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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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