The Baroque Era: 17th-Century Spanish Art and Literary Styles

The Baroque Artistic Style

The Baroque is an artistic style that reflects the pain of human existence.

Historical and Social Context: 17th Century Spain

The seventeenth century was defined by Absolutism, characterized by monarchical power and the appearance of validos (a sovereign's trusted person who had access to the government).

Key Monarchs of the 17th Century

• Philip III: Characterized by his inability and disinterest in governing the country, leading to a loss of political prestige and evidence of economic crisis.
• Philip IV: Showed more interest, but suffered from a severe economic crisis.
• Charles II: His reign is considered the darkest period in Spanish history. He died without issue.

Social Strata in the Baroque Period

• The Nobility: Lived off politics and the profit provided by their land.
• The Clergy: The ecclesiastical population increased, as many found in the Church a means to ensure livelihood and enrichment.
• The Bourgeoisie: Still maintained economic power, but had to fight obstacles to safeguard the distance between social strata.
• The People: Suffered most severely from the consequences of the crisis.

Cultural Differences and Religious Scope

Renaissance vs. Baroque Worldview

Renaissance

An optimistic vision of life; human beings want to enjoy it. Death is not the end of man; his memory lingers. An era of intense idealism.

Baroque

A pessimistic view of life, full of disillusionment. Death is the first step to reach true happiness. An era of intense realism.

Religious Scope

This was an era of splendor for the Church, implementing the Catholic Reform (the Counter-Reformation), which defended the doctrine of the Catholic faith, strengthening discipline and the authority of the Pope. In art, the excess of ornamental detail is highlighted.

Literary Genres of the Baroque

Narrative: The Picaresque Novel

The picaresque novel reappears with a new treatment:

• The rogue is a crafty character who steals only to subsist. The rogue becomes cruel and biting.
• Picaresque novels protagonized by female characters appear, but their characteristics increasingly align with the Baroque rogue rather than the Renaissance type.
• The genre stresses Guzmán de Alfarache by Mateo Alemán.

Lyric Poetry: Culteranismo and Conceptismo

Lyric poetry is characterized by two stylistic tendencies: Culteranismo and Conceptismo. Luis de Góngora and Francisco de Quevedo are its maximum exponents.

Themes: Many topics covered in the Renaissance are intensified at this time; others acquire a new treatment or are presented as innovative (e.g., love, mythological allusions).

Form: Leverages traditional Spanish heritage, such as romances with new themes and devices in their variations.

Baroque Theater and Dramatic Forms

Lope de Vega was key in consolidating Spanish theater. The Spanish Comedia is classified into historical, religious, and other categories. Calderón de la Barca finished defining the genre, incorporating the linguistic and conceptual richness characteristic of Baroque lyric. The genre reaches its maximum technical perfection.

The Comedia is the main subgenre cultivated in the Baroque. Additional forms include:

• Auto Sacramental: One-act plays in which the Eucharist is exalted.
• Entremés: A brief, comical piece presented in the intermissions of comedies, often with a burlesque tone.

Baroque Burlesque Principles

The authors of this literary trend have a strong interest in astounding the intelligence.