Influences That Shaped The Baroque Form In Italian And Northern European Art And Architecture

29 September 2012
Influences that shaped the Baroque form in Italian and Northern European Art and Architecture
Art is part of us as human beings. Art can be anything made in the form of painting,music, writing, and architecture. In the different eras of human civilization, artistic movements have appeared to present disagreement or sympathy to church or politics. One such movement was calledBaroque, which comes in response to the Protestant Reformation by the Christian Church. The Baroque originated from the need of the church to regain its power over the population. The most importantfigures in the Baroque era include Gian Lorenzo Bernini in architecture, as well as Claudio Monteverdi in music, and Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio in painting. With the help of these artists, theBaroque era was one of the most important throughout the history of mankind. The Baroque had many influences which can include the Counter-Reformation of the Christian Church, the change of theEuropean social structure, and the overall progress of science and geographical exploration.
First of all, The Counter-Reformation came in response to the corruption present within the Christian church inthe 16th century, but other attempts have been made to do the same in a different manner. Chaos was created as a result, leading many churches to ruin. The Baroque was a direct response towardProtestantism. The Baroque is characterized by the accumulation of excessive, overlapping forms of ornamental which appear in twisted columns and pilasters that claim nothing. As well as architraves andwalls that bend and twist, figures in tables and unnaturally illuminated sculptures that seek the same illusionistic effect. The Baroque is understood to all manifested with two opposing ideas in whichwe can mention the luxurious Baroque courtly theatrical and Baroque Catholic while Bourgeois intended to represent real-life embracing Protestantism. The most famous artist in the Italian Baroque was...