Baroque and Rococo Architecture – Key Points Review

A comprehensive set of flashcards covering historical context, stylistic traits, influential architects, iconic buildings, and regional variants of Baroque and Rococo architecture for AR151 History of Architecture 2 review.

What economic change in the 16th-17th centuries fueled Baroque patronage?

New wealth from expanded global trade (East & West Indies companies, tobacco, gold, silver) enriched monarchies and funded the arts.

Which religious movement of 1517 helped trigger the Counter-Reformation and Baroque art?

Martin Luther’s Protestant Reformation.

What was the Counter-Reformation’s artistic goal?

Use dramatic, emotionally engaging art and architecture to attract the faithful back to Catholicism.

Name three visual-arts masters associated with the Baroque ‘Age of Freedom of Spirit.’

Bernini, Rubens, Velázquez (others include Rembrandt).

Define chiaroscuro.

An artistic technique using strong contrasts of light and dark to model three-dimensional forms.

What did Renaissance architects like Vignola write about?

How to use the Classical orders in design.

Which architect famously ‘broke the rules’ of classicism, inspiring Baroque freedom?

Michelangelo, notably at St. Peter’s Basilica.

Provide the core definition of Baroque architecture.

A 17th-century style using free, sculptural classical orders, dynamic space, and dramatic unity of architecture, sculpture, and painting.

List three characteristic qualities of Baroque design.

Elaborate ornamentation; dramatic effects with light/shadow; emotional, sensual appeal.

In Spain, what did the original term ‘barroco’ describe?

An irregularly shaped pearl.

Which church façade by Carlo Maderno is regarded as the first true Baroque façade?

Santa Susanna, Rome (1603).

What is Mannerism in architecture?

A late-Renaissance style marked by stylish distortion and dynamism that preceded full Baroque.

Who authored "The Five Orders of Architecture" and when?

Giacomo da Vignola, 1562 (mid-16th c.).

Which Roman church designed by Vignola became the prototype for Jesuit churches?

Il Gesù (The Church of the Gesù), 1568.

What famous ceiling fresco decorates Il Gesù’s nave?

“The Triumph of the Name of Jesus” by Giovanni Battista Gaulli (1678-79).

Who completed St. Peter’s Basilica’s dome after Michelangelo’s death?

Giacomo della Porta.

Which architect extended St. Peter’s nave and added the Baroque façade?

Carlo Maderno (1607-1626).

Name Bernini’s two great works at St. Peter’s.

The Baldachin (canopy) over the high altar and the curving colonnades of St. Peter’s Square.

What is a baldachin?

An indoor canopy built over an altar, throne, or sacred object.

Which small church on Rome’s Quirinal Hill is considered Bernini’s architectural masterpiece?

Sant’Andrea al Quirinale (1658-1661).

Who mastered curved-wall architecture and designed San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane?

Francesco Borromini.

What spatial trick did Borromini employ at San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane to enlarge perception?

Alternating convex and concave walls to create parallax and illusion of greater size.

Which Borromini church experimented boldly with convex/concave forms in its dome?

San Ivo della Sapienza (1642-1662).

Identify the Italian Baroque architect-priest whose treatises influenced Central Europe.

Guarino Guarini.

For which relic was Guarini’s Chapel of the Holy Shroud (La Cappella della Sacra Sindone) built?

The Holy Shroud of Jesus (Shroud of Turin).

How did Guarini create mystical lighting in his domes?

Using hidden windows within intersecting arches to admit concealed light.

Which English architect combined Baroque, Gothic, and Neoclassical elements at St. Paul’s Cathedral?

Sir Christopher Wren.

During which years was St. Paul’s Cathedral London built?

1675-1710.

What Spanish term describes the highly ornate ‘Ultra-Baroque’ phase (1680-1720)?

Churrigueresco or Churrigueresque.

Name one iconic Spanish Baroque façade resembling future Art Nouveau.

Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela western façade (Fernando de Casas y Novoa, 1750).

Where is the University of Valladolid’s exuberant Baroque façade located?

Valladolid, Spain (Diego Tome & Fray Pedro de la Visitación, 1719).

Define Rococo style.

An 18th-century French artistic style marked by lightness, pastel colors, asymmetry, and playful natural motifs, reacting against Baroque grandeur.

List two common Rococo surface ornaments.

Shells and scroll-like leaves (rocaille forms).

Rococo architecture was predominantly applied to what type of buildings?

Secular interiors and palaces rather than churches.

Who secured classicism within French Baroque and gave his name to a roof type?

François Mansart.

Describe a Mansard roof.

A roof with two slopes on each side; the lower slope is much steeper, providing extra attic space.

Which Mansart chateau foreshadowed Versailles?

Château de Maisons (1630-1651).

What was the principal residence of French kings from Louis XIV to Louis XVI?

The Palace of Versailles.

Who extended Versailles’ gardens along the Grande Perspective?

André Le Nôtre.

What famous Versailles room features mirrors reflecting garden views?

The Hall of Mirrors (Galerie des Glaces).

What is depicted on the Hall of Mirrors’ vaulted ceiling by Le Brun?

The early military and political triumphs of Louis XIV (first 18 years of reign).

Define ‘château’ during the French Renaissance.

A luxurious rural residence, distinct from an urban ‘palais.’

Which Paris complex began as a fortress, became a royal palace, and now houses a major museum?

The Louvre Palace.

Name three 17th-century architects involved in the Louvre’s expansion.

Claude Perrault, Louis Le Vau, and Jules Hardouin-Mansart (others: Pierre Lescot earlier, François d’Orbay).

What is Les Invalides and who added its famous dome?

A Paris complex for disabled veterans; dome added by Jules Hardouin-Mansart (1675-1706).

Which bridge-facing Paris esplanade fronts Les Invalides?

The esplanade leading to the Quai d’Orsay and Alexandre III Bridge.

What musical form emerged during the Baroque era, exemplified by composers like Monteverdi?

Opera (polyphonic music drama).

Which painting technique bonds pigment to wet plaster for durability?

Fresco.

What architectural principle does Baroque art favor: rationality or emotion?

Emotion and sensuality over strict rationality.

Give the Portuguese root word for ‘Baroque’ and its meaning.

‘Barroco,’ meaning an irregular pearl.

Which early Baroque façade served as the model for later Jesuit churches worldwide?

The façade of Il Gesù by Giacomo della Porta (1575).

What is the function of paired columns in Baroque interiors like San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane?

Framing artworks and openings while emphasizing rhythm and curvature.

Which Baroque architect’s curved colonnade shapes the entrance court of St. Peter’s?

Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

Name the three chronological phases of Spanish Baroque.

Initial adoption (17th c.), Churrigueresque/Ultra-Baroque (1680-1720), and late restrained phase (post-1720s).

What design strategy did Guarini employ to heighten spiritual atmosphere in San Lorenzo, Turin?

Contrasting bright dome lighting with dimly lit nave and highlighted altars.