Furniture and Decorative Arts

It is believed that Baroque furniture was first introduced during King Luis XIV’s reign in France. It is a classical style that mixes grandeur and impressive styles that were meant to evoke a great sense of awe.

An example of furniture in the Baroque style

Baroque interiors emulated a sense of drama and the ornate. Interiors were luxurious and used materials such as velvet and damask furnishings. It’s style is dense with motifs of foliage such as garlands, flowers and wreaths. These characteristically decorate the ‘edges’ of the furniture, sculptures, and decorative ornaments. They create a highly ornate frame for the centerpiece of the main artwork, a contrast to the Classical style’s plainness.

A wall bracket in the Baroque style

This style also saw a lot of cherubs/putti. It utilised marquetry extensively. Marquetry is the art of layering of various coloured wood veneers onto the surface of furniture as a means of decoration. The form of decoration was learned by the French and Dutch cabinet-makers. Monograms, initials and crests are a prominent feature of this style. Interiors were meant to be rich and extravagant, and so were enriched with luxurious textiles.

An example of Maquetry

This style of furniture was not just beautiful and grand but was also built to withstand quite a heavy weight and were quite sturdy (sturdy enough to withstand the grand King Louis XIV!)

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Fine Art

Painting In its most typical manifestations, Baroque art can be defined by great drama, rich, deep colours and intense contrasts, particularly between light and dark shadows. Paintings almost seem to come out of the dark. These effects are chiaroscuro effects. This style of painting was meant to evoke emotion and passion, and was not based on the tranquil rationality of the Renaissance. In opposition to Renaissance art, which often depicted moments before an event, artists of the Baroque period chose to capture the epicenter of the event, the most dramatic point. The Storm of the Sea of Galilee - Rembrandt (1633) This painting was stolen from Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990 and is still missing. The Entombment of Christ - Caravaggio (1602-1603) A few of the greatest painters of the time were Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Rubens, Poussin, Vermeer and Velázquez. Caravaggio’s style combined a realist...

Architecture

Buildings of the Baroque period are composed of great curving forms and billowing facades. Ground plans were of unprecedented size and complexity and there were various shapes of domes. Some examples of these buildings are the churches of Francesco Borromini, Guarino Guarini and Balthasar Neumann. Most architectural structures were executed on a colossal scale, utilising aspects of urban planning and landscape architecture. This is most clearly seen in Bernini's elliptical piazza in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, and in the gardens, fountains and the palace at Versailles. Axial overview (looking over and across) of Piazza of St. Peter's, Vatican City, Rome Aerial view of Versailles Palace In Spain in the 17th century, some features of Baroque art emerged in the architectural style of J. B. de Herr era’s school . The splendour and luxuriousness of the Baroque style were given a unique interpretation i...

Art History & Period Styles

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