Understanding Architecture
Chapter 15 Baroque and Rococo Architecture“The Baroque building can only be grasped through one’s experiencing it in its variety of effects….”
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Baroque Architecture Whereas Renaissance architecture gave
the visual impression of being simple, Baroque architecture was deliberately complex
Instead of clarity there was conflict Instead of uniformity of the elements
and overall effect, there was studied variety
Instead of regularity, there was contrast
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Baroque Architecture During the Renaissance there had
been planar forms with an emphasis on the surface, the Baroque emphasis was on plasticity and spatial depth
Renaissance was human in scale; Baroque became superhuman in scale
Renaissance stressed easily perceived forms; Baroque projected a sense of mystery
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Baroque Architecture Renaissance, the interest was in
intellectural comprehension and cerebral satisfaction; in Baroque, it shifted to creating an emotional impact
The term “baroque” was used to denigrate the architecture of 17th and 18th century architecture and was derived from the Portugese term for misshapen pearl barocco
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Baroque Architecture The reasons for the shift toward visual
complexity are several: During any period of artistic creativity,
where the goal is to reach absolute balance, once the goal is reached, a reaction sets in
The Counter Reformation of the Catholic Church reacted to the tenets of the Protestant Reformation, eg. the Church insisted that music, painting, sculpture and architecture, when properly handled, were among the most powerful instruments enhancing religious devotion
Jesuit’s Counter-reformation The original countries that initiated the
Baroque style remained faithful to the Catholic church after the reformation
The Jesuits enlisted the leading figure of the Baroque movement for their projects
The exciting forms in the Baroque style was used for the purpose of religion
Unquestionably dramatic Asymmetrical Experimentation with new and
dynamic massing
1st breakaway point from the Renaissance
2nd breakaway point from the Renaissance Employed swirling S-curves and
shapes that represents movement Deserted the static form of the square
and circle Undulating facades and plans based
on the oval shape The Council of Trent decalred the square
and circle as too pagan for Christian Churches (1545)
Baroque had an extreme form of theatricality which involved the creation of illusion Trompe-l’oeil
• Music Room, Chatsworth Derbyshire• Harewood House
33rdrd breakaway point from breakaway point from the Renaissancethe Renaissance
Baroque’s Intention Brunelleschi and Bramante’s concern in
adhering to the standards set in the renaissance is of no concern for Bernini and Borromini’s baroque
It seeks to carry the audience away with emotion No pedantic desire to teach No moralistic desire to judge against
standards
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Giacomo della Porta Façade of the Gesu 1573-77
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Church of Saints Vincent and Anastasius
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Sacristy of La Cartuja Granada, Spain
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Cornaro Chapel, Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome 1657-52
Bernini’s Ecstasy of St. Theresa 1646
Staged a little play with his sculpture Members of the Cornaro
family watching the scene
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Altar of the Priory Church of the Assumption Rohr, Germany
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omp
St John Nepomuk, Munich, 1733-46Egid Quirin Asam
Thirty feet wideWith swirling balconies, twisted pillarsThrobbing in gold, dark browns and red
Window over the high altar in St John Nepomuk
St John Nepomuk, Munich, 1733-46Exterior
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Church of Sant’ Andrea al Quirinale, Rome 1658-70
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Church of Sant’ Andrea al Quirinale
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Piazzo of Saint Peter’s Rome, Bernini, 1656-67
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San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, Rome 1634-67
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San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane
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Sant’ Ivo della Sapienza
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Guarini, Santa Maria della Divina Providenza, Lisbon, Portugal, 1652-63 (destroyed 1755)
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Neumann, Prince-Bishop’s Palace, Würzburg, Germany 1737-42
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Prince-Bishop’s Palace, Würzburg
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Amalienburg Pavilion, Nymphenburg Palace, Munich 1734-39
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Vierzehnheiligen, Planhttp://www.vierzehnheiligen.de/fr_rundum.htm
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Vierzehnheiligen
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Baroque Architecture: Conclusion
In their striving for the fullest possible effects of molded space, manipulated light, brilliant colour, and sensuous detail, Baroque and later Rococo, was concerned predominantly with the shaping of space and not with the fundamental structure of architecture