Baroque Art and Literature: Key Characteristics & Figures

The Baroque Period: An Overview

The Baroque period represents a significant shift from Renaissance thought, transforming technical and stylistic approaches in the 16th century. Key characteristics include:

• Originality: A focus on creating a unique and impactful experience for the audience.
• Personal Wit: Artists displayed a highly individual and original style.
• Exaggeration: Works often featured exaggerated elements, sometimes making them difficult to understand.
• Disillusionment: Reflecting a sense of falsehood and disillusionment with the world.

Conceptismo

Conceptismo, with Quevedo as its most prominent figure, emphasized the meaning of words, aiming to convey much with few words.

Culteranismo

Culteranismo, exemplified by Góngora, focused on the exaggeration of literary language.

Baroque Poetry

Baroque poetry is characterized by:

• Contrast
• Blending learned and popular styles
• Ornamentation
• Complexity, requiring effort from the reader to understand

Góngora (1561-1627)

Born in Cordoba, Góngora, though ordained as a priest, was more passionate about poetry. Educated in Salamanca, he aspired to high positions within the church. He is considered the leading figure of Culteranismo. Notable works include his sonnets, "The Fable of Polyphemus and Galatea," and "Solitudes."

Quevedo

Born in Madrid, Quevedo excelled in both poetry and prose. A major figure of the Baroque period and the foremost representative of Conceptismo, his poems explored contradictory themes, including religion, love, and satire. He is renowned for creating some of the most beautiful love poems in Spanish literature.

The Seventeenth-Century Picaresque Novel

While sharing similarities with earlier picaresque novels, 17th-century examples are distinguished by:

• Increased cruelty towards the protagonist
• Presentation of the protagonist as an odious character
• The protagonist ending the novel in a similar or worse situation than at the beginning, reflecting the pessimism and disappointment of the era.

The Rogue Guzman

Considered one of the best picaresque novels, The Rogue Guzman features a protagonist who is severely mistreated by the author, serving as a moralistic work.