Baroque Art and Architecture Notes

Baroque Art and Architecture Overview

Context

• Geographical and religious influences in Spain and the Netherlands during Baroque period.

Architecture in Spain

• Churrigueresque Characteristics:

  • Notable works:

  • Altarpiece of Convento de San Esteban

  • Sacristy of La Cartuja

• Italian-style Baroque Examples:

  • Basilica of San Miguel

Painting in Spain

• Key Trends:

  • Naturalism with tenebrism vs. triumphant heavenly scenes

• Famous Artists:

  • Sánchez Cotán: Still life (Quince, Cabbage, Melon, and Cucumber)

  • Ribera: Clubfoot Boy, Mary of Egypt

  • Zurbarán: St. Serapion

  • Velázquez: The Water Carrier of Seville, Surrender at Breda, The Maids of Honor

  • Murillo: The Immaculate Conception

Sculpture in Spain

• Pedro de Mena:

  • Virgin of Sorrows, Penitent Magdalene

Context in the Netherlands

• Division between Catholic Flanders and Protestant Dutch Republic

Architecture in the Netherlands

• Significant works: Mauritshuis, Traditional Dutch houses

Painting in Flanders

• Rubens: Marie de’ Medici; Garden of Love

• Art Hierarchy:

  1. History Painting

  2. Portraits

  3. Genre Painting

  4. Landscapes

  5. Still Life

Painting in Dutch Republic

• Notable Artists:

  • de Heem: Still Life with Exotic Birds

  • Terbrugghen: Singing Lute Player

  • Leyster: Self-Portrait

  • Rembrandt: Bathsheba

  • Ruisdael: View of Haarlem with Bleaching Grounds

  • Steen: The Feast of St. Nicholas

  • Vermeer: Woman Holding a Balance, Girl with the Red Hat

Recommended Resources

• Chapters from "A History of Interior Design" by Pile & Gura

• Gombrich's "The Story of Art" (Chapters on Catholic Europe and Holland)

• Khan Academy for additional materials on Baroque art.