Baroque Architecture: Characteristics and Evolution

Baroque architecture is characterized by:

• Architectures loaded with details and complex designs. It embraces classical forms (columns, arches, pediments, friezes) but in a fanciful manner. Sometimes, the building resembles a grand sculpture. The entablatures curve, and the elements adopt curved and spiral pediments.
• The adoption of elliptical, oval, and other shapes (such as those favored by Borromini). Walls are concave and convex, creating a rolling effect. Straight lines and flat surfaces are largely abandoned.
• A new type of plan that incorporates oblique planes to give an illusion of movement (dynamic spaces) in what is otherwise a static art form. It often represents or suggests the infinite (a path that disappears, a sky, a set of mirrors to alter the outlook). The giant order is common, with columns spanning 2 or 3 floors. Bells, alone or in pairs, are abundant and highly decorated.
• The use of light effects and perspective tricks. Importance is given to light and lighting effects through chiaroscuro. The aim is to surprise, with a flair for the dramatic, theatrical, and dramatic.
• Large formal decorative richness and exuberance, both indoors and out, though sometimes more restrained. A love for curvilinear forms and the triumph of the Solomonic column are evident. Arches and pediments are mixtilinear, with oval windows. The arch rests on the column via an entablature (in the Roman manner) or directly upon the capital (as in Byzantine architecture). Both modes were used in the Renaissance. Large brackets are frequently employed.
• The creation of new types of buildings for concrete purposes, including palaces, religious structures, urban developments, large gardens, and galleries (which would later evolve into art galleries).

Origins in Italy

The genesis of Baroque architecture began in Italy, with key figures such as Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini.

Baroque Architecture in France

In France, the Baroque style became more restrained compared to Italy, featuring less complicated plans, more severe facades, greater respect for proportions, and a rejection of violent effects. It primarily served the absolute monarchy, with the Palace of Versailles being its greatest achievement.

Baroque Architecture in Spain

In Spain, Baroque architecture was characterized by a taste for desornamentación and sobriety, influenced by the Herrera style, resulting in significant buildings with a serious and almost classically measured style.

Baroque Architecture in America

In America, after the Spanish conquest, the Baroque language developed significantly, enriched by labor and concepts from pre-Columbian art and architecture, such as the extensive use of bright colors, drawing special attention to the Mexican Baroque.

Baroque Architecture in Germany and Austria

In Germany and Austria, inspiration from both French and Italian styles combined to create decorative buildings of great exuberance, especially in the interiors, with light rough textures, which would lead to the Rococo style.