baroque

• Baroque art movement:

  • Term derived from the Portuguese ‘barocco’ meaning ‘irregular pearl or stone’
  • Characterized Europe from the early 17th to mid-18th century
  • Emphasizes dramatic, exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail
  • Often defined as bizarre or uneven
• Baroque arts started in Italy and Rome around 1600, spreading throughout Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries

  • Describes something detailed, elaborated, characterized by exaggerated motion and clear detail
  • Used in architecture, sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music
  • Iconography was direct, dramatic, and obvious, aiming to appeal to emotions
• Baroque art treats religious topics realistically and dramatically to encourage devotion, in response to the Renaissance and the Reformation
• Baroque music:

  • Prevailed from about 1600 to about 1750
  • Known for its grandiose, dramatic, and energetic spirit
  • Stylistically diverse
• Baroque architecture:

  • Marked by complex forms, bold ornamentation, and contrasting elements conveying drama, movement, and tension
  • Structural manifestation of the Baroque period, including elaborate and dramatic work in visual arts and music
• Baroque literature:

  • Late 16th to early 18th century
  • Full of religious symbolism
  • Rich in imagery achieved through similes, metaphors, and hyperbole
• Rococo art movement:

  • Also known as Late Baroque
  • Exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style combining asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, pastel colors, and sculpted molding
• Rococo arts:

  • Flamboyant and light-hearted
  • Characterized by whites and pastel colors, gilding, and curvaceous lines
  • Depicts scenes of youth, love, and nature, eliciting motion and drama
• Difference between Baroque and Rococo arts:

  • Baroque: dramatic, grand, rich colors and light; Rococo: ornate, delicate, pastel colors, playful
  • Baroque theme: religious, theatrical; Rococo theme: romantic, whimsical, light-hearted
  • Baroque architecture emphasizes symmetry and grandeur, while Rococo emphasizes asymmetry and intimacy
  • Baroque painting: dramatic realism, intense emotion; Rococo painting: lighthearted, elegant, frivolous subjects