The Baroque in Rome

The Baroque is an artistic movement that extends from the mid-sixteenth century, until the mid-eighteenth that marked European art. Its origin is in Italy, where there are many beautiful expressions, especially in Rome. This style touches all areas, such as architecture, painting or music. This period was called “baroque” after the end of the 18th century.
It is characterized by the expression of movement, decorative overload, dramatic effects, exuberance or contrast. He is sometimes pompous.
Its object was to touch the spectator by awakening sensations in him, in opposition in particular to the austerity and sobriety of classicism.
The church contributed to the creation and dissemination of baroque works, wanting to distinguish itself after the Protestant Reformation of the Protestant church by seeking emotion among the faithful.
In architecture, is often seen complexity and trompe l’oeil, creating an assumed exuberance. In painting the baroque often expresses a powerful realism, sometimes exaggerated to the theatrical.

Among the great artists who particularly marked the baroque were Caravaggio with his chiaroscuro and animated characters, Bernini with his “living” marbles, or Borromini and Cortona among the Italians, but also Rubens from Flanders, Velázquez born in Seville, etc.

Pages culture and Baroque in Rome

Pages monuments and Baroque

• Roman churches and basilicas
  This section is dedicated to the basilicas and churches of Rome, the most important and interesting, since the city has more than 400. We will first discover here ...
• Remarkable palaces in Rome
  After the beautiful palaces that host the prestigious museums of Rome such as the Capitoline Museums (Palazzo Nuovo, Palazzo dei Conservatori, Palazzo Senatoria), the Borghese Gallery (in the ...
• Piazza di Spagna and Spanish Steps
  An eighteenth century work, this square of Piazza di Spagna has an unusual and irregular aspect and is at the foot of the Pincian Hill. The celebrated Spanish ...
• Piazza Navona
  This is one of the liveliest places in Rome, with many painters, restaurants, cafes and ice-cream shops. Having kept the shape of the ancient Stadium of Domitian, Piazza ...
• Saint Peter’s Square
  This Saint-Peter's square, surrounded by a majestic quadruple colonnade displays the largest church of the Christian world: St. Peter's Basilica (Basilica di San Pietro). It is also the ...
• Trevi Fountain
  The Trevi Fountain is the most scenic fountain in Rome, present in the collective imagination with the film La Dolce Vita by Fellini. Its history is intertwined with ...