What Is Baroque?

The Baroque is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1740s. 

Baroque came to English from a French word meaning "irregularly shaped." At first, the word in French was used mostly to refer to pearls. Eventually, it came to describe an extravagant style of art characterized by curving lines, gilt, and gold.

Originally, Europeans used this term to refer to "works that lack the balanced characteristics of classicism". It originated from the derogatory term used by people who advocated classicism in the 18th century, which was different from the Renaissance style in the 17th century.

The Baroque style was initiated in Italy in the 16th century and became popular in Europe during the 17th century. It is an art form that completely deviates from the spirit of Renaissance art. Classicists regard Baroque as a degenerate and disintegrating art. But now the word Baroque has lost its original derogatory meaning and only refers to an artistic style popular in Europe in the 17th century, and people have a fairer evaluation of this art.

Baroque art is full of strong emotional Catholicism and the strange decoration of the monarch's palace. The characteristics of the style can be summarized as:

• It has luxurious features, both religious and hedonistic;
• It is a passionate art, which breaks the tranquility and harmony of reason, has a strong color of profusion, and emphasizes the rich imagination of the artist;
• Emphasize the movement strongly, movement and change can be said to be the soul of Baroque art;
• Pay attention to the spatial and three-dimensional sense of the work;
• It is comprehensive, in addition to focusing on the integration of architecture, sculpture, and painting in architecture, it also absorbs some factors and imaginations in the fields of literature, comedy, music, etc.;