History of the Baroque Style

The baroque style didn't develop in a vacuum. An art style takes bits and pieces of previous works and puts new twists on them. In addition, art can't be separated from the times in which the art was created.

History of the Baroque Style
Europe in the 17^th century was a tumultuous time, with one hand reaching back into the past and the other reaching towards modern times. Almost all of Europe was involved at one point or another in the 30 Years War. The English Civil War ended with the beheading of Charles I, King of England. The Dutch Revolt, which had been fought for about 80 years, finally ended in 1648.

At the same time, great strides were being made in science. Isaac Newton published the Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy and Galileo published Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems and The Starry Messenger. Anton van Leeuwenhoek discovered minute living organisms in pond water.

This was all counterbalanced by the strain being put on the Catholic Church by Protestants, science and corruption.

During the late Renaissance, artists moved into Mannerism, which was a rejection of the balance and symmetry of Renaissance art. Mannerist paintings depicted figures and backgrounds that were distorted and designed to provoke emotions.

Baroque art borrowed from both Renaissance art and Mannerism. Baroque artists sought to combine the emotion of Mannerism with the harmony and grandeur of Renaissance art.

The two early leaders of Baroque art were Caravaggio and Annibale Carracci. Among his accomplishments, Caravaggio (1573-1610) perfected chiaroscuro, the art of contrasting light and dark. Carracci (1560-1609), considered to be the father of ideal landscape, is also know for his ability to paint gestures and his fine compositions.