Historia del Arte Universal 08 Barroco

The Complexities and Transformations of Baroque Europe

Baroque art in Europe was shaped by strong political, economic, and religious tensions.
Europe experienced long and bitter wars, civil struggles, and revolutions, as well as poverty, famines, and epidemics during this period.
The Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation had a significant impact on the political-religious map of Baroque Europe.
The Peace of Westphalia marked the end of Spain's dominance and the disintegration of the Roman-Germanic Empire.
The redefinition of the political map of Europe was evident in the stylistic differences between artistic focuses, including Italy and the Netherlands.
The Netherlands, particularly Amsterdam, emerged as an important artistic center and a major financial and commercial hub.
Baroque Europe was also characterized by the rise of absolute monarchies, with France and Louis XIV as a prominent example.

Baroque Art and Architecture in Europe during the 17th and 18th Centuries

The Spanish panorama had excellent art teachers in the workshops of Seville, Valencia, and Madrid.
Artists like Velázquez, Zurbarán, and Alonso Cano contributed to the artistic scene.
Artistic work is deeply influenced by the society in which it is created.
Baroque artists such as Rubens, Bernini, and Velázquez lived during a time of war and had contemporaries like Kepler and Milton.
Baroque architecture in Europe varied in style and was characterized by theatrical effects and expressive forms.
The Great Fire of London in 1666 destroyed many buildings, including the Gothic cathedral of Saint Paul.
Christopher Wren was commissioned to rebuild the city and design the new cathedral.
The reconstruction of Saint Paul's Cathedral was a long process with various plans and models.

Architecture of St. Paul's Cathedral in London

The floor plan of St. Paul's Cathedral repeats the layout of the burned-out Gothic cathedral from the 17th century.
The cathedral's style changed, but the layout with the choir in the deep chevet remained of medieval origin.
The cathedral's large crypt contains the remains of King Charles II and other British artists.
St. Paul's Cathedral is an example of the classic face of Baroque architecture, inspired by Renaissance models.
The cathedral's dome, externally resembling Bramante's projects, was completed in 1707.
The cathedral's external appearance is simple, but it contains a complex baroque structure of vaults.
The dome of St. Paul's Cathedral in London is similar to the dome of the Church of the Invalids in Paris.

Characteristics of Baroque Architecture in the 18th Century

Façades of cathedrals and churches showcased compositional freedom and Rococo profiles.
Interiors offered a rich and extensive formal repertoire with expressive verbosity.
Artistic elements, such as sculptures, pulpits, and relief elements, blurred the boundaries between painting and architecture.
Transparent backlit effects, inspired by Bernini's work in Saint Peter's in Rome, were incorporated into church designs.
Solomonic altarpieces, made of gilded wood or marble, were popular and lent themselves to diverse compositions.
Baroque architecture enhanced the urban environment, with spectacular facades, obelisks, bridges, and stairs.
Architectural masterpieces, such as the Trinity Church staircase and the Trevi fountain, exemplified Baroque urbanism.
Suburban villas and palaces were also prominent architectural themes during this period.

Renaissance Palaces and Baroque Sculpture

Renaissance tradition continued to produce masterpieces in palaces and gardens.
French palaces like Versailles were influenced by Italian architecture and French taste.
Versailles was the most representative work of Europe, reflecting the power of Louis XIV.
Baroque sculpture, exemplified by Bernini, covered various genres including mythology and religious themes.
Bernini's works often had a monumental and rhetorical conception, aligned with the Roman spirit of the counter-reformation.

Art and Sculpture in Baroque Europe

The art and sculptures of the Baroque period were characterized by theatrical effects and architectural ambitions.
Bernini, a renowned sculptor of the time, preferred marble as his material of choice, as seen in his work on the figure of Longinus in Saint Peter's.
Bernini's sculptures displayed mastery in acting gestures and cloth treatment, influencing other sculptures in the vicinity.
Bernini's papal protection extended to the creation of tombs for Pope Urbano VIII and Alexander VII in Saint Peter's.
These tombs featured marble and bronze groups depicting the virtues of the popes and the inevitability of death.
Baroque sculpture in Europe emphasized wide and open forms, deep folds, and the use of light and shadow to create a sense of movement.
Spanish sculpture in the 17th and 18th centuries focused more on intimate and close religiosity, with wooden images of devotion.

The Development and Characteristics of Baroque Painting

The 17th and 18th centuries represented a new golden age for painting.
Baroque painting expanded the horizons of art with a new conception of light, color, and composition.
Baroque painting was strongly allied with tenebrism, using strong contrasts of light and shadow.
Masters like Rubens, van Dyck, Rembrandt, Velázquez, Murillo, and Ribera played a significant role in the development of Baroque painting.
The use of light in Baroque painting gave depth, highlighted objects, and emphasized their tactile reality.
Still life paintings in the Baroque period incorporated a greater number of elements and half-length figures.
Composition in Baroque painting sought unstable movement and a certain centrifugal tension.
The Spanish and French schools had different approaches to composition and figure arrangement.

The Influence of Painting and Sculpture in the Baroque Era.

The baroque era saw a strong emphasis on religious propaganda in painting, particularly in support of the Catholic religion.
Rubens and Murillo were notable artists who gave religious subjects a heroic and domestic treatment, respectively.
Mythology and religion were the two major themes explored in mural painting, especially in Italy where the tradition of fresco painting thrived.
Artists like Aníbal Carracci, Pietro da Cortona, and Andrea Pozzo exemplified the transition from mannerism to the unequivocally baroque style.
The end of the 17th century marked the work of Lucas Jordan and the emergence of significant vaults and ceilings in places like the monastery of El Escorial.

The Process of Sculpting and Wood Carving

Artists use preliminary sketches and drawings to formalize their ideas before starting a sculpture.
The sculptor transitions from two-dimensional drawings to three-dimensional clay models.
The clay model is built up on a rigid stem, adding clay in specific places to achieve the desired volume.
The sculptor uses toothpicks for modeling, using different heads and profiles for different effects.
Wood carving uses a variety of wood species, each with its own qualities and characteristics.
The sculptor primarily uses a gouge, a simple instrument with a sharp mouth and angled or curved footprint.
Wood carving has been traditionally associated with religious themes since the Middle Ages.

The Process of Wood Sculpture and Painting in Spanish Baroque Imagery.

Spanish Baroque imagery reached its peak during the Castilian and Andalusian workshops.
Sculptors would choose the wood and create a clay model to determine the dimensions.
Basic measurements were compared using a device for taking points, marking guide points on the wood.
A wooden copy, preserving the same scale as the model, was created using a curved mouth gouge called half-round.
Material was subtracted from the wooden block, gradually revealing the relief shapes.
Plaster casts of the model were repeatedly used to maintain accuracy in the wooden replica.
The carving work required delicate and precise depth measurements using gouges.
Finer and more incisive tools were used, and softer woods like wine and larch were preferred.
The sculptor faced the most challenging and personal stage of the work, ensuring no irreversible errors.

The Technique of Gold Leaf in Spanish Sculpture

Spanish sculpture is often enriched with the use of gold leaf.
Gold leaf is applied to sculptures either through transparency or by making it emerge.
The carats of the gold leaf are specified in contracts and carefully adhered to certain parts of the sculpture.
The sculpture is polished with an agate stone to give it shine and consistency.

Historia del Arte Universal 08 Barroco - YouTube

The Complexities and Transformations of Baroque Europe

Baroque Art and Architecture in Europe during the 17th and 18th Centuries

Architecture of St. Paul's Cathedral in London

Characteristics of Baroque Architecture in the 18th Century

Renaissance Palaces and Baroque Sculpture

Art and Sculpture in Baroque Europe

The Development and Characteristics of Baroque Painting

The Influence of Painting and Sculpture in the Baroque Era.

The Process of Sculpting and Wood Carving

The Process of Wood Sculpture and Painting in Spanish Baroque Imagery.

The Technique of Gold Leaf in Spanish Sculpture

Characteristics of Baroque Art in Europe

Characteristics and Techniques of Baroque Painting and Sculpture