Baroque Essays

Baroque is a style of art. It is an era of artistic style that used sensational motion and obvious, easily interpreted features to produce drama, tension, and magnificence in architecture, sculptures, paintings, literature, theatre, dance, and music. Baroque art is usually very frisky and has several ornaments.

Baroque period is time in the history of Western arts at around the 17th century. Early manifestations occurred in the final decades of the 16th century in Italy (Durant et al. 67). In some regions like Germany and colonial South America, the accomplishments were felt in the 18th century. This epoch was highly punctuated by artistic style which fused inflated motion and simple detail to generate drama, tension, enthusiasm and magnificence in painting, architecture, dance, music, sculpture, and literature. The style dates back to around 1600 in Rome Italy before finally diffusing to other parts of Europe.

Baroque, an era from 1600s- 1750s, is known as a period which had overly exaggerated emotions, drama, tension, grandeur in sculpture, painting, architecture, literature, dance, and music. It began in Italy and then spread to most of Europe. Baroque is a French word, which means a rough or imperfect pearl. Baroque era has not only changed architecture, painting, and sculpture, but it has also influenced theatre, and style of clothing for people around the world.

This was a triumphant, overstated and almost theatrical style of religious art, commissioned by European courts of the absolute monarchs immediately after the Counter-Reformation. This type of Baroque art is well represented by the bold visionary painter such as Caravaggio and by the grandiose images by the Flemish master, Peter Paul Rubens.

There have been several different music eras throughout the years, some of them being the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern era. The renaissance period gradually began in the 1400’s and slowly ended in the 1600’s. This was the transition period between the Medieval Era and the modern world.

Baroque style flourished in a time during which variations of styles were expressed (Carl & Charles, 2012) and it embraces ramifications in artistic sense and its forms varied in every country and community (Hauser, 1999). It emerged when Roman Catholic Church adopted it to be the counter of the Protestant Revolution promoted by Martin Luthur, and the style gained its popularity in France and Roman court. Eventually it prevailed in Holland. The Baroque style of art is thought to be irregular and capricious by historians, and so comes its name – it is derived from the Portuguese word ‘Barrocco’, meaning imperfect pearl (Carl & Charles, 2012). According to Hauser (1999), the term Baroque at first is used to describe the music of its style that has no coherent melody.

The style dominating the art and architecture of Europe and certain European colonies in the Americas throughout the 17th and 18th century in certain places. The term Baroque is derived from Spanish and Portuguese word that denotes irregular shaped pearl. As human awareness towards the world continuously expands, art has not only been influenced by the many discoveries of science, but many aspects of baroque art are also determined by religion, especially the Roman Catholic Church which served as a highly influential patron. The monarchies of France and Spain are the examples that Baroque Art is also influenced by political situations.

The Baroque era of music which ranged from 1600 until 1750 saw the birth of many great composers like J.S Bach and G.F Handel and creation of new techniques and forms of music. The Baroque era saw many changes and progressions through music. The formation of the Oratorio was an example of these changes that occurred during this time period. Handel’s oratorios that were set in English were gained popularity, it was also peculiar that they were composed in the English language instead of Italian, as it had been proclaimed the George Friedrich Handel was “German born and Italian trained” (). The purpose of this essay is to examine the dramatic content and musical styles of Handel’s oratorios. This essay will examine four oratorios

Baroque is a term assigned to a European artistic expression style which spanned from the late 16th century to the late 18th century. Today it remains a popular era in art, literature, architecture, and music. The Roman Catholic Church was one of the largest supporters of Baroque art, as it served to oppose the relative minimalism and somberness of Protestant art of the time. As is typical, Baroque art was a reflection of the ongoing religious and other cultural changes that were occurring in Europe during this period. Although it embraces a variety of art styles Baroque is mainly characterized by grandeur, realism, and emotional drama. The Roman Catholic Church realized that these traits would allow sanctioned art to appeal to the greater masses. Art from this era is eye-catching and is particularly good at drawing the interest of its audience. By targeting the physical senses, artists induce emotions in their audience which helps to create a connection with viewers.

The Baroque art (which began from 19th century to 18th century) is considered as one of the most beautiful fine art which describes the cultural movements and includes all different kinds of art such as a music and Philosophy. The Baroque name is back to the artistic events which were related to imaginative ideas. Artists see from their point of view that the Baroque art is characterized by classical style which is the common point of all artists in all directions.

The relationship between the arts and the growing body of scientific knowledge is still evolving to this day. Imagination is the foundation of creation. While beliefs are influenced by theory, art serves as the medium to illustrate the thoughts that build out innovation. The three stylistic periods, Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo, made major contributions and influenced the way that the art world contributed and evolved in society.

During the Baroque and Rococo eras, changes in historical, social and religious context had a great impact on the approach to design at the time. This essay will show, through critical reflection and through analysis of examples of furniture and product design, how historical, social and religious transformations affected design style and philosophy during those eras. Moreover, this essay will address the concept of absolutism and its impact on design at the time; the evolutionary nature of design styles; and explore defining characteristics of the Baroque and Rococo styles.

In the seventeenth century, the city of Rome became the consummate statement of Catholic majesty and triumph expressed in the arts, as evident through the Baroque style. Contradiction was inherent in the Baroque period; as it began, painting was governed by decorum, however, as the Baroque progressed, the Church saw art as a means to propagate the messages of the Counter Reformation. The popularity and success of the Baroque was encouraged by the Roman Catholic Church, which had decided at the time of the Council of Trent that the arts should communicate religious themes in both direct, and emotional involvement. The aristocracy saw the success of the dramatic

There was marked the rise of some virtuoso male singer in the baroque period which has a specific name: castrato. It was common of a male had been castrated before puberty for being a singer in Italy from 1600 to 1800. Some of them were famous and favored by many nobleman and received the highest fees of any musicians (Kamien, 2016), but they need to bear a pain surgery, incomplete body, arduous school life for music training. Therefore, the questions arise here and hope to find out the answers. Why they chose to be a castrato? How they became a castrato? What was their appearance after castration? How about their music?

The music in the baroque period was a new age experience for all and has even influenced modern music today. The style and influence given has progressed music in ways that many do not even know. A prime example of this is ornamentation. This simple concept is preceded by the new ways that people of the baroque period have changed the theory of music as well as how the instrumentation, rhythmic, and tonal structure. These small changes have changed everyday aspects of music, everything from the classic musical periods after to everyday pop and rock and roll. This baroque style theory is everywhere and this is how it changed the modern music humans can listen to.

The Baroque Period, starting from the beginning of the 17th century to mid 18th century, was a period that continued to build upon the individualism of the Renaissance period and discover new ideas. From new and significant discoveries in science from people such as Galileo, to mathematical advances from people such as Isaac Newton, people were transitioning from being oblivious to the world to being more aware of the world around them. The music of the baroque period reflected the ambition of the new and radical changes. Well known composers such as Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, and Monteverdi were writing in newly unheard and revolutionary musical concepts, and were popularizing genres such as opera, and emphasizing the use of instruments barely used before such as the harpsichord, and the woodwinds. Their musical legacy continues to live on to this day, and is a wonderful discovery of beautifully composed compositions that continues to be performed worldwide by professional orchestras and bands. But, the Baroque period also had a treasure of hidden gems. There were many unknown composers, and artists that had composed or drew wonderful masterpieces, but were left out the spotlight, and one of them is a composer named Agostino Steffani.

Baroque style is a new phenomenon in 17th century. The word “Baroque” was derived from the Italian word barocco, meaning bizarre or artificial; some also stated that the word was originated from Portuguese or Spanish, meaning irregular or oddly shaped pearl. Baroque art has the following characteristics: whether it is sculpture, architecture, painting arts and crafts; all of them have stressed sense of movement, space, luxury, passion, feeling, or even mystery.

The Catholic Church has employed for millennia several forms of art, most notably baroque paintings. Consequently, this served as a firm response to the rise of Protestantism due to the efforts of Martin Luther to destabilize the Church for its institutional abuses. Furthermore, the upper echelons of the clergy mandated any artwork that was to be formulated should be characteristic to the dogmas of Catholicism such as the Transfiguration of Christ and canvases that pertains to Scripture should be direct and fathomable to the ordinary believer of Jesus at that time, such as country-dwellers.

The Renaissance and Baroque are both iconic periods of time revealed to the world, where both established different concepts based on architecture, interior and furnishing and known for their artistry, literature and music, Which lead to the construction of unique magnificent artistic styles that inspired the people and the other continents as well.

The examination of a person as an individual in history has been an important aspect in understanding society and culture. The value that people in a society place on themselves as a whole has an effect on culture, art, and politics. Recognition of one’s individualism is an incredibly powerful tool for someone to possess. The role of individual, individual determination, and the value of the individual have evolved through the Baroque period to the Industrial Revolution to the Romantics.