Artistic Currents - Baroque

Baroque

Baroque was a very influential style, which at the beginning appeared in Italy, only to be later adopted by French, German, Spanish artists. The term was coined in the late 19th century by critics, defining the art from the late 1500 to the late 1700, and as it usually happens, in caught on. So in short Baroque is a term which covers a wide range of style, artists, techniques and themes. According to art historians, in both painting and sculpture one could find three main phases - or forms - of Baroque.

The first and the most important form is an expression of the religious tensions that developped between the Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, the first reacting strongly to the Reform. The answer was Counter - Reformation, emerging at first in the 1550s and trying to renew the view on the Catholic values. Art was the most important promoter of these values at that time, so it was no wonder that artists were interested in this new way of creating. Great artists such as Bernini, or Rubens are representatives of his movement, which chose to create art works which were both religiously correct and visually and emotionally beautiful. As hard as it may seem today, this new style slowly made it's way in the Protestant countries, although later in the century.
Another phase of the Baroque art was marked by drawing away from the idealism of the past and using revolutionary and inovative techniques, trying to achieve a new style and cover new themes and ideas. Even religious scenes and characters, which in the past were treated according to the Church laws, were freer and much more realistic. The main representative of these form of Baroque is Caravaggio.
In the Flemish countries this style was rather different, as the accent was placed on scenes and people from everyday life, in rich colours and with colsoe attention to detail, making even the most mundane events a work of art, the most important artists being Rembrandt and Vermeer.

After the decline in Europe, Baroque reemerged on the other side of the Atlantic, both in North and South America, but this time rather different. As more and more prosperous colonies developped, a rich middle class formed and in short time they were quick to invest in houses, palaces and art. This new variation of Baroque was strong and dynamic, reflecting the power of the enriched, also called "the style of absolutism". Painters, sculptors, arhictects, valued exaggerated decorations, emotion, movement, trying to bring in their works variety and life.
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