Baroque architecture flourished from the late 16th to the mid-18th century. The architectural style that originated in Italy quickly spread throughout Europe. In the 17th century, the Spanish Baroque swept across Latin America. Mainly used to express the triumph of the Roman Catholic Church over the Protestants, architectural style later it began to be used as a visual demonstration of the absolutist regime on the example of majestic palaces. Below we present 10 masterpieces of Baroque architecture, both religious and secular.
Karlskirche, Vienna
The beautiful baroque church is one of the most amazing buildings in Vienna. The temple was built under the auspices of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI. The ruler vowed to build the church after a terrible outbreak of the plague in the early 18th century. The Karlskirche was built between 1716 and 1737. A competition was announced for the right to build, in which the Austrian architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach won. But, unfortunately, without finishing his work, the architect died, and his creation was completed by his son Joseph.
Schönbrunn, Vienna
Schonbrunn is the former summer residence of the Habsburg dynasty, built in the late Baroque style. Just like the Karlskirche, this Austrian version of the Palace of Versailles is the work of the architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, although the building has undergone some changes later. After the collapse of Austria-Hungary in 1918, the palace became the property of the Republic of Austria and was eventually opened to the public as a museum.
St. Peter's Square, Vatican
Peter's Square and its columns with 140 statues of saints are the work of Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini, who, together with Francesco Borromini, became one of the most famous architects of the Baroque era. He also created the fountain (left) in the likeness of the fountain on the right (built by Carlo Maderna) in order to achieve symmetry. In the center of the square is an ancient Egyptian obelisk erected in 1586 by Domenico Fontana.
Cathedral in Zacatecas, Mexico
The Cathedral of Zacatecas in Mexico is regarded as one of the finest examples of Mexican Baroque architecture. The basilica of the cathedral was built from 1730 to 1760 by an unknown architect on the grounds of a 16th century church. In 1993, the cathedral was included in the list of objects world heritage UNESCO.
San Carlo alle Cuatro Fontane, Rome
Designed by one of the main representatives of the Baroque style, Francesco Borromini, San Carlo alle Cuatro Fontane (also known as the Church of St. Charles at the Four Fountains) is one of the finest examples of the Baroque style. The Catholic church was built between 1638 and 1646, when it was consecrated. In the 70s of the 17th century, the facade of the building was slightly supplemented by Borromini's nephew - Bernardo.
State Invalides, Paris
One of the most magnificent works french architecture baroque. Most of the complexes were built by the French architect Liberal Bruant. The amazing dome of the chapel was designed by Jules Hardouin Mansart. Conceived as a nursing home and a hospital for veterans, the State Invalides is today a museum of the French army, modern history. But it is also the place where national heroes France, including Napoleon Bonaparte.
Cathedral of Saint James, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia
One of the most famous cathedrals in Spain and a place of pilgrimage since the Middle Ages, the Cathedral of St. James is a typical Romanesque building. The facade was built in the 18th century by the architect Fernando de Casas Novoa.
St Paul's Cathedral, London
Built on the grounds of an old church badly damaged in the Great Fire of London in 1666, St Paul's Cathedral is often regarded as one of the finest examples of English Baroque architecture. The design was carried out by the famous English architect, Sir Christopher Wren, who also restored over 50 churches damaged by the fire, and the architect worked on many famous secular buildings throughout England. From 1710 to 1962 St Paul's Cathedral was the tallest building in London.
Palace of Versailles, Versailles
The Palace of Versailles is one of the greatest palaces ever built by man and is a fine example of secular baroque architecture. Built under the direction of Louis XIV in the 1660s, the palace, to a large extent, including the Gallery of Mirrors, was designed by the architect Jules Hardouin Mansart. The successors of the Sun King altered the details somewhat, but the magnificent palace and its gardens remained as impressive as they were during the reign of Louis XIV. Since 1837 the Palace of Versailles has opened its doors to the public as a museum.
Winter Palace, St. Petersburg
The Winter Palace was built during the reign of Peter the Great in St. Petersburg and served as the official residence for the Romanov family until the 1917 Revolution. The palace was originally designed by a Swiss architect Italian descent Domenico Trezzini. However, later the Winter Palace was significantly changed. Much of the current appearance of the building dates from the 1830s. Appearance had to be restored after a fire. Also, the Winter Palace suffered significant destruction during the Siege of Leningrad, but was restored in all its grandeur.
Baroque (Italian barocco - “bizarre”, “strange”, “excessive”, port. perola barroca - “pearl of irregular shape” - characteristic European culture XVII-XVIII centuries.
Baroque era
The Baroque era gives rise to a huge amount of time for entertainment: instead of pilgrimages - the promenade (walks in the park); instead of jousting tournaments - "carousels" (horseback rides) and card games; instead of mysteries - theater and a masquerade ball. You can add the appearance of swings and "fiery fun" (fireworks). In the interiors, portraits and landscapes took the place of icons, and music turned from spiritual into a pleasant play of sound.
Baroque features
Baroque is characterized by contrast, tension, dynamic images, affectation, striving for grandeur and pomp, for combining reality and illusion, for the fusion of arts (urban and palace and park ensembles, opera, cult music, oratorio); at the same time - a tendency towards autonomy of individual genres (concerto grosso, sonata, suite in instrumental music).
baroque man
Baroque man rejects naturalness, which is identified with savagery, arrogance, tyranny, bestiality and ignorance. The Baroque woman cherishes the pallor of her skin, she wears an unnatural, frilly hairstyle, a corset and an artificially extended skirt on a whalebone frame. She is in heels.
And the ideal of a man in the Baroque era becomes a gentleman, a gentleman - from the English. gentle: “soft”, “gentle”, “calm”. He prefers to shave his mustache and beard, wear perfume and wear powdered wigs. Why force, if now they kill by pulling the trigger of a musket.
Galileo for the first time directs a telescope to the stars and proves the rotation of the Earth around the Sun (1611), and Leeuwenhoek discovers tiny living organisms under a microscope (1675). Huge sailboats plow the expanses of the world's oceans, erasing white spots on the geographical maps of the world. Travelers and adventurers become literary symbols of the era.
Baroque in sculpture
Sculpture is an integral part of the Baroque style. The greatest sculptor and the recognized architect of the 17th century was an Italian Lorenzo Bernini(1598-1680). Among his most famous sculptures are the mythological scenes of the abduction of Proserpina by the god of the underworld Pluto and the miraculous transformation into a tree of the nymph Daphne pursued by the god of light Apollo, as well as an altar group "The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa" in one of the Roman churches. The last of them, with its clouds carved from marble and the clothes of characters fluttering in the wind, with theatrically exaggerated feelings, very accurately expresses the aspirations of the sculptors of this era.
In Spain, during the Baroque era, dominated by wooden sculptures, for greater credibility, they were made with glass eyes and even a crystal tear, real clothes were often put on the statue.
Baroque in architecture
For baroque architecture ( L. Bernini, F. Borromini in Italy B. F. Rastrell and in Russia Jan Christoph Glaubitz in the Commonwealth) are characterized by spatial scope, fusion, fluidity of complex, usually curvilinear forms. Large-scale colonnades are often found, an abundance of sculptures on facades and in interiors, volutes, a large number of rake-outs, arched facades with a rake-out in the middle, rusticated columns and pilasters. The domes acquire complex forms, often they are multi-tiered, as in St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome. Characteristic details of the Baroque - telamon (atlas), caryatid, mascaron.
Baroque in the interior
The baroque style is characterized by ostentatious luxury, although it retains such an important feature classical style like symmetry.
Wall painting (one of the types monumental painting) has been used in decorating European interiors since early Christian times. In the Baroque era, it was most widely used. The interiors used a lot of color and large, richly decorated details: a ceiling decorated with frescoes, marble walls and parts of the decor, gilding. Color contrasts were characteristic - for example, the marble floor, decorated with tiles in a checkerboard pattern. Abundant gilded jewelry was a characteristic feature of this style.
Furniture was a piece of art, and was intended almost exclusively for interior decoration. Chairs, sofas and armchairs were upholstered in expensive, richly colored fabric. Huge beds with canopies and flowing down bedspreads, giant wardrobes were widespread. Mirrors were decorated with sculptures and stucco with floral patterns. Southern walnut and Ceylon ebony were often used as furniture material.
Baroque style is not suitable for small spaces, as massive furniture and decorations take up large volume in space.
baroque fashion
The fashion of the Baroque era corresponds in France to the period of the reign of Louis XIV, the second half of the 17th century. This is the age of absolutism. Strict etiquette and complex ceremonial reigned at the court. The suit was subject to etiquette. France was a trendsetter in Europe, so other countries quickly adopted French fashion. It was a century when a general fashion was established in Europe, and national characteristics receded into the background or preserved in a folk peasant costume. Before Peter I, European costumes were also worn in Russia by some aristocrats, although not everywhere.
The costume was characterized by stiffness, splendor, an abundance of jewelry. The ideal of a man was Louis XIV, the "sun king", a skilled rider, dancer, shooter. He was short, so he wore high heels.
Baroque in painting
The Baroque style in painting is characterized by the dynamism of compositions, the “flatness” and pomp of forms, the aristocracy and originality of subjects. The most characteristic features of the Baroque are catchy flamboyance and dynamism; a prime example- creation Rubens and Caravaggio.
Michelangelo Merisi (1571-1610), nicknamed after his birthplace near Milan Caravaggio, is considered the most significant master among Italian artists who created at the end of the 16th century. a new style in painting. His paintings, written on religious subjects, resemble realistic scenes. modern author life, creating a contrast between late antiquity and modern times. The heroes are depicted in twilight, from which the rays of light snatch out the expressive gestures of the characters, contrastingly writing out their specificity. Followers and imitators of Caravaggio, who at first were called caravaggists, and the current itself was called caravagism, such as Annibale Carracci(1560-1609) or Guido Reni(1575-1642), adopted the riot of feelings and the characteristic manner of Caravaggio, as well as his naturalism in the depiction of people and events.
The expansion of the forms of artistic reflection of reality and the diversity of these forms are especially acute in the 17th century. style problem. An integral quality of style is the synthesis in a single figurative whole of all types of plastic arts, in which architecture plays a leading and forming role. Style is an artistic system that is distinguished by the unity of ideological and figurative principles and techniques of artistic language.
In the 17th century two stylistic systems developed: baroque and classicism, but in addition to this, a third, non-left (realistic) direction in art is emerging.
Baroque art developed in the feudal-absolutist states under the strong influence of Catholicism (Italy, Spain, Flanders). The visual art of the Baroque cannot be understood apart from its connection with architecture. Architecture, which combines utilitarian and artistic factors to a greater extent than other types of art, is associated with material progress and is highly dependent on the dominant ideology (temple architecture and urban planning is carried out with the money of the church and rich people, but at the same time it serves society as a whole). In baroque cult buildings, all the richest possibilities for the synthesis of architecture, sculpture, decorative art and painting are designed to amaze the viewer's imagination, "saturate" him with a religious feeling. In the same Italy, secular structures are erected, representing milestone in the development of world architecture. Techniques of urban planning, an integral urban ensemble are being developed, palace and park complexes are being built, in which new principles of the connection between architecture and the natural environment are being discovered.
Baroque is characterized by great emotional elation and pathetic nature of images, which is achieved due to the scale of buildings, exaggerated monumentalization of forms, dynamics of spatial construction, and increased plastic expressiveness of volumes. Hence the curvilinear plans, the curves of the walls, on which, as it were, grow cornices, pediments, pilasters; small forms of architectural decoration abound: windows are decorated with various architraves, niches - with statues. General impression stormy movement and wealth is complemented by sculpture, murals, stucco, colored marbles and bronzes. Add to this picturesque contrasts of chiaroscuro, perspective and illusionistic effects.
Religious, palace buildings, sculpture, fountains (Rome) are combined into a holistic artistic image. The same can be said about the palace and park complexes of other regions of Italy of the Baroque era, which are distinguished by their exceptionally masterful use of complex terrain, rich southern vegetation, water cascades in combination with small forms - pavilions, fences, fountains, statues and sculptural groups.
Baroque features were most clearly embodied in monumental sculpture, in the work of Lorenzo Bernini (the ideas of the triumph of mysticism over reality, the ecstatic expressiveness of images, the stormy dynamics of form).
In painting, the contribution to the art of the Baroque was made by the Bologna academic brothers Carracci, Guido, Reni, Gvercino. The baroque concept reaches its full development with Pietro da Norton, Bacciccio and others. In their multi-figure compositions saturated with strong movement, the characters seem to be carried away somewhere by an unknown force. In Baroque painting, monumental and decorative paintings dominated, mainly plafonds, altar paintings depicting the apotheoses of saints, scenes of miracles, martyrdom, huge historical and allegorical compositions (great style).
baroque art Flanders has its own specifics. In Rubens, Jordans and other masters, the antithesis of the earthly and the mystical, the real and the illusory, which is characteristic of the Baroque concept, is expressed more externally, without turning into a tragic dissonance. In Rubens, in many altarpieces, as well as in paintings on themes ancient mythology, man and real being are glorified.
In France, the Baroque style did not occupy a leading position. France 17th century - This is the historical arena of the development of classicism.
Classicism
The style of classicism arises in parallel with the baroque style as the style of the same era, decisive from other positions and other visual means tasks of its time - the glorification of the power of the absolute monarch.
Classicism occupied a dominant position in France in the era of Louis XIV, which became the apogee of absolutism.
Instead of the dramatic effects of baroque architecture, he puts forward the principle of combining majestic solemnity architectural image with reasonable clarity. Although the 17th century represents the first stage of classicism, when the features of this style did not reach the most rigorous and pure expression, public and palace buildings, urban ensembles, palace and park complexes are imbued with the spirit of solemn splendor. Their spatial solution is distinguished by clear logic, the facade - by harmony. compositional construction with proportionality of parts, architectural forms - simplicity and rigor. Strict order is introduced even into nature: the masters of classicism created a system of the so-called regular park. The architects of classicism are widely drawn to the ancient heritage, studying general principles ancient architecture and, above all, the system of orders, reworking individual motifs and forms. The spirit of classicism was not conducive to the expression of religious and mystical ideas, and therefore cult buildings do not have the same great significance in the architecture of classicism as in the baroque. Classicism left such wonderful monuments of artistic synthesis as the ensemble of Versailles.
In the fine arts of classicism, one of the main themes was the theme of duty, the victory of the public over the personal, the theme of the affirmation of higher ethical principles: heroism, valor, moral purity, which find their artistic embodiment in images full of sublime beauty and grandeur. Classicism opposes the contradictions and imperfections of reality with the principle of rationality and severe discipline, with the help of which a person must overcome life's obstacles. According to the aesthetics of classicism, reason is the main criterion for beauty. The artist in his work must proceed from perfect samples, which were considered works ancient art and High Renaissance. In contrast to the baroque, classicism did not allow exaggerated emotional expressiveness: so the heroes french artist Poussin is characterized by strong-willed composure and self-control, canvases - by the clarity and balance of the composition. The figures in his paintings are distinguished by rigor and classical completeness. In the means of visual language, the theory of classicism gives preference to drawing, and color is given a subordinate role. Recognizing the beauty of real life, the beauty of nature, the artists of classicism preferred the image of nature, which serves not only as an active background in plot compositions, but often forms the defining basis in the overall structure of the picture. In the painting of classicism (Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain), the landscape not only took shape as a genre, but also experienced a certain flowering.
Classicism became the style of the French monarchy, mainly in architecture, monumental and decorative painting, and in the ceremonial portrait, the representative qualities of the Baroque were more in line with the requirements of absolutism. Charles Lebrun became famous for his paintings, Rigaud was the court master of the ceremonial portrait.
Along with baroque and classicism in painting XVII in. a fundamentally new, extra-left form of reflection of reality is emerging. Her appearance is one of milestones in the history of world art. Its essence is that the artistic image arises not within the framework of style, but on the basis of the artist's direct appeal to the phenomena of the real world, to all the richness of nature. It's about about the direct connection of images with reality. Artistic generalization is achieved here by selecting the most typical images, phenomena of reality and revealing their essential features. The very diversity of the real world is the reason why different creative directions, and individual masters representing this new artistic system are distinguished by an exceptional variety of ideas and figurative language. Among brilliant artists who revealed in their works the essential aspects of the era, we will name Velasquez and Rembrandt, the portrait painter Frans Hals and the landscape painter van Ruisdael.
The New Contribution of the Left Realist Method Has Contributed to an Unprecedented Empowerment visual arts. New genres have emerged: household genre, still life; landscape took shape in the most developed forms, decisive shifts occurred in genres that had centuries-old traditions (biblical and mythological compositions, historical picture, portrait). It's to contribute to the left art XVII in. in the scientific literature is often denoted by the term "realism". With varying degrees of prevalence, a new artistic system developed in almost all countries of Western Europe. So, in Italy it is Caravaggio and his followers, in Flanders - Brouwer; in France - Louis Le Nain, in Spain - Velasquez.
These realistic tendencies found their most complete and consistent expression in Dutch art, where the republican-bourgeois system, the absence of absolutism and the dominance of church ideology provided especially favorable conditions for the development of progressive artistic trends. Creativity of the great Dutch artists ahead of the socio-historical development of society, going beyond its framework and entering into conflict with it.
But it is impossible not to admit that the unconditional gains of the realistic (out-of-style) direction were accompanied by the loss of stylistic integrity, the possibility of figuratively merging all types of plastic arts into a single ensemble. Painting is finally differentiated from architecture and sculpture, and the process of easel painting, that is, the creation of easel painting, is intensifying.
Realism demanded broad generalizations, typical of real images. That is why outstanding masters turn to biblical and mythological subjects, which allow them to bring generalizations to the level of a myth with a deep life and truthful interpretation of images (Caravaggio, Rembrandt).
A certain degree of unity that distinguishes the art of the XVII century. various European countries, is explained not only by the general historical development but also cultural exchange. Italy, and Rome in particular, remains the mecca of artists and is evolving into an international art center.
Personalities
Among the fireworks of names that flared up in the sky of the artistic culture of the 17th century, one should single out the most prominent representatives baroque, classicism and realism - Bernini, Rubens, Poussin, Rembrandt, Caravaggio and Velazquez.
Lorenzo Bernini is an Italian architect and sculptor. Main works:
Apollo and Daphne (1622-1625) - marble, 243 cm, Borghese Gallery, Rome.
Pulpit of Saint Peter (1624) - bronze, Vatican.
Triton Fountain (1624-1643) - Piazza Barberini, Rome
Ecstasy of Saint Teresa (1647-1652) - marble, Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome
Fountain of the Four Rivers (1648-1651) - marble and travertine, Piazza Navona, Rome
Ecstasy of Blessed Ludovica Albertoni (1671-1674) - marble, San Francesco a Ripa, Rome
Neptune and Triton
Peter Powell Rubens (1577-1640) Flemish painter. His art, like all Flemish art of the 17th century, developed in line with the Baroque style, but it has more life-affirming power and less religious influence than Italian Baroque. Rubens was the head of the Flemish national school, his art perfectly conveys the spirit of the era. He worked in Antwerp, and in 1600-1606. lived in Italy. He was a universal personality: not only a painter, engraver, but also a diplomat; thanks to the latter circumstance, being the "king of painters", he was an artist of queens and worked at the royal courts of France, Italy, and Spain.
Elevation, pathos, stormy movement, and decorativeness characteristic of the Baroque are combined in Rubens' art with the sensual beauty of the images and bold realistic observations. Rubens' baroque painting is dominated by religious and mythological subjects. The most famous of these canvases are “Descent from the Cross”, “Perseus and Andromeda”, “Drunken Bacchus”. Since 1635, the Stenovsky period of the painter's work began, when, having bought the country castle Sten, Rubens settled in it with his young wife Elena Fourman. At this time, Rubens creates landscapes and scenes from peasant life("Return of the Reapers", "Peasant Dance"). The painting skill of Rubens manifested itself with particular force in the portrait genre: such are full of lively charm, the portraits of Elena Fourman with Children, Fur Coat, Maid Maid. Rubens' painting is characterized by an uninhibited free manner, expressive plasticity, subtlety of colorful gradations. Van Dyck, Jordans, Snyders worked in the Rubens workshop.
Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665) - the founder of classical painting, the main style direction France; his paintings on religious, mythological and historical plots affirm the power of reason in social and ethical norms. Poussin's painting is characterized by an exalted figurative structure. A deep philosophical idea is combined in it with the clarity of composition and drawing: "Tancred and Erminia", "Death of Germanicus". The majestic heroic landscapes of Poussin are beautiful: “Landscape with Polyphemus”, “Arcade Shepherds”. The masses in them are strictly balanced, the air is transparent, the colors are pure.
Harmens van Rijn Rembrandt (1606-1669) - Dutch painter, draftsman, etcher, - representative of the left realistic direction. The innovative art of Rembrandt is distinguished by its democratism and vitality of images. The extraordinary breadth of the creative range, the continuous search for new expressive artistic means, the highest professionalism allow us to regard the artist's work as one of the pinnacles of world painting, combining the depth of psychological characteristics with exceptional pictorial skill based on the effects of chiaroscuro. He painted portraits, including pairs and groups ("Self-portrait with Saskia on her knees", "Night Watch"), religious and mythological scenes ("The Holy Family", "Danae").
By the 1660s include the most psychologically complex religious, historical compositions and portraits by Rembrandt (“The Return prodigal son”, “Syndics”). His broad, free painting acquires spatial depth and special spirituality. Subtle overflows of colors, the play of chiaroscuro act as a means of revealing the typological collisions of the plot and the state of mind of the images. Rembrandt's work is deeply humanistic. The focus of the artist has always been a person, his spiritual world and inner wealth. The creative heritage of the artist had a huge impact on the subsequent development of European realistic painting.
Michelangelo da Caravaggio (1573-1610). This italian painter, who lived at the turn of the century, is considered the founder of realism, which took shape as artistic direction European painting of the 17th century, in which he introduced democracy, extraordinary concreteness and materiality of form, emotional tension transmitted through contrasts of light and shadow. These qualities are so recognizable that they are called the term "caravagism", which almost all the major artists of the realistic direction, his contemporaries, "had been ill with."
For painting by Caravaggio characterized by simplicity and conciseness of the composition, expressive plasticity. He created religious and mythological compositions of extraordinary dramatic power and emotional expressiveness. In addition, he is known as the author of genre paintings that surprisingly accurately and directly reproduce reality.
Among his most famous paintings are "The Entombment", "Bacchus", "Girl with a Lute", "Lute Player".
The fate of Caravaggio is tragic. He died at the age of 36, having spent the last years of his life in wanderings. The harsh realism of the artist was not understood by the adherents of high art, the academicians of the Bologna Academy, who laid the foundation for the academic trend in painting at the turn of the 16th-17th centuries.
Diego Velazquez (1599-1660). The end of the 16th and the first half of the 17th century were the heyday of Spanish culture, and in particular painting. Man occupies the main place in the work of Spanish painters. painting art Spain reaches its peak in the work of Velazquez, one of the outstanding masters of the realistic movement in the art of Western Europe XVII in.
His painting is characterized by depth psychological characteristics and bright individuality of models. Velasquez had a special gift for revealing the inner, deeply hidden traits of character and mental disposition of a person. This ability of the painter was especially clearly manifested in the famous portrait of Pope Innocent X (1650). depth portrait characteristics his genre paintings, group portraits, mythological and historical subjects also possess. They are also distinguished by the harmony of the composition, the sense of proportion. Velasquez was one of the first to use valerie painting, achieving the finest shades of a single tone. The most famous works are “Surrender of Breda”, “Menin”, “Spinning”.
Baroque is one of significant styles in cultural life Europe. He achieved the greatest popularity in such countries as Germany, Spain, Russia, France. Italy is considered its homeland. The Baroque era covers about two centuries - from the end of the 16th to the middle of the 18th century.
The hallmarks of this style include pomposity, solemnity and splendor. Moreover, baroque covers not only artistic creativity, literature and painting, but also the way of thinking of a person, his existence, and also, to some extent, science.
The works of this time are expressive and expressive, they are characterized by the sophistication of forms, the creation of an illusory space, as well as a bizarre play of shadow and light.
The Baroque era gave life to science. It was at this time that biology, anatomy, physics and chemistry, and other disciplines began to develop. Previously, their study was severely punished by the ministers of the church.
Wars, epidemics of various diseases, such as plague and smallpox, various led to the fact that a person felt unprotected and confused. His future was uncertain. More and more minds were seized by various superstitions and fears. At the same time, the church splits into two religious camps - Protestants and Catholics, which also gives rise to many squabbles and battles.
All this leads to a new understanding of the Lord as the Creator of the universe. God was considered only as the creator of the essential, while man controlled the living and the inanimate.
The Baroque era is also characterized by active colonization - English settlements are formed in the Old and New Worlds.
The architecture of that time is rich in colonnades, abundance various decorations facades and interiors. Multi-tiered domes of complex, layered structure. To the most famous architects of that time include Michelangelo Buonarroti, Carlo Maderna, Nikolai Sultanov.
The painting of this era is dominated by religious and mythological motifs, as well as ceremonial portraits. Quite often, the paintings depicted the Madonna surrounded by angels. Most of the Baroque - Michelangelo Merisi, Iasento Rigaud, Peter Paul Rubens.
It was at this time that such as opera and fugue were born. Music becomes more expressive. Baroque composers - Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, Giovanni Gabrieli. As you can see, a lot prominent personalities did at the time.
The Baroque era is one of the most significant in the history of human development. It was at this time that new styles were born in literature, music, painting, architecture. New views on religion and man are being formed. There are new directions in science. Despite some pomposity, this period gave world culture a lot of cultural monuments, which are highly valued in our time. The names of masters and artists of the Baroque era are still thundering all over the world.
The logical continuation of this style was Rococo, which was formed in the first half of the 18th century. He managed to maintain his position until the end of the 18th century.
Baroque art (Baroque art.), style European art and architecture of the 17th and 18th centuries. At different times, different content was put into the term "baroque". At first, he wore an offensive connotation, implying absurdity, absurdity. At present, it is used in art criticism to determine the style that dominated European art between Mannerism and Rococo, that is, from about 1600 to the beginning of the 18th century. From the mannerism of the Baroque, art inherited dynamism and deep emotionality, and from the Renaissance - solidity and splendor: the features of both styles harmoniously merged into one single whole.
In the 17th century Italy - the first link in the art of the Renaissance, lost its economic and political power. Foreigners - the Spaniards and the French - begin to manage in Italy, they dictate the terms of politics, etc. Exhausted Italy has not lost the height of its cultural positions - it remains cultural center Europe.
Power in culture manifested itself in adapting to new conditions - the nobility and the church need everyone to see their strength and viability, but since there was no money for the construction of the palazzo, the nobility turned to art to create the illusion of power and wealth. A style that can elevate is becoming popular, and this is how baroque appeared in Italy in the 16th century.
The origin of the word baroque is more controversial than the names of all other styles. There are several versions of the origin.
The Portuguese barroco is an irregularly shaped pearl that does not have an axis of rotation; such pearls were popular in the 17th century.
In Italian baroco, a false syllogism, an Asian form of logic, a sophistry technique based on metaphor. Like pearls of irregular shape, baroque syllogisms, the falsity of which was hidden by their metaphor.
The use of the term by critics and art historians dates back to the 2nd half of XVIII and refers, at first, to figurative art and, consequently, also to literature. Initially, the term acquired a negative connotation. Ernst Gombrich wrote: “The word “baroque”, meaning “bizarre”, “absurd”, “strange”, also arose later as a caustic mockery. The word "Baroque" was used to brand masterful deviations from the strict norms of the classics, which for them was tantamount to bad taste. It was only at the end of the 19th century that the baroque was re-evaluated, thanks to the European cultural context from impressionism to symbolism, which highlights the links with the baroque era.
One controversial theory suggests that all of these European words come from the Latin bis-roca, twisted stone. Another theory is from the Latin verruca, steep high place, a flaw in a gem.
Finally, another theory suggests that this word in all the languages mentioned is parodic from the point of view of linguistics, and its word formation can be explained by its meaning: unusual, unnatural, ambiguous and deceptive.
The ambiguity of the Baroque style is explained by its origin. According to some researchers, it was borrowed from the architecture of the Seljuk Turks.
The most characteristic features of the Baroque - catchy flamboyance and dynamism - corresponded to the self-confidence and aplomb of the newly regained strength of the Roman catholic church. Outside of Italy, the Baroque style has its deepest roots in Catholic countries. At the origins of the tradition of Baroque art in painting are two great Italian artists - Caravaggio and Annibale Carracci, who created the most significant works in last decade XVI century - the first decade of the XVII century. Italian painting of the late 16th century is characterized by unnaturalness and stylistic uncertainty. Caravaggio and Carracci, with their art, restored her integrity and expressiveness. AT Italian architecture The most prominent representative of Baroque art was Carlo Maderna (1556-1629), who broke with Mannerism and created his own style. His main creation is the façade of the Roman church of Santa Susanna (1603). The main figure in the development of Baroque sculpture was Lorenzo Bernini, whose first masterpieces executed in the new style date back to around 1620. The quintessence of the Baroque, an impressive fusion of painting, sculpture and architecture, is the Coranaro Chapel in the church of Santa Maria della Victoria (1645-1652). .
Bernini's most prominent Italian contemporaries during this mature Baroque period were the architect Borromini and the painter and architect Pietro da Cortona. Somewhat later, Andrea del Pozzo (1642-1709) worked; the plafond painted by him in the church of Sant'Ignazio in Rome (the Apotheosis of St. Ignatius of Loyola) is the culmination of the Baroque trend towards pompous splendor. In the 17th century, Rome was the art capital of the world, attracting artists from all over Europe, and Baroque art soon spread beyond the "eternal city". In every country of the Baroque, art was fueled local traditions. In some countries it became more extravagant, as, for example, in Spain and Latin America, where a style of architectural decoration called churrigueresco developed; in others it was toned down to suit more conservative tastes. In Catholic Flanders, Baroque art flourished in the work of Rubens; in Protestant Holland, it had a less noticeable influence. True, the mature works of Rembrandt, extremely lively and dynamic, are clearly marked by the influence of Baroque art. In France it expressed itself most clearly in the service of the monarchy, and not of the church. Louis XIV understood the importance of art as a means of glorification royalty. His adviser in this area was Charles Lebrun, who directed the painters and decorators who worked at Louis's palace at Versailles. Versailles, with its grandiose combination of opulent architecture, sculpture, painting, decorative and landscape art was one of the most impressive examples of the fusion of the arts.
Baroque art contributed to the creation of theatrical effects achieved by lighting, false perspective and spectacular stage scenery. However, it did little to meet the restrained British taste. In English architecture, the influence of the Baroque was noticeable only at the beginning of the 18th century in the peculiar work of Vanbrugh and Hawksmore. This style is approached by some of Wren's later work. The pull of Baroque art for scale is felt in the majestic projects of St. Paul's Cathedral (1675-1710) and the Greenwich Hospital (early 1696). Baroque was replaced by a more calm Palladian. In all art forms, the Baroque merged with the more lightweight Rococo style. This merger was very fruitful in Central Europe, especially in Dresden, Vienna and Prague.
The Baroque era gives rise to a huge amount of entertainment for the sake of entertainment: instead of pilgrimages - the promenade (walks in the park); instead of jousting tournaments - "carousels" (horseback rides) and card games; instead of mysteries, theater and masquerade balls. You can add the appearance of swings and "fiery fun" (fireworks). In the interiors, portraits and landscapes took the place of icons, and music turned from spiritual into a pleasant play of sound.
The Baroque era rejects tradition and authority as superstition and prejudice. Everything that is "clear and distinct" is thought or has a mathematical expression is true, declares the philosopher Descartes. Therefore, the baroque is still the age of Reason and Enlightenment. The first European park appears in Versailles, where the idea of the forest is expressed in the utmost mathematical way: linden alleys and canals seem to be drawn along a ruler, and the trees are trimmed in the manner of stereometric figures. Dressed for the first time in baroque army uniforms great attention they pay "drill" - the geometric correctness of constructions on the parade ground.
Baroque man.
Baroque man rejects naturalness, which is identified with savagery, arrogance, tyranny, brutality and ignorance - all that in the era of romanticism will become a virtue. The Baroque woman cherishes the pallor of her skin, she wears an unnatural, frilly hairstyle, a corset and an artificially extended skirt on a whalebone frame. She is in heels.
And the gentleman becomes the ideal of a man in the Baroque era - from the English. gentle: “soft”, “gentle”, “calm”. Initially, he preferred to shave his mustache and beard, wear perfume and wear powdered wigs. Why force, if now they kill by pulling the trigger of a musket. In the Baroque era, naturalness is synonymous with brutality, savagery, vulgarity and extravagance. For the philosopher Hobbes, the state of nature is characterized by anarchy and wars of all against all.
Baroque is characterized by the idea of ennobling nature on the basis of reason. The need is not tolerated, but “it is good to offer in pleasant and courteous words” (Youth, an honest mirror, 1717). According to the philosopher Spinoza, instincts no longer constitute the content of sin, but "the very essence of man." Therefore, the appetite is shaped in exquisite table etiquette(it was in the Baroque era that forks and napkins appeared); interest in the opposite sex - in courteous flirting, quarrels - in a refined duel.
The baroque is characterized by the idea of a sleeping God - deism. God is conceived not as a Savior, but as Great Architect who created the world like a watchmaker creates a mechanism. Hence such a characteristic of the Baroque worldview as mechanism. The law of conservation of energy, the absoluteness of space and time are guaranteed by the word of God. However, having created the world, God rested from his labors and does not interfere in the affairs of the Universe in any way. It is useless to pray to such a God - one can only learn from Him. Therefore, the true guardians of the Enlightenment are not prophets and priests, but natural scientists. Isaac Newton discovers the law of universal gravitation and writes the fundamental work "Mathematical Principles natural philosophy(1689), and Carl Linnaeus systematizes biology in The System of Nature (1735). Academies of Sciences and scientific societies are being established everywhere in European capitals.
Thus, baroque is a style of European art and architecture of the 17th and 18th centuries. Baroque is characterized by contrast, tension, dynamism of images, affectation, the desire for grandeur and splendor, for the combination of reality and illusion, for the fusion of arts; at the same time - a tendency towards autonomy of individual genres.
The ideological foundations of the style were formed as a result of a shock, which for the 16th century was the Reformation and the teachings of Copernicus.
