Baroque architecture

Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the early 17th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means to combat the Reformation and the Protestant church with a new architecture that inspired surprise and awe. It reached its peak in the High Baroque (1625-1675), when it was used in churches and palaces in Italy, Spain, Portugal and France, and Austria. In the Late Baroque period (1675-1750), it reached as far as Russia and the Spanish and Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Beginning in about 1730, an even more elaborately decorative variant called Rococo appeared and flourished in Central Europe.Facade of the Church of the Gesù Rome (consecrated 1584)Interior view of Dome of the Church of the Gesù by Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola, and Giacomo della PortaCorpus Christi Church, Nesvizh in what is now Belarus (1586 and 1593)Facade of Santa Susanna, Rome by Carlo Maderno (1603)Saints Peter and Paul Church, Kraków, Poland by Giovanni Maria Bernardoni (1605-1619)The Church of St-Gervais-et-St-Protais, the first Paris church with a façade in the new Baroque style (1616–20)The Luxembourg Palace by Salomon de Brosse (1615-1624)Baldaquin by Bernini in the Basilica of Saint Peter, Rome (1623–34)Fresco on ceiling of the grand salon of Barberini Palace in Rome, by Pietro da Cortona (1633-1639)San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane by Francesco Borromini (1634-1646)Church of Santi Luca e Martina, in Rome, by Pietro da Cortona (1635–50)Santa Maria della Salute by Baldassare Longhena in Venice (1630–31).Pavillon de l’Horloge of the Louvre Palace by Jacques Lemercier (1624-1645)Chapel of the Sorbonne by Jacques Lemercier (1626–35)Château de Maisons by François Mansart (1630-1651)The Basilica of Superga near Turin by Filippo Juvarra (1717-1731)Interior of the Basilica of Superga by Filippo JuvarraThe Palazzo Carignano, now the Museum of the Italian Renaissance, TurinHall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles by Jules Hardouin-Mansart (begun 1678-1686)Chapel of Les Invalides, Jules Hardouin-Mansart (completed 1708)Chapel of the Palace of Versailles begun by Jules Hardouin-Mansart (1699 to 1710)Salon of the Hôtel de Soubise in Paris (1735–40) by Germain BoffrandWest facade of Saint Paul's Cathedral by Christopher Wren (1675-1702)Greenwich Hospital by Sir Christopher Wren (1694)Castle Howard, North Yorkshire by John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor (1699-1712)Blenheim Palace by John Vanbrugh and Nicholas HawksmoorInterior of the church of the Abbey of Melk by Jakob Prandtauer (1702-1736)Library of the Clementinum, the Jesuit university in Prague (1722)Karlskirche, Vienna by Fischer von Erlach(consecrated 1737)Kaisersaal of Wurzburg Residence by Balthasar Neumann (1749–51)Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers by Balthasar Neumann (1743-1772)Late Baroque Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela (1738-1750)Palace of San Telmo in Seville, by Leonardo de Figueroa (begun 1722)Retable in the Sagrario Chapel of Segovia Cathedral by Jose Benito de Churriguera (1686) in the Churrigueresque style.Dominican Convent in San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico (about 1700)Metropolitan Tabernacle of Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral, Mexico City, by Lorenzo Rodriguez, an example of the Churrigueresque style (1749-1760)Zacatecas Cathedral in Mexico, dedicated in 1752 but not consecrated until 1841.CHurch of Saint Francis of Assisi by Aleijadhino in Ouro Preto, Brazil, (1765-1775)Decorative Cartouche designed for the Palazzo Barberini by Filippo Juvarra (1711)Ceiling of the Farnese Gallery by Annibale Carracci (1597-1704)Painted illusion of a dome on the ceiling of the Jesuit church in Vienna by Andrea Pozzo (1703)Grand staicase of the Wurzburg Residence (1720-1780)Trompe l'oeil effect on the ceiling of the Church of the Gesu, Rome, by Giovanni Battista Gaulli (completed 1679)Garden of Vaux-le-Vicomte. The Baroque garden, designed to be viewed from above from the Chateau windows and terrace, was an extension of the interior architecture and designCruciform plan of a high Baroque Church, Santi Luca e Martina in Rome by Pietro da Cortona (1639-1669)Floor plan of Sant'Andrea al Quirinale , by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1658-1661) showing the entrance (below), altar (top) and radiating chapelsPlan of the Late Baroque Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers by Balthasar Neumann, constructed between 1743 and 1772. The altar is in an oval in the center. Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the early 17th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means to combat the Reformation and the Protestant church with a new architecture that inspired surprise and awe. It reached its peak in the High Baroque (1625-1675), when it was used in churches and palaces in Italy, Spain, Portugal and France, and Austria. In the Late Baroque period (1675-1750), it reached as far as Russia and the Spanish and Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Beginning in about 1730, an even more elaborately decorative variant called Rococo appeared and flourished in Central Europe. Baroque architects took the basic elements of Renaissance architecture, including domes and colonnades, and made them higher, grander, more decorated, and more dramatic. The interior effects were often achieved with the use of Quadratura, or trompe-l'oeil painting combined with sculpture; The eye is drawn upward, giving the illusion that one is looking into the heavens. Clusters of sculpted angels and painted figures crowd the ceiling. Light was also used for dramatic effect; it streamed down from cupolas, and was reflected from an abundance of gilding. Twisted columns were also often used, to give an illusion of upwards motion, and cartouches and other decorative elements occupied every available space. In Baroque palaces, grand stairways became a central element. The Early Baroque (1584-1625) was largely dominated by the work of Roman architects, notably the Church of the Gesù by Giacomo della Porta (consecrated 1584) facade and colonnade of St. Peter's Basilica by Carlo Maderno (completed 1612) and the lavish Barberini Palace interiors by Pietro da Cortona (1633-1639). Church of the Gesù by Giacomo della Porta (consecrated 1584), interior, and Santa Susanna (1603), by Carlo Maderno. In France, the Luxembourg Palace (1615–45) built by Salomon de Brosse for Marie de Medici was an early example of the style. The High Baroque (1625-1675) produced major works in Rome by Pietro da Cortona, including the (Church of Santi Luca e Martina) (1635–50); by Francesco Borromini (San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane (1634-1646)) ; and by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (The colonnade of St. Peter's Basilica) (1656–57). In Venice, High Baroque works included Santa Maria della Salute by Baldassare Longhena. Examples in France included the Pavillon de l’Horloge of the Louvre Palace by Jacques Lemercier (1624-1645), the Chapel of the Sorbonne by Jacques Lemercier (1626–35) and the Château de Maisons by François Mansart (1630-1651) The Late Baroque (1675-1750) saw the style spread to all parts of Europe, and to the colonies of Spain and Portugal in the New World. National styles became more varied and distinct. The Late Baroque in France, under Louis XIV, was more ordered and classical; examples included the Hall of Mirrors of the Palace of Versailles and the dome of Les Invalides. An especially ornate variant, appeared in the early 18th century; it was first called Rocaille in France; then Rococo in Spain and Central Europe. The sculpted and painted decoration covering every space on the walls and ceiling. Its most celebrated architect was Balthasar Neumann, noted for the Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers and the Wurzburg Residence (1749–51) Another 18th century variant was Lutheran Baroque art, exemplified by Dresden Frauenkirche (1726-1743) Baroque architecture first appeared in the late 16th and early 17th century in religious architecture in Rome a means to counter the popular appeal of the Protestant Reformation. It was a reaction against the more severe and academic earlier style of earlier churches, it aimed to inspire the common people with the effects of surprise, emotion and awe. To achieve this, it used a combination of contrast, movement, trompe-l'oeil and other dramatic and theatrical effects, such as quadratura the use of painted ceilings that gave the illusion that one was looking up directly at the sky. The new style was particularly favored by the new religious orders, including the Theatines and the Jesuits who built new churches designed to attract and inspire a wide popular audience. One of the first Baroque architects, Carlo Maderno, used Baroque effects of space and perspective in the new facade and colonnade of Saint Peter's Basilica, which was designed to contrast with and complement the gigantic dome built earlier by Michelangelo. Other influential early examples in Rome included the Church of the Gesù by Giacomo della Porta (consecrated 1584), with the first Baroque facade and a highly ornate interior, and Santa Susanna (1603), by Carlo Maderno. The Jesuits soon imported the style to Paris. The Church of Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais in Paris (1615–1621), had the first Baroque facade in France, the first facade in France, featuring, like the Italian Baroque facades, the three superimposed classical orders. The Italian style of palaces was also imported to Paris by Marie de Medici for her new residence, the Luxembourg Palace (1615–1624) by architect Salomon de Brosse. Francois Mansard and for a new wing of the Chateau of Blois by Francois Mansard (1635–38). Nicolas Fouquet, the superintendent of finances for the young King Louis XIV, chose the new style for his new chateau at Vaux-le-Vicomte (1612–1670) by Louis Le Vau. He was later imprisoned by the King because of the extravagant cost of the palace. The first example of early Baroque in Central Europe was the Corpus Christi Church, Nesvizh in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, built by the Jesuits on the Roman model between 1586 and 1593 in Nieśwież (after 1945 Niasvizh in Belarus). The church also holds a distinction of being the first domed basilica with a Baroque façade in the Commonwealth and Eastern Europe.Another early example in Poland is the Church of Saints Peter and Paul Church, Kraków, built between 1597–1619 by the Italian Jesuit architect Giovanni Maria Bernardoni.