">, is one of the most admired artists of all times. His style was influenced by realism and tenebrism. He was the official painter at the court of Philip IV. In Italy, he learned different techniques, which explain the high quality of his later masterpieces, such as Las Meninas.
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">José Ribera **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">, the //<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Spagnoletto //<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">, followed Caravaggio’s model of naturalism, but he used more colour and his characters are more relaxed.
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Zurbarán **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> is specially known by his religious scenes to decorate convents and his still lifes.
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Murillo **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">, at first, admired Italian realism and tenebrism, but later evolved towards a painting more serene and intimate.

The main features are: **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">realism, intense feelings, movement and vitality, effects **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> of **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">light **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">. In **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Spain **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">, most baroque sculpture was commissioned by the Church. It consisted of **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">altarpieces **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> and **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">images **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> for churches and for Holy Week processions. Most of the images were made of **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">polychrome wood **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">. His figures were very expressive, in order to stir the emotion of the people. The most important sculptors in this period were **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Gregorio Fernández, Alonso Cano, Martínez Montañés **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> and **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Pedro de Mena **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">CHARACTERISTICS OF BAROQUE SCULPTURE **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Bernini **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> was architect, but also the greatest baroque sculptor. He was influenced by Michelangelo and by the Hellenistic masterpieces in the Vatican collection. Among his most famous works are: Apollo and Daphne or The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa.