Baroque Art

Baroque Art

hi I’m Rick Steves back with more of the
best of Europe This Time rather than a
particular place we’re going thematic
and traveling anywhere that theme takes
us this time it’s the art of the Baroque
age you know Divine Kings pudgy winged
babies and fancy fountains thanks for
joining
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us
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there’s so much of broke Europe’s art to
be dazzled by and understanding who paid
for it and why makes it even splashier
while the Renaissance was calm composed
and intellectual in this next age
artists cranked up the drama the
emotions and the energy in their art
we’ll start with the religious struggles
that divided Europe leading to both
exuberant Catholic art designed to
attract the faithful and dramatic
secular art that made pulses race we’ll
see how Bernini brought marble to life
and how Caravaggio amped up the
excitement France with its Divine Right
Kings emerged as the center of European
culture and at the palace of palaces
versailes Kings did their best to prove
they were Godlike and as the controlled
exuberance of Baroque led to the
uncontrolled exuberance of rokoo all the
queen could say was I just love this new
dress from baroque’s birthplace in Rome
we follow it spread far and wide
venturing from Vienna and Germany to
Belgium and France with Paris farai and
chatau on the
lir the roots of Baroque go back to the
1500s to the turmoil of the Protestant
Reformation people were questioning
Europe’s most powerful institution the
Roman Catholic Church this was big news
and art the media of the day told the
story when a German monk named Martin
Luther hammered 95 points for debate on
this door he opened a Pandora’s box of
issues from church
coruption to the role of Art in
religion to the legitimacy of the Pope
unleashing long pent up
frustrations soon the protesters called
Protestants were breaking away from the
traditional catholic church this
religious Revolution called the
Reformation plunged Europe into a
century-long series of Wars each side
expressed its intense passion through
its
art here a Catholic nun whales on a
bunch of sinful Protestants while a
determined cherub rips pages from a
Protestant book and an angel wrestles
with the serpent of heresy artists
captured the misery and the Epic scale
as religious wars spread nearly a third
of all Germans died war crimes became
commonplace with each side convinced
that God was on their side and that they
were fighting the Devil Himself
paintings show how most of Europe was at
War swept up by powerful forces as if
the fighting might go on
forever after Decades of war in 1648 an
exhausted Europe reached an uneasy peace
that enabled Protestants and Catholics
to coexist but it left Europe split into
two camps Protestants mainly in the
northern countries Catholics in the
South each with its own culture and
style of art the art of the day was
Baroque and it fit cap LS
perfectly the Baroque Style with its
bright
colors big
canvases dramatic
statues exuberant
architecture and over-the-top
ornamentation appealed to the
emotions put it all together as Baroque
artists love to do and The Ensemble
packed a powerful
message after all this turmoil Catholic
Europe craved stability and the baroke
message was pratus quo obey the Pope in
the established order and things will be
okay it’s no wonder Baroque was the
favored style of Catholic
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rulers the Baroque style flourished in
Rome especially at the Vatican the
headquarters of the Catholic faith Art
became a tool of the church to help
reinvigorate the faith and counter the
Protestant Reformation churches were
made more welcoming with bright spacious
interiors and dazzling art art that made
complicated theology easier to
understand the grand Church of St Peters
was decorated in the Baroque style to
make a statement the message to proclaim
the legitimacy of the Roman Catholic
faith as the one true faith and the pope
as its
leader the altar radiat these Catholic
ideals with sunlight pouring like the
Holy Spirit through its Alabaster window
Illuminating the symbolic Throne of the
first pope St Peter and all the pope
sents with its sheer size 600 feet long
big enough for thousands of
worshippers colossal
Cupids and massive Baroque canopy St
Peters has given centuries of pilgrims
and worshippers a glimpse of the heaven
that awaited them if they stayed true to
the
faith the art and architecture of this
age was also a powerful political tool
the kings and queens of the day claimed
they were ordained by God to rule
without question these so-called Divine
monarchs used art as propaganda to
convince their subjects that their
Authority was
legit This Magnificent German Palace in
verburg was home to the so-called Prince
Bishop he was a ruler with both sec and
religious power it was built in the
Baroque style and decorated in the even
frillier Roco style that followed as VIP
guests arrived they’d Glide gracefully
up the stairway inspired by a grand
Fresco as it opened up overhead the
prince Bishop was the center of the
cosmos honored by the Greek gods and
ruler of the four Great continents
including a barechested figure of
America Seated on an alligator at a r
cannibal barbecue and Lady Europe points
her brush to the center of all culture
the capital of his realm
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verburg palaces of this age feature
grandiose architecture with decoration
that abhor a straight line and is full
of
motion artists used mirrors and lavish
guilding to enliven Interiors they were
masters of three-dimensional illusion
using all the tricks from painting
mathematically correct architecture to
fake Shadows all to give a believable
sense of 3D
reality again art of this period was
pure marketing paid for and serving
either the church or the state or in the
prince Bishop’s case both here the
bishop is being empowered by the
Imperial scepter reminding all that he
was part of a divinely ordained and
secular chain of
command big colorful and melodramatic
baroque art was also well suited to the
luxury-loving tastes of aristocrats
though they were devoted Christians they
also considered themselves enlightened
and celebrated the classical or
pre-christian world of ancient Greece in
Rome so besides religious themes they
enjoyed secular scenes like epic Tales
of classical mythology baroque art could
be surprisingly
risque there’s lots of
flesh violence and Rippling
motion intense passion lots of trauma
and a sure sign of Baroque pudgy wied
babies a great Pioneer of Baroque was
the dynamic Italian named Gian Lorenzo
Bernini known as the Michelangelo of
Baroque Bernini could do it all he was a
great sculptor A Painter and and a
groundbreaking
architect he designed St Peter
Square using all his artistic tools
Bernini turns this Chapel into a theater
and invigorates reality with emotion
Center Stage an angel pierces St
Teresa’s heart with a Heavenly Arrow as
the saint described her ecstasy the pain
was so sharp that I cried aloud yet so
delightful that I wished it would last
forever
at this elegant Roman Mansion Bernini
sculpted several masterpieces for his
Patron a wealthy Cardinal who invested
in great art meant to decorate these
very
rooms Bernini employing both genius and
chisel masterfully brought marble to
life his rape of pranie packs a dramatic
punch pran’s entire body seems to scream
for help as evil Pluto drags his cat
into the
underworld his three-headed dog howls
triumphantly bernini’s Apollo and Daphne
is quintessential Baroque in how it
captures a dramatic moment Apollo
happily wounded by Cupid’s arrow chases
Daphne who’s saved by turning into a
tree Bernini captures the instant when
just as Apollo is about to catch Daphne
her fingers turned to
leaves her toes Sprout roots and Apollo
is in for one rude surprise the statue
as much air as Stone makes a
supernatural event seem real this
pre-christian scene while plenty fleshy
comes with a church pleasing moral
chasing Earthly Pleasures leads only to
pain and frustration
by the way to appreciate the boldness of
bernini’s Baroque style compare his
version of David with Michelangelo’s
Renaissance David from a century earlier
Michelangelo’s is poised balanced and
thoughtful perfect for the cerebral
Renaissance Era bernin on the other hand
is a baroque action figure his whole
body wound like a spring as he prepares
to slay the giant showing the energy of
the age
Bernini was a Brash young man of 25 when
he sculpted this and the determined face
of David is his
own Bernini inspired a generation of
artists whose work is found throughout
Rome in fact the city of Rome itself is
like a baroque work of
art its great churches Sport facades
with Trend setting Baroque elements
classical columns on a gargantuan scale
showy pediments and arches and straight
lines broken by dips curls and
decorative
medallions Interiors of course are also
decorated to the hilt in the Baroque
style you hardly know where to look
every inch is slathered with
ornamentation oh wow spiral columns
framing scenes that almost jump to life
Cupids doing
flip-flops explosive gilded Starbursts
and ceilings opening up into the heavens
it’s all glorious
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Baroque the exuberance of the Bro age
even spills out into the streets Patza
naona a festival of Roman life is
dominated by this curvaceous
facade it’s playful oval domes Overlook
a fountain by you guessed it Bernini
fountain mountains so full of energy and
effectively harnessing nature were a
favorite with Baroque
artists nearby the famed Trevy Fountain
is a bubbly Baroque Avalanche that seems
purpose-built for today’s Roman Embrace
of Life immersed in history art and
partying Under the Stars people toss a
coin over their shoulder to assure their
return to this Eternal
City that may sound silly but with every
video is it I go through the ritual and
it
works also in Rome around the year 1600
a rebellious young artist named
Caravaggio was inspiring a new
generation of artists with his Stark
realism he lived hard and spent much of
his life running from the law while he
died young Caravaggio was hugely
influential with Stark lighting
Caravaggio created a film Noir world of
harsh glare and Deep Shadows throwing an
unflattering light on his
subjects even his sacred scenes look
like rugged Roman Street life with a
gritty
realism Saints with bald wrinkled
foreheads tattered
coats Dirty
Feet ordinary Plain Jane
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madonas and a Restless
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energy caravaggio’s David slaying the
giant is no Noble Renaissance hero but a
sassy
teenager the lighting is Stark and
dramatic and the details are gruesome
David literally shoves the harsh reality
in our face in Goliath’s head it’s none
other than Caravaggio
himself in the same generation farther
north here in Belgium the most prolific
and influential Baroque painter was
Peter Paul Rubin a favorite of Europe’s
wealthy Rubin painted extravagant scenes
with a dynamism that has come to define
the Baroque style well-traveled cultured
and conf
rubben exemplified the exuberance of the
age running his Studio like a factory he
cranked out a steady stream of high
energy
canvases he’d start with a rough sketch
and he’d give that to his assistants in
the studio and they would paint the
massive canvas when it was just about
done Ruben would come back in and give
it what they called The Fury of the
brush a little twinkle in the eye a
little glimmer there a little light
there when he was satisfied another
Reuben’s Masterpiece was shipped off to
his wealthy
patrons Ruben painted anything that
would raise your
pulse
battles
Miracles
hunts and especially fleshy rubenesque
women with rosy cheeks and
dimples expert at composition Ruben
could arrange a teing tangle of many
figures into a harmonious
ensemble in this Greek myth when
lecherous half-human saders crash a
party of nymphs the action unfolds as
saders Chase and women flee it’s a
horrible Crescendo of violence a
cresting wave of flailing Limbs and
chaotic figures that threatens to crash
over the poor nymphs until the fierce
Goddess Diana the huntress plants her
feet and makes a brave stand to save the
day Baroque artists certainly knew how
to satisfy their
patrons whether powering the church’s
message both in Grand ways or intimate
ways making ancient myths and legends
come to
life inflating the Eagles of the
powerful or just capturing a wild and
crazy party for Baroque artists life was
always filled with
drama the Baro style dominated much of
Europe throughout this age whether it
was found in the highly ornamented music
of the
day it’s grandiose
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churches over-the-top
palaces dramatic
statues or bubbling
fountains Baro art was designed to have
an emotional impact and it still
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does as Europe’s Nations grew bigger
many centralized around an Old Reliable
institution the monarchy this was the
era of Europe’s great kings and queens
they claimed their Authority came
directly from God by divine right and
that their power was
absolute Through the Ages portraits had
been one of the ways Royals showed off
their power and their divine right to
rule they hired Europe’s best artists to
paint them in all their Glory from the
powerful Renaissance Royals and rulers
of
France
Spain Venice to
England Baroque artists captured the
over-the-top style of the
age by then Europe was ruled by a a
handful of powerful families who used
such portraits to stay in touch and like
Baroque dating apps to arrange marriages
and Court painters pulled out all the
stops from making young princes look
impossibly good on a horse to making air
mortal look as Divine as can
be in the Baroque Era Europe’s Royals
ruled in splendor across the continent
they built sprawling palaces
from
Austria and
Spain to
Sweden and
France France for centuries the richest
country in Europe is strewn with lavish
palaces chat and mansions after all
until its revolution its Society was the
epitome of that old regime notion that
some are born to rule and the rest of us
well just deal with it Fran’s Capital
Paris Glitters with royal Parks gilded
Bridges and of course once the biggest
Palace of all the
Lou and when those kings and Nobles
wanted to get out of Paris for some
hunting or perhaps an intimate Rendevous
they escaped to their favorite
playground the lir valley here they
built their getaways with ever greater
opulence pleasure palaces and
playgrounds were the extra Avance of the
architecture and the beauty of the
setting seemingly knew no
bounds but the Palace of palaces the
palace other palaces were modeled after
was versailes and versailes a potent mix
of art and architecture is all about
this man the ultimate Divine Monarch
Louis the 14th the art and architecture
of the palace celebrates Louis’s reign
as the King of Kings it’s essentially a
long series of lavish rooms each with
its own theme the style is delightfully
Baroque a riot of exuberant
figures the Venus room reminded everyone
that love ruled at Versa here couples
would Cort blessed from above by the
goddess of love and as if to encourage
the fun Venus sends down a flowery
Garland to ens snare others in delicious
amore
the Hall of Mirrors was the highlight of
the palace no one had ever seen anything
like it mirrors were a great luxury at
the time and this Exquisite Ballroom was
astounding and whenever you’d look up
you’d see your king doing what he did
best
triumphing one more way that Louie
proved that he could rule like a God was
by controlling nature these lavish
grounds
elaborately planned ornamented and
Baroque as can be reminded everyone that
their King was in total command and that
the kingdom of France was in capable
hands by the mid 1700s Baroque had
morphed into a style called rokoo if
Baroque was controlled exuberance rokoo
was uncontrolled exuberance as if the
Divine monarchs and Aristocrats needed
ever more over-the-top art to flaunt
their privileged status their Art became
even fancier ultimately with the focus
more on the decoration than on the
subject
itself baroque’s curved lines became
Rococo’s even curvier
lines circles became
ovals everything glowed with gilding and
plenty of
mirrors Roco was like Baroque that got
shrunk in the wash lighter frillier and
more more
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delicate in the decor of this Royal
Palace you can see how Roco is even
fancier than fancy Baroque rooms
slathered with enormous
wealth kilos of gold
leaf lots of exotic Asian influence and
eye popping
extravagance the Roco style was perfect
for the new generation of Rosy cheek
Aristocrats embracing their Carefree
lives of leisure as never before
frolicking amid nature and indulging in
every sensual
pleasure the lives of these Elites were
much like their art decoration over
substance across Europe Aristocrats
played in their palaces and picnicked in
their bucolic backyards pleasure Gardens
that stretched to the Horizon as if
their Divine Right world would go on
forever but it didn’t Roco art was a
symptom of an excessive decadence among
Europe’s increasingly outof touch Elites
a decadence that would lead to their
demise it’s an exciting story from the
age of Divine Right Kings with their
palaces and propaganda to the
Enlightenment and the age of Revolution
with the Sleek Simplicity of its
neoclassical style and through great art
and architecture we can track the
joys
struggles and Growing Pains of Europe’s
Long March toward
progress Europe offers a lifetime of
artistic treasures and the more you
understand its art the more you’ll
appreciate the society that created it I
hope you’ve enjoyed our sweep through
the highlights of the Baro age while
those kings and queens were whining and
dining there was rumbling in the streets
and that would lead to a bloody
Revolution and even more Dynamic art I’m
Rick Steves until next time keep on
traveling
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Rick Steves’ Europe Season 12 showcases Europe’s great art and architecture. © 2024 | Forged in Europe’s religious struggles, Baroque art inspired the faithful and dazzled the masses. We start in Rome, with its awe-inspiring St. Peter’s, fleshy Bernini statues and bubbly fountains. In Belgium, we see the dramatic canvases of Rubens. And finally: the ultimate Baroque palace, Versailles, with its chandeliered Hall of Mirrors and vast gardens where nobles played as Revolution brewed. #ricksteveseurope #artofeurope #arthistory

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Rick Steves, America’s most respected authority on European travel, writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio.