Baroque and Rococo

Baroque and Rococo
• Baroque era 1600-1750 - period of artistic style started in 16th century in

Rome, Italy and spread to most of Europe.
• Compared to the more classicist motifs and passive space in Renaissance
works, Baroque art was perhaps “contorted” in that it was shockingly different.
Baroque paintings were illusionistic (sharing physical space with the viewer,
and providing multiple, changing views), while sculptures and architecture
were adorned with illustrations. Together, Baroque works created a decorative
unity in the churches and other spaces in which they were commonly seen.
Chiaroscuro, the use of intense light and dark contrast in fine art painting,
became widely used in Baroque period art to depict depth, three-
dimensionality, and a sense of drama. Baroque art characteristics included
radiant colors, sources of hidden light, and experiments with contrasting
surface textures
Characteristics/ Features of baroque art
and architecture:
• Arose mainly as a means to promote the Catholic Church during the Protestant
Reformation
• Emphasizes faith in church and power in state
• Dramatic contrasts of lights and darks
• Emotional, often religious depictions
• Feelings of grandeur, awe, movement and tension
• Hidden sources of light
• Various contrasting textures
• All encompassing works (illusionistic)
• Materials: bronzes, gildings, plaster, marble, stucco
• Focal point in architecture: entrance axis, pavilion
FAMOUS ARTIST
• Bernini
• Caravaggio
• Rembrandt
• Hals
• Velasquez
• Vermeer
• Rubens
The descent
from the
cross is the
second of
Ruben’s great
altarpieces
for the
Antwerp
cathedral. It
shows the
visitation, and
the
presentation
of the temple
on either side
of the
descent from
the cross.
Gian Lorenzo
Bernini (159
8-1680)
Italian
sculptor and
architect
Known for:
creating the
Baroque
style of
sculpture
Diego
Velázquez
(1599-1660)
Spanish
painter
Known for:
Baroque
portraits of
the Spanish
royal family &
notable
figures
Francisco
de Zurbarán (1598-1664)
Spanish painter
Known for: skilled use of
light and shadow in
religious Baroque paintings
Rococo Architecture
• Rococo architecture largely involved palaces and manors of monarchs

and aristocrats. Churches and palaces, while still integrating sculpture,
painting and surrounding architecture, were brightened inside to give
off more ethereal essences. Theatrical, dark interiors were replaced
by graceful and subtle spaces. Rococo-style decorative arts –
candelabras, canapés and commodes, to name a few – were often
seen in salons where the upper class entertained their guests.
• Materials used in Rococo decorative art and architecture include
bronze, gildings, carved wood, stucco, marble and porcelain.
Characteristics/ Features of Rococo Art
• Often characterized by shell motifs
• Emerged during the Enlightenment
• Emphasizes goals of knowledge, freedom, happiness
• Pastel, light, soft colors
• Ethereal, delicate, graceful scenes of elite
• Feelings of playfulness, happiness, romance
• Scattered light
• Typically non-religious
• Symbols of sex, beauty, courtship, mythology
• Materials: bronzes, gildings, marble, carved wood, stucco
• Asymmetrical, curved forms and shapes
Jean Antoine
Watteau (1684-1721)
French painter
Known for: founding
the French Rococo
style
Germain Boffrand (1667-
1754)
French architect
Known for: Rococo
interiors
Francois Boucher (1703-1770)
French painter, draughtsman and etcher
Known for: idyllic, voluptuous paintings
François de Cuvilliés (1695-1768)
Belgian decorative designer & architect
Known for: Bringing the Rococo style to Munich & central Europe
Neoclassicism
• Neoclassicism refers to movements in the arts that draw inspiration

from the “classical” art and culture of ancient Greece and Rome.
• The height of Neoclassicism coincided with the 18th century
Enlightenment era, and continued into the early 19th century.
• With the increasing popularity of the Grand Tour, it became
fashionable to collect antiquities as souvenirs, which spread the
Neoclassical style through Europe and America.
• Neoclassicism spanned all of the arts including painting, sculpture,
the decorative arts, theatre, literature, music, and architecture.
• Generally speaking, Neoclassicism is defined stylistically by its use of
straight lines, minimal use of color, simplicity of form and, of course,
an adherence to classical values and techniques.
• Rococo, with its emphasis on asymmetry, bright colors, and
ornamentation is typically considered to be the direct opposite of the
Neoclassical style.
• The architecture of the Italian architect Andrea Palladio became very
popular in the mid 18th century. Additionally, archaeological ruins
found in Pompeii and Herculaneum informed many of the stylistic
values of Neoclassical interior design based on the ancient Roman
rediscoveries.
Rinaldo Rinaldi, Chirone Insegna Ad Achille
a Suonare La Cetra: Executed in a classical
style and adhering to classical themes, this
sculpture is a typical example of the Neoclassical
style.
Villa Godi Valmarana, Lonedo di Lugo, Veneto, Italy: Villa Godi was
one of the first works by Palladio. Its austere facade, arched doorways
and minimal symmetry reflect his adherence to classical stylistic values.

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What are some characteristics of Baroque art?

What are some characteristics of Rococo art?

Baroque and Rococo

• Baroque era 1600-1750 - period of artistic style started in 16th century in

• Rococo architecture largely involved palaces and manors of monarchs

• Neoclassicism refers to movements in the arts that draw inspiration

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