Baroque architecture materials: 9 Characteristics of Baroque Architecture (16th-18th Century)
9 Characteristics of Baroque Architecture (16th-18th Century)
Baroque architecture originated in late 16th-century Italy. This architectural style developed until the 18th century in regions such as Germany and colonial South America. The baroque style was created with a clear purpose, namely to aid the Catholic Church in winning back the adepts of the Reformation. Because the teachings of most reformed Protestants aimed for a minimalist and clean architectural style, baroque architecture did precisely the contrary. Baroque architecture proposed a rich, fluent, impressive, and dramatic style to visually oppose reformed churches. The buildings take architecture to the next level, both visually and technically, and aim to introduce the viewer to a fantastic realm that evokes the sights of Heaven.
1. Key Elements To Look For In Baroque Architecture
1760-1770, via The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Baroque architecture serves a known purpose, namely that of the aid of the Counter-Reformation. Therefore, it has a clear architectural program that allows for the identification of several characteristics. The main idea behind the baroque is the stimulation of the emotions and the senses. Because the Reformation promoted a rationalized and austere image, the Catholic Church responded by taking the opposite approach. This is why every form and shape from a baroque building targets the engagement of senses and ignites emotions.
Engaging with the viewer’s emotions is no easy feat; therefore, architectural plans tend to rely on complex shapes: often an oval base and various oppositions of materials and forms that give the building a dynamic aspect. The combination of different spaces is a favorite way of emphasizing motion and sensuality. If the feeling of a building is grand, dramatic, full of contrasting surfaces, a multitude of curves, twists, and gilded statuary, it is likely a baroque building.
The interior, in most cases, has a ceiling that is heavily painted, making the viewer believe there is no actual ceiling but rather that the roof is connected to the sky or a divine realm. These characteristics will be discussed in detail in the following points.
2. Famous Baroque Buildings And Artists
Some of the most notable baroque buildings are, as expected, in Italy. St. Peter’s Square in Rome is a popular and partly baroque attraction. Other examples from Rome include the façade of the Il Gesú, the building of Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza, the well-known San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, and the Trevi Fountain.
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From around Europe, some notable examples are the Belvedere Palace, Schönbrunn Palace, and St.
Charles Church in Vienna; the Cathedral Santiago de Compostela and Plaza Mayor in Spain; and the Cathedral of St. Paul in London.
Besides these famous buildings, the names of Italian baroque artists Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Carlo Maderno, Francesco Borromini, and Guarino Guarini ought to be mentioned as they were the trendsetters of this style. Moreover, outside Italy, it is worth noting the works of Austrian architects Johan Bernhard, Fischer von Erlach, and English architect Christopher Wren.
3. Everything Flows In Baroque Architecture
With architectural plans that go beyond traditional geometric shapes and often use other inspirations such as letters or combinations of forms imitating a natural element, Baroque architecture is very diverse. Because of the complexity of the plan, there are more opportunities for the architects to play with shapes and forms, all for the sake of visual movement.
Because Baroque architects wished to do the impossible, namely to create movement in the most static form of art, they resorted to curves. Curves and counter-curves became thus the dominant motif of all Baroque architecture and art. Just as in Renaissance architecture, columns were still the main element for the façade of a building. Because of this, artists like Bernini quickly understood that they should make undulating columns in order to give off a dynamic appearance. Bernini’s famous Baldacchino from St. Peter in Rome is an excellent example of this dynamic effect. To go even further in the pursuit of movement, Guarino Guarini began using an undulating order which stood for a system of undulating elements that would create the final appearance of continuous curving.
4. Step Into The Heaven Of Color
Not all historic architecture comprises stone and dull elements, which is especially true for Baroque architecture.
Color and painting played an influential role in the complex realization of a building. If Renaissance artists began painting ceilings for patrons, the Baroque took it to another level. During the Renaissance, this was an optional feature; for the Baroque movement, it became a standard. However, painting wasn’t the only type of ceiling decoration used. Wooden ceilings were still in use from the Renaissance but now featured painted or gilded cavities, becoming lacunar ceilings as they would feature an interplay of empty and filled spaces.
When the ceiling was not made out of wood, a rich variation of stuccoes would be used to offer depth. Stucco was made out of plaster with finely powdered marble and which was then modeled and applied on the ceiling, creating a tri-dimensional aspect. Stuccoes were often highly decorated with wreaths of different leaves and plants, geometric forms, and occasionally some human figures such as cupids. What must be stressed here is that the Baroque was a very diverse style that didn’t mind combining different techniques in order to obtain the desired effect.
Therefore, a painted ceiling will most likely feature wooden and stucco decorations.
5. The Devil Lies In The Details
If there is an architectural style that thrives in details, that surely is the Baroque. Baroque architecture made extensive use of details its principal mission. Because of this, baroque buildings are often perceived to be overwhelming and otherworldly. One cannot grasp all the details in one view. Everything is assembled to look as divine as if you stepped into Heaven and left the mundane behind.
This dedication to detail is visible everywhere: on the walls decorated with beautiful wooden, marble, and stone sculptures, on the ceiling often vaulted, arched, and painted, and in the small adorned decorations. Baroque architecture makes use of all available materials. The artists and architects employed materials as appropriately as possible in the sense that they used wood for very intricate designs, stone for elements that had to be durable, and marble for the most expensive pieces.
Because now the buildings are seen by architects as a single and coherent mass, the decorations played a crucial role in uniting the different parts of a building. Architectural sculptures and vegetal and ornamental motifs become critical elements for helping the eye of the viewer flow from the floor to the walls and up to the ceiling without perceiving them as dislocated from another.
6. The Keyword Of Baroque Architecture: Illusion
Grandeur is the universal word that can describe any baroque building, which brings us to another key feature: illusion. To bring the divine into one’s palace or church, one has to have ample funds that can cover the most expensive materials. However, not everyone could cover the expensive costs of constructing grand Baroque monuments. This is where illusion would come into play: it was a feature that could cut some of the expenses and thus make construction somewhat more budget-friendly.
There is a reason why Baroque is jokingly considered among art historians to be a sort of kitsch.
Marble, gold, silver, pearls, and so on were expensive materials one couldn’t always afford to invest into a building. Baroque architecture is highly ingenious as it uses illusion to give the impression of costly materials. For example, at the main altar of a baroque church, there would most likely be a set of grand columns. At a closer look, the viewer would think that they are made out of marble, but in truth, the columns would actually be made out of wood and painted over to offer the visual illusion of marble. This was done so skillfully that the viewer was easily and quite often fooled. Elements of decorations were painted in gold color to give the appearance of real gold, ceilings had painted frames that would give the impression of authentic tri-dimensional frames, and so on. The Baroque played with one’s sight and senses.
7. Trompe L’Œil And Life-Like Appearances
The set of illusions discussed above wouldn’t be enough if the person viewing them would see them as such.
Painting techniques, such as trompe l’œil, were used to fool the eye to the point that the person viewing them would wonder: are my eyes deceiving me? The effect of the illusion is absolute if the affected person cannot be certain that what they are looking at is an illusion or not. Indeed, this was the desired outcome. How to win over a guest if not by presenting him with something that will most likely fascinate and baffle him?
The technique of trompe l’œil was a continuation of the Renaissance fascination with perspective. By mastering perspective and developing it to its full potential, painters could uncover new methods to create illusions. The meaning of the technique itself translates to: to deceive the eye. The human figures depicted in a scene using the trompe l’œil technique will offer the sensation that they are getting out of their painting. Trompe l’oeil painting is the type of painting that depicts an object and makes the viewer want to touch it to see if it’s real.
Combined with a high interest in life-likeness, the Baroque movement used painted decorations to make buildings become open spaces that reached the heavens.
8. Playing With Light
In theater, light plays an essential role. It can indicate to the spectator if the setting is joyous or ominous, depending on how it is set. Baroque architecture made no exceptions as the style aimed at a dramatic delivery in all of its art forms. How to obtain a dramatic character if not by the manipulation of light?
But how can one direct light in a building? After all, light is not a static painting nor a sculpture. It could be done by the juxtaposition of strong projections, which are complemented by abrupt and deep recesses. Another way of doing this would be by breaking the surface, making it irregular. The main architectural elements that aided in this were the small carved decorations that would shelter both light and shadow in their carvings, giving off from afar the sensation of movement.
Another way of accomplishing light manipulation would be by the simple combination of different materials that would create the breaking of surface. Each material takes on light and shadow differently. Therefore, through the use of multiple materials, the architect could create a play of light and shadow with high contrast, just like a Caravaggio painting.
9. Baroque Architecture: Mastery Of Everything
In many ways, Baroque architecture is a culmination of all the existing styles up until its birth. This is why it can be said that it implies a manifestation of ultimate mastery. To be a baroque artisan means to have absorbed all the lessons of ancient, medieval, and Renaissance art in order to deliver something that has its root in their practices yet surpasses their results.
Aesthetically, it is hard to dispute what style is more pleasant. After all, this is up to the viewer. However, Baroque architecture offers visual excitement and wonder.
If words are not enough to convince, then the artworks themselves will do it. It is enough to look at the works of Bernini, both in architecture and sculpture, to understand what true mastery means. The Baroque artist can use materials to their utmost potential, becoming a true master of technique. The artistic products of this period make you wonder whether something is genuinely made out of stone or actually alive.
What Is Baroque Architecture?
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Updated on 02/02/22
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At a glance, Baroque architecture resembles building techniques from the Renaissance. However, Baroque architects were distinctly more theatrical. They intentionally altered classical elements so that buildings were more ostentatious and evocative.
What Is Baroque Architecture?
Baroque architecture is a highly opulent style of building, design, and art that originated in Italy during the 17th century and spread to the rest of Europe, and eventually, the U.S. It’s characterized by extremely detailed forms, marble, large-scale decoration, and bright colors. Baroque style was meant to represent the glory of the Roman Catholic Church.
Paintings and sculptures in the Baroque style became integral aspects of buildings in Italy and throughout Western Europe. In effect, architects viewed structures like churches as large sculptures as opposed to a box with squared-off walls and traditional building forms.
History
Baroque architecture started in Italy.
In general, Baroque architecture evolved in response to a tumultuous period that began in the 16th century. Those in power wanted to use architecture and art as a way to exhibit strength, wealth, and prominence. Nowhere is this more prominent than in the Catholic Church’s response to the Protestant Reformation.
During this time, religious leaders could sway the culture and the art forms that became famous. For the Catholic Church, the most significant way to retain this influence was to produce grandiose churches and cathedrals.
Commissioned artists and architects began to revive Renaissance notions of beauty and realism, only this time in an even more ornate and extravagant fashion. During the Baroque period, artists established several new techniques that were intended to evoke emotion and loyalty.
The style then spread throughout Europe and South America.
After the Pope and other Catholic rulers began building, the style quickly spread throughout Europe and into South America due to colonization.
Baroque architecture is lacking in North America because the continent was just being colonized at the time.
Baroque architecture has subtle differences depending on the country. As the Baroque style became popular, locations altered the basic characteristics to suit their agenda and lifestyle. In most cases, buildings are heavily decorated and incorporate elements that seem unusual and even unfinished.
Two famous examples of Baroque architecture are the Santa Susanna church and the Caserta Palace in Italy.
Characteristics
It can be challenging to differentiate between styles of architecture, especially when builders incorporate forms from various styles. Look for these key elements in Baroque architecture.
- Large domes or cupolas. These domes were generally positioned at the center of a building.
- Elaborate motifs and decorations. Details are incredibly intricate, which added to the extravagance and sacredness of the space.
- Gilded sculpture on the interior and exterior. Statues were made from plaster or marble and included high contrasting colors and textures.
- Attention-grabbing features. These might include curved walls, painted ceilings, vaulted ceilings, columns, sculptures, arches, niches, fountains, scrolling, broken pediments, etc. Many of these elements give off a sense of motion known as dynamism.
- Double-sloped mansard roof. This roofing element is a key feature of French Baroque architecture and was incorporated in many châteaux or country mansions.
Interesting Facts
Baroque architecture has some overlap with Renaissance architecture.
The Renaissance took place during the 15th and 16th Centuries, and the Baroque period followed closely after. As such, Baroque architects adapted classical forms both from the Renaissance and from the Romans. For instance, Saint Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City is an example of a church that has elements inspired by both the Baroque and Renaissance movements.
Baroque artists and architects were masters of light.
The Baroque period is one of the first times that artists paid close attention to light. Finishes were chosen based on how the light would reflect. Also, they incorporated areas of intense light and darkness to show contrast and create drama. You can see this effect in areas of buildings that are intentionally left dark as well as in paintings. This effect is known in the art world as Chiaroscuro.
Baroque architecture and colonialism are closely linked.
European colonialism may have helped fund some of the opulence seen in Baroque buildings. Particularly in Spain and France as colonial money helped rulers construct elaborate palaces and mansions to showcase their power.
There are different styles and periods of Baroque architecture.
The Baroque aesthetic can be broken into two styles: full Baroque and restrained Baroque. The former was more prevalent in southwestern Europe during most of the 17th Century from 1600-1675.
Restrained Baroque was seen in northwestern Europe during the Late Baroque period from 1675-1725.
The word baroque means imperfect pearl.
The Baroque period was named centuries later with the intent to capture the extreme opulence and drama of the era. The term baroque alluded to some lavish pearl brooches of the time.
In summary, Baroque architecture is a theatrical style of building that originated in Italy in the 17th century. Structures in the Baroque style were predominately churches, mansions, and palaces and were meant to showcase wealth, power, and an eye for beauty. Period Baroque architecture does not exist in North America, but specific themes like dynamism and Chiaroscuro have been implemented into other art forms and building styles.
what it is, style features, examples, photos
Baroque impresses with its theatrical décor, bright colors, and abundance of gilding. We tell you how this style appeared and what forms it took in different countries
- What is Baroque
- Features
- Examples
- European Baroque
- Baroque in Italy
- Baroque in Russia
What is baroque in architecture
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Baroque appeared in Italy at the end of the 16th century and continued in some regions, such as Germany and colonial South America, until the 18th century. During this period, the Catholic Church began to openly and emotionally reach out to the faithful through art and architecture. One of the most important and large-scale ways of influencing society was the creation of grandiose churches and cathedrals.
Photo: Giovanni Battista Gaulli/wikipedia.org
The extravagant style of the Catholic Baroque contrasted strongly with the austerity and modesty of the Protestant churches. It quickly spread from central Italy to France, the Iberian Peninsula and Austria. nine0003
First of all, baroque is characterized by luxury: rich decorations, gilding, twisted columns, an abundance of sculptures and decorative motifs. Soon this style moved from church building to secular life. Today it is recognized as one of the major architectural styles in Europe.
Photo: Anton Alegavich Makovsky/wikipedia.org
Elizaveta Likhacheva, art critic, director of the Shchusev Museum of Architecture:
“Baroque is divided into national divisions — Russian, German, English, French, Italian , Austrian. In every country, the baroque is embodied, but there is a common feature – it is always magnificent architecture, usually with complex plans. At the same time, with very different approaches. We will never confuse Italian baroque with English, or Spanish with German. Also, this is an abundance of architectural decoration, polychromy. As a rule, Baroque is colored, but if you look at early examples, the appearance of the building can be monochrome. This is theatrical architecture: it carefully builds the system of perception of the structure by the viewer. All the decor, and there is really a lot of it, and polychrome, and gold, if used, is aimed at impressing. nine0003
Features of Baroque architecture
Complex shapes, contrasting lighting, bright colors and illusory, brightly colored ceilings – a building in the Baroque style is hard to miss among others. When creating buildings in this style, the architects paid close attention to light and chose finishes depending on how it would reflect. With the help of such techniques, the masters emphasized contrast and drama, created a play of chiaroscuro in the room.
Photo: shutterstock
The two most popular building types during the heyday of the Baroque were churches and palaces. It could be cathedrals and monasteries, as well as city and country mansions, royal residences. Also, in the Baroque style, it was supposed to build entire cities according to certain schemes, with gardens and parks around important buildings.
The main forms of Renaissance architecture were the square, the circle and the Greek cross. Baroque was based on ellipses, ovals or other complex geometric shapes.
Photo: shutterstock
The curves of the walls were another characteristic of the style. They not only corresponded to the concept of the building as a whole, but also introduced the illusion of movement in architecture, which is considered a static art.
The main features of the Baroque:
- Complex decorative techniques . Intricate decorations, repetitive motifs in the interior and exterior of buildings;
- Gilded sculptures . They were used both inside buildings and outside. The statues were made of plaster or marble and featured a high contrast of colors and textures; nine0006
- Lots of parts and elements . Curved walls, painted and vaulted ceilings, columns, sculptures, arches, niches. Many of these elements create a sense of movement, dynamism;
- Incomplete . Incomplete, fragmented decorative elements;
- Double pitched mansard roof . This roofing element is a key feature of French Baroque architecture and is found in many castles, country mansions; nine0006
- Lighting . Using the play of light and shadow inside the building;
- Color . Rich colors, brightly painted ceilings, illusory effects (trompe l’oeil: an illusion image, which is made so realistic that it can be mistaken for reality), large-scale frescoes;
- Eclectic . Ignoring the boundaries between different art forms and mixing architecture, painting, sculpture.
Examples of baroque architecture
The main representatives of the Baroque in Italy were Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini, Carlo Maderno, Francesco Borromini and Guarino Guarini. In Central Europe, the style was especially pronounced in the work of Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, and in Great Britain – in the works of Christopher Wren.
The style is also widely represented in Austria. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Habsburg Empire was at the peak of political power, Austria was one of the most influential countries in all of Europe. With power came wealth, and at that time buildings were being erected in the lavishly decorated Baroque style.
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Some of the examples of baroque architecture in Vienna are the St. Charles Church, Schönbrunn and Belvedere palaces. The most striking example is the Karlskirche: the church was designed by the Austrian architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. It is best known for its ellipsoidal dome and two winding side columns. They depict scenes from the life of Charles Borromeo, to whom it is dedicated.
St. Charles Church in Vienna
(Photo: Bwag/wikipedia.org)
The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is an example of Spanish Baroque. It has undergone several renovations and restorations over the centuries. The façade has become a symbol of the city and is therefore featured on the reverse side of several Spanish euro coins.
Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela
(Photo: stephenD/wikipedia.
org)
English architects began to adopt the Baroque style in the 17th century. But the great fire of 1666 robbed London of many of its architectural monuments and at the same time gave architects, in particular Sir Christopher Wren, the freedom to use baroque aesthetics in the reconstruction of the city. nine0003
St. Paul’s Cathedral
(Photo: shutterstock)
As a result, buildings in this style are scattered throughout London, and especially in the City of London. The most famous of them is St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Gothic, Baroque, Art Nouveau: where to see the best examples of architecture in the world
European Baroque
European Baroque as a style developed under the influence of the Counter-Reformation ideology, which was formulated in the middle of the 16th century. This is a turning point, a number of medievalists believe that it was then that the Middle Ages ended and the new time began.
In the 15th century, the era of great geographical discoveries ends, and in the 16th century, ideas about reality and the world change greatly. All these complex processes cannot but be reflected in the architecture. nine0003
Elizaveta Likhacheva:
“European baroque is very diverse. The style leaves Rome already in the second half of the 17th century and first spreads through the north of Italy, then by the beginning of the 18th century it penetrates to the south. There it acquires quasi-dimensions, because there is no free space on the monuments of the southern baroque (not only Italian, but also southern Spanish, for example). For example, the facade of the Cathedral of St. James in Santiago de Compostela is great to understand how the southern people with a not very well developed visual culture imagine the baroque. In fact, this is the complete absence of a wall as such, the whole place is occupied by solid decor. But the further north, the more intelligently used and decorations, and decoration system.
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Photo: shutterstock
French baroque must be seen in the context of a combination with classicism. The most striking example of this approach is Francois Mansart’s Versailles. He creates the classical facades of a large Versailles palace with baroque borrowings and with an absolutely baroque space inside – a gallery of mirrors. With its play of light, mirrors, with certain tricks that allow you to move the walls apart.
Versailles
(Photo: ToucanWings/wikipedia.org)
There is also a marvelous variety that causes irony among art historians – the German Baroque. It is also inhomogeneous. The Bavarian, South German version perfectly reflects the features of the style. But the north, especially Prussian, is baroque, brought to almost the same absurdity as in Spain. The only difference is that in the north of Germany it was still richly covered with gold.
This makes an ambiguous impression, like, for example, the tea pavilion in San Souci.
Sans Souci Tea Pavilion
(Photo: Kurt Kaiser/wikipedia.org)
In England, the Baroque was not as widespread as in Europe. These were some general influences – first of all, planning decisions, for example, an oval square. The Royal Crescent at Bath clearly derives in its idea from the square of St. Peter’s Cathedral. Only in Rome is it the main square of the Christian world, and in England it is a residential complex for holidaymakers. It gravitates more toward classical forms, and just in the 18th century, the period of the European Baroque, Palladianism was spreading in England as an exodus of the main achievements of classicism. nine0003
Classicism took one very important thing from the Baroque – the English landscape park. It looks like a wild forest, but in fact it is completely invented, and people walk through this park where the architect planned.
The pinnacle of the combination of classicist principles and baroque is the Palladian estate: a building in the classicist style surrounded by an absolutely baroque space of a landscape park.
Baroque in Italy
At the beginning of the 17th century, the Roman church began to influence parishioners through art, trying to stun, to interest what was inside the temple. The entrance to the baroque church, where visual space, music and ceremony were combined, was a powerful means of attracting attention. The bigger and more beautiful the space, the more people wanted to go there. Complex geometry, curved and intricate staircases, and large-scale sculptural decorations created a sense of mystery. nine0003
St. Peter’s Square
(Photo: Diliff/wikipedia.org)
The most famous example of Italian ecclesiastical baroque is the trapezoidal St.
Peter’s Square in Rome, recognized as a masterpiece of architecture. It is divided into two parts, designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini on a colossal scale to fit the space and inspire awe.
Church of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane
(Photo: shutterstock)
Bernini’s main rival was Francesco Borromini. A recognized revolutionary in architecture, Borromini decided to base his projects on complex geometric shapes – modules. Borromini’s architectural space seems to expand and contract when necessary, showing some resemblance to Michelangelo’s late style. His iconic masterpiece is the church of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane.
Church of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane
(Photo: shutterstock)
Elizaveta Likhacheva:
“One of the first monuments of the pre-baroque period can be called the Church of Il Gesu, which began to be built according to the project of Giacomo da Vignola, and completed by Giacomo Della Porta.
It became the main church of the Jesuit order and, by and large, a formal declaration of style – its pomp, excessive decorativeness. Carlo Maderna, one of the main architects of Rome and St. Peter’s Basilica at the turn of the 16th-17th centuries, is also considered a baroque architect. He has two main “godfathers”, the creator of the Baroque style in Italy, Francesco Borromini and Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini as apprentices. It is believed that they could not stand each other, envied and stole ideas. But, in my opinion, this is not so. They rather enriched the projects. It was in their rivalry that the real Roman Baroque was born.” nine0003
Baroque in Russia
The best city to discover the style is St. Petersburg. The architecture of that era is often called the Petrine Baroque. It gained popularity at the beginning of the 18th century, when Peter I invited famous European architects to Russia to turn St. Petersburg into a European capital.
Catherine Palace
(Photo: Aleks G/wikipedia.
org)
After the death of Peter I, Baroque in St. Petersburg was represented by the famous Italian architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, whose works include the Winter Palace and the Catherine Palace.
Elizaveta Likhacheva:
“The difference from Europe is not in the architectural form, but in the decoration system. Russia, contrary to the general misconception, reacted quite clearly to European fashion. Already at the beginning of the 16th century, there was a tendency in Russian architecture towards mannerism (a transitional style between the Renaissance and the Baroque). The most famous monument built under his influence is St. Basil’s Cathedral. After the Troubles at the beginning of the 17th century. the spread of European baroque in Russia is intensifying and a direction appears, which will be called “Russian patterning”. nine0003
At the end of the 17th century, on the eve of the reforms of Peter the Great, a more rational style, known as the Naryshkin baroque, emerged.
And as one of its versions – the Stroganov baroque. They are connected with the Naryshkin and Stroganov families. The most famous monument of the Naryshkin baroque is the Church of the Intercession in Fili.
Church of the Intercession in Fili
(Photo: Ludvig14/wikipedia.org)
Real baroque comes to Russia with Peter I, he brings it from France. It is as a baroque city that St. Petersburg is initially designed, but later it will be re-planned. And the last surge of interest in this style is the Elizabethan Baroque. The Smolny Monastery and the Catherine Palace were built by the Italian Rastrelli. With the advent of Catherine II, fashion changes, baroque leaves, classicism comes in its place. The Elizabethan baroque in Moscow did not leave many monuments, but in early classicism one can see the influence of the baroque style. In the buildings of V.
Bazhenov, in his project of the Kremlin Palace, in the house of Pashkov, a baroque structure can be traced. nine0003
At the exit for the Russian baroque at the first stages, unconsciousness is characteristic, the masters placed everything on the facades, not really thinking about the meaning of what they were doing. But already in the second half of the XVII century. with the advent of the Naryshkins and Stroganovs, the use of baroque elements becomes more logical, and it is finally comprehended in the first half of the 18th century. The Russian Baroque style is more original than German or French.”
description and photo – Rehouz
≡ Contents:
- — Style History
- – Features and characteristics of
- – Materials used
- – Style trim
- – Architectural techniques
- – Parts
- — Photo
Baroque style in architecture
The contrasts of higher spirituality and the lower earthly, the opposition of ugly reality and bright unreality – all this defines the Baroque era, and with it the architecture of the style.
Baroque architecture
History and origins of the Baroque
In the 16th century, the dominant power of the Catholic clergy was lost. They use every opportunity to restore the dominance lost in secular society. Baroque, which originated in Italy, was a direct follower of the Renaissance style, and became the tool that was supposed to return its former power and authority.
The outlines of the new style appeared for the first time at the end of the 16th century. It took several decades for the dominance of Baroque architecture to spread across Europe. Towards the end of the 16th century until the middle of the 18th century, France, Spain, England and Holland endowed the Baroque with individual national characteristics. The masters of that era with particular zeal embodied brilliant ideas in outstanding buildings. In Spain, baroque architecture was reflected in the facade of the building and the interior design. France emphasized the combination of two styles: classical features were present in the design of the facade, and the interior decoration was based on the Baroque style.
In the architecture of England, the new style acts as a kind of addition to classicism. Michelangelo is considered the founder of the new style. nine0003
Special features of the style
Baroque is the Italian word for “strange” and “quaint”. Here, the definition coincided very precisely with the qualitative characteristics of the style. Since the attraction of the Baroque to spectacular magnificent forms, ceremonial solemnity and majesty intersects with an interest in natural phenomena and the environment surrounding a person.
The illusion of the dominance of the Catholic Church was created not only by pomp and monumentality, but also by an excess of gilding and elaborate, ornate stucco. The abundance of patterns strikes with its royal luxury. When designing the external appearance of buildings, large-scale colonnades, pilasters and columns are often used. The abundance of sculptural compositions on the facade and interior. Domes of churches become complex multi-tiered forms.
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Theatrical techniques were used in the Baroque: light, large-scale effects. The interior, due to the correction of reality, also seems much larger than its real size.
The famous baroque master L. Bernini, using optical techniques, achieved a visual increase in the size of the churches and cathedrals being built.
Prevailing colors in wall tinting: pastel, pink, white. Often there is a combination of blue with yellow and white colors, as well as gold with white. nine0003
Materials in Baroque architecture
Pompous style involves the use of expensive materials. Gold, natural stone, bronze, crystal are used in the Baroque architectural style. The construction technique adopted from the Renaissance style involves the use of stone, marble, and plastering of surfaces. Architectural compositions are made from the same materials.
Decorative trim
Decorative finish is characterized by a combination of various characters from different times and religions.
Heroes of mythological and biblical legends served as decor, figures – allegories. One of the many elements of the architectural decoration of the facades are mascarons – masks in the form of a human face and animal heads full face. Their character is very multifaceted: comic, neutral, romantic, frightening. The mascaron was installed on a prominent part of the facade. More often above the front door, arch, windows. On the stone located in the middle above them – the capstone. Masters cast them from plaster or made from stone. Often, mascarons were selected according to the theme of the building on which they were installed. Thus, masks of some characters of the action were located on the theater building, masks of gods associated with knowledge were attached to the gallery building. On the courthouse, the most versatile were the masks of satyrs, lions and the goddess of justice. Churches were decorated with masks bearing the meaning of virtue and sin. The symbol of the church’s victory over mortal sin was an ugly head crushed by a block, and the heads of angels or beautiful women’s and children’s heads – the personification of holiness and love of God.
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One of the methods of facade decoration, which sought to emphasize the solemnity and ornateness of the building, was the installation of caryatids and atlases. They were intended to support the roof vault and balustrade.
Caryatids are an architectural element born in Greece, reflected in the Baroque style. Statues of women dressed in tunics replaced pilasters and columns.
Telamons (atlantes) – male sculptures, they were also used instead of columns, they served as a vertical support for the beam ceiling, carried an instructive and reprehensible meaning. They carried not only decorative functions, but made it possible to express the freedom of artistic taste and improvisation. nine0003
Sculptures of the Madonna and Aphrodite coexisted in a single architectural composition. Despite the dissatisfaction of the church, pagan gods and Catholic saints settled peacefully with the statue of the owner of the building. Project architects emphasized the unreality of what was happening with such a solution.
They tried in every possible way to increase the decor and give it monumentality. Ornamental molding, all kinds of mystical symbols, volutes and signs were used.
Architectural Techniques
The baroque style is characterized by unfastening techniques in the middle of the façade, while a part of the wall is pulled out or, on the contrary, retracted with all the elements. The purpose of such an architectural solution was to exclude the flat appearance of the facade, and to give additional expressiveness to the composition of the structure. nine0003
Gables that characterize the Baroque style, mostly arched, reminiscent of a stretched bow or semicircular with a rake technique.
In the architecture of palaces and residences, convex-concave lines of facades, all kinds of towers, bay windows, balconies, the use of ovals, circles, as well as a noticeably special division of the facade are used.
In the decoration of window openings, richly finished trim was used, the obligatory presence of a large capstone with a mascaron above the window.
Forms of window openings: oval, French, hemisphere, large rectangular, arched. nine0003
Doorways were decorated with arches with columns or caryatids, atlantes.
Details of the Baroque style in architecture
A lot of wealth and luxury, gigantic dimensions, a large number of various details – this determined the interior decoration in the Baroque. Everything that could be decorated in the interior and exterior was trimmed with gold.
Ceilings with real paintings and frescoes.
A large number of mirrors in rich gilded frames, with stucco and sculptures. nine0201 The furniture was upholstered in expensive fabric.
Giant ebony cabinets.
The walls were decorated with carved wooden panels with pictures inserted into them.
The floor was a reflection of the ceiling, it was decorated with marble and majolica slabs. There was a panel on the doors – a real work of art.
More buildings in the Baroque style photo:
Baroque style in architecture photo
Baroque architecture impresses with its contrasts, transition from one extreme to another, sometimes inappropriate gigantism and monumentality.