Baroque Architecture
(late 16th through the mid-18th centuries)
During the 1520s and 1530s, at the tale end of the High Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation movement spread throughout western and central Europe. Led by such reformers as Martin Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, and King Henry VIII of England, the Reformation challenged the authority of the Catholic Church centered in Rome. As a result of the movement, large regions of Europe went through violent clashes between Catholics and Protestants. The reformers attacked the Catholic Church for a variety of reasons - for its doctrine (particularly transubstantiation, which was the belief that the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Christ during Communion), for its corruption at the highest levels, for its focus on the adoration of saints and of Mary, and for its focus on material representations of Mary, the saints, and Biblical scenes, among other reasons.
For many Protestants, the church should not focus on its tradition of saints (perceived holy figures who lived after Christ) or its adoration of Mary. Many Protestants also believed that a physical church should not be ornately decorated as many churches dating back to the medieval period were. Those Protestants believed that a relatively simple structure with minimal decoration and which focused on Christ (often represented simply with a crucifix) was more effective in developing a more direct and profound connection with God.
Between 1545 and 1563, leaders of the Catholic Church met for twenty-five sessions in the city of Trent to discuss the Reformation movement and how the Catholic Church would respond. The Council of Trent, as it would be called, responded to the Reformation movement by clarifying and by standing behind Catholic beliefs. The Council pushed forward Mary's role within the church, supported the veneration of saints, and promoted the use of art and architecture to engage parishioners and to enable those parishioners to make more meaningful connections with God.
Baroque art and architecture is, in large part, connected to the Counter-Reformation. Artists throughout Europe, especially in Italy and the Spanish Empire, used painting and sculpture to capture the imaginations of viewers and to bring Biblical stories to life. Architects designed churches that conveyed emotion and created a dramatic environment in which visitors could be transported to a Heavenly realm.
In the areas of Europe that were not dominated by the Catholic church, especially from the mid-17th century onward, secular buildings adopted Baroque designs. In France, King Louis XIV had his family's hunting lodge at Versailles turned into a very large and elaborately decorated palace with an equally impressive garden. By the 18th century, kings and other rulers imitated Louis by having their own palaces constructed in the Baroque style, lavishly decorated and furnished.
By the mid-18th century, aristocrats who lacked the power of a king, decorated their own palaces, chateaus, lodges, or houses in a late Baroque style that Art Historians often refer to as Rococo. Rococo art (painting and sculpture) tended to be less serious and more playful than Baroque art. Rococo architecture tended to be more ornately decorated and more playful than Baroque architecture.
Building Types:
Churches (Counter-Reformation)
Palaces (Absolute Monarchies)
Aristocratic Estates
Features/Elements/Characteristics:
Dramatic Emphasis
Rounded corners or curved walls
Convex and concave elements
Domes
Elaborate decorations
Solomonic columns
Cartouches
Trompe l'oeil paintings on ceilings
Installations
Churches
Church of the Gesu. Photo by Alessio Damato. CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped and resized.
Church of the Gesu or Chiesa del Gesu. 1568-84.
Triumph of the Name of Jesus, the main ceiling fresco, was painted by Giovanni Battista Gaulli, also known as Baciccia.
Watch this video on the Church of the Gesu.
How does this church look and feel dramatic?
Church of Santa Susanna in Rome. 1585-1603.
Photo by Jensens. Public Domain. Resized.
Church of Sant-Andrea della Valle in Rome. c. 1590-1650.
Saints Peter and Paul Church in Krakow. 1597-1619.
Asamkirche. 1733-1746.
In this video, art critic Waldemar Januszczak talks about the Asamkirche in Munich, Germany.
San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane. 1638-46.
The architect was Francesco Borromini.
Watch this video about San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane.
How does this building compare and contrast with the earlier Baroque buildings or with a Renaissance building?
Church of St. Anne in Krakow. 1689-1705.
Palace Architecture
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| Schloss Nymphenburg. Photos by Rebecca Salem. |
Schloss Nymphenburg. 1664-1675 with later additions and changes.
Wurzburg Residence. 1720-80.
The photo above displays The Marriage of Emperor Frederick II and Beatrix of Burgundy by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, the famous Venetian (Italian) painter who also created the ceiling frescoes in the main entrance hall with its staircases.
Watch this video to find out more about Würzburg Residence.
Even though this is a palace for a German prince-bishop and not a church, what similarities do you find when comparing this building to the churches above?
After looking at these examples, how did Baroque architects infuse energy and drama into their buildings?
