“The term baroque came to be used by the late-nineteenth century art historians such as Heinrich Wofflin in a more positive, descriptive sense, to describe any art that was elaborated, embellished, and complex, compared to preceding simpler forms” (Roth, 398.). The baroque mentality revolved around the idea of taking what already exists and adding drama; elaborating and embellishing it to bring out and express emotion. Designers of the baroque period were after [RE] VISIONS of what came before them, and they did a good job of it. The painting I did above is my example of a REVISION of how I saw some tree branches. While I would not describe this painting as being in the style of the baroque period at all, it is definitely a REVISION of something I have seen many times before.
As history moved forward and societies and cultures evolved, the importance of entertaining large groups of people in a private home became more of a priority. Whereas in the past most AUDIENCES of people where mainly found in churches and government buildings, the movement towards more complex social classism called for spaces where people could hosts their guests more comfortably; and perhaps even more importantly, show of their great wealth and “taste.” “A new approach to space planning typified the residences of the period from about 1720 to 1770. Versatility in planning to accommodate social events was the motivating force for this change” (Blakemore, 250.). The drawing of a comfortable looking side chair above is an example of seating that is definitely necessary when entertaining guests.
While the trends of the baroque style places heavy importance on drama, the architecture and design of the times developed an obvious sense of CHARACTER. The pushing and pulling of planes and details on, in and around surfaces was very common to enhance the visual experience of structures. As Blakemore says on page 253, “Style characteristics of the Baroque include the use of molded figures (often in restless or forceful positions) fashioned in high relief.” The picture of the San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane above is a perfect example of baroque style in architecture.
This period was one of TRANSITION from the renaissance which was mainly focused on rationality and logic to the baroque period which placed a large weight on emotion. Roth says on page 398, “Renaissance architecture had stressed easily perceived forms, but the new architecture projected a sense of mystery, so that where the interest had once been in intellectual comprehension and cerebral satisfaction, now it shifted to creating an emotional impact.” The painting pictured above I did is called “Quietude,” which is defined as the state of being quiet, tranquility or calmness. While this painting does not evoke the drama of the baroque period, it does evoke an emotion. My goal with this piece was to show movement in a subtle was and bring the viewer a sense of peace and tranquility when the looked at it.
Similar to the use of and EDICULE as a single unit of something that can be repeated and used as a way to measure something, the use of a DATUM as a single unit is important in design. Toward the end of the renaissance and into the baroque period, the us of staircases became largely important examples of DATUM. “It was not unusual for the staircase to be the single most developed part of a German or an Austrian Baroque palace” ( Roth, ). Staircases would have their own rooms that would sometimes be the largest room in the entire building demonstrating their symbolic as well as functional importance. In the drawing above I used a single shape inspired by the shape of a bird as my DATUM that I repeated six times and arranged in different orders to produce a model for a prototype of a coffee table I will build over the next couple of weeks. While this simple shape is far from the elaborate staircases I have previously mentioned, the use of a repeated form to emphasize its own is importance and power.
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