Baroque 1620-1800 – Style in Age of Magnificence
17th and 18th Century Art Explored by V&A Museum – Book Review
May 9, 2009
Baroque 1620-1800 Style in the Age of Magnificence, is more than just an exhibition catalogue. It provides a thorough investigation that aims to widen traditional opinions about how the style spread so universally in the arts, architecture, design and applied arts.
Baroque 1620-1800 – About the Publication
Baroque art in the 17th and early 18th Centuries was both sophisticated and complicated. Artists appealed not only to their patrons' aesthetic desires, but also to their emotional and religious views, and like today's artists, they were keen innovators, exploring new materials and methods of manufacture.
To make these connections, and show how the style spread across Europe and the world, Baroque 1620-1800 features rarely seen examples from every genre including work by artists such as Charles Le Brun, Peter Lely, Anthony van Dyck, Pierre-Denis Martin, Caterina de Julianis, Daniel Seghers, Gianlorenzo Bernini, and many others. The book explores art and architecture, ceramics and sculpture, manuscripts and furniture as well as houses and palaces, theatres and religious institutions, as settings for the magnificence and extravagance of Baroque art.
Baroque 1620-1800 – Layout of the Publication
The book is divided into four main themes:
- The World of the Baroque Artist. Nigel Llewellyn looks at how artists were affected by events such as revolution, war, peace, the development of East and West Europe as centres of power, and the Divine Right of monarchs to rule, such as King James I and Louis XIV. Monarchs were regarded as being empowered by god and, therefore, not accountable to human authority.
- The Baroque Style. The Baroque style was initially disapproved of by artists seeking to resurrect classical traditions. Michael Snodin explains how the name developed from the Portuguese word for a misshapen pearl (pérola barroca) and an Italian word for a far-fetched argument. This chapter also explores churches and palaces as total works of art.
- Performance and Performativity. This chapter explores art and design in theatres and churches. The boundaries between the secular and religious became blurred as the church realised the potential for performance and adopted the Baroque style with a vengeance. Grand settings provided magnificent backdrops for church rituals. To show this, a case study of John V's Chapel at São Roque has been included.
- Power and Piety. This section looks at the power of the Baroque style to disseminate ideas to both religious and secular audiences. Various interpretations of the Stations of the Cross and case studies of palaces, such as Versailles, are included as evidence.
Baroque 1620-1800 – About the Editors
The publication is edited by Michael Snodin and Nigel Llewellyn with assistance from Joanna Norman.
Michael Snodin is Senior Research Fellow in the Research Department of the V&A. His publications include Design & the Decorative Arts: Georgian Britain 1714-1837 (with John Styles) and Exploring Architecture (with Eleanor Gawne).
Nigel Llewellyn, formerly Professor of Art History at the University of Sussex and Head of Research at Tate, is currently researching art and identity in 18th-century Italy and the history of art education.
Joanna Norman is Assistant Curator of the exhibition Baroque: Style in the Age of Magnificence. As a member of the V&A's Research Department, Norman is researching 17th and 18th-century theatre, primarily in Italy.
Baroque 1620-1800 Style in the Age of Magnificence (V&A Publishing, 2009) is available in hardback and paperback. (ISBN 978 1 85177 558 3, £37.00, ISBN 978 1 85177 591 0, £21.99) Further details are available from the V&A Museum shop.
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