Spanish and Roman Baroque Sculpture Masterpieces

General Characteristics of Baroque Sculpture

General characteristics are expressed mainly in religious images representing aesthetics recharged with human suffering. The most common typologies of images include reredos (altarpieces) and processional sculptures.

Materials and Techniques

The most used material is polychrome wood. The technique of estofado (gilded wood) consists of covering the surface of the statue with gold leaf sheets.

The Spanish Schools of Sculpture

The Castilian School

The Castilian sculpture of the first half of the seventeenth century is deeply realistic and dramatic, showing figures that reflect pain in order to move the spectator. The great figure of this school is Gregorio Fernández, known for works such as the altarpiece of Nava del Rey.

The Andalusian School

It is characterized by being more serene than the Castilian style, focusing on beauty rather than drama. Its outstanding figures include:

• Seville: Juan Martínez Montañés (The Christ of Clemency). Juan de Mesa, a notable pupil from Córdoba, created the Cristo de la Buena Muerte.
• Granada: The outstanding figure is Alonso Cano (La Virgen de la Oliva and the Immaculate of the Sacristy). His main disciple was Pedro de Mena (1628–1688), whose workshop assimilated Cano's full elegance and Baroque style.

Late Seventeenth-Century Evolution

In the second half of the seventeenth century, the influence of Bernini reached Spain, and forms acquired more movement and a more intense expression. The main centers were Andalucía and Levante.

• Pedro Roldán: The most significant figure of the full Andalusian Baroque (altarpiece of the Charity Hospital in Seville).
• José de Arce: The altarpiece of San Miguel in Jerez.
• Luisa Roldán: Known for La Virgen de Triana and La Macarena.
• José Risueño: A prominent Granadian artist.

The sculpture of the peninsula reached its completion by the end of the century with works like the Prayer in the Garden.

The Roman School: The Creative Center

In Rome, sculpture was also the creative center. Baroque aesthetics expressed the passions of the soul through various topics:

• Religious: The most cultivated theme.
• Human and Heroic: Seen in funerary and equestrian sculpture.
• Allegorical and Mythological: Used for monumental fountains, palaces, and gardens.

Technical and Stylistic Features

There is a tendency toward movement projected outward through centrifugal figures. There is a predilection for the serpentinata figure, a spiral motion due to rotation. Artists utilized the play of light and shadow and attempted naturalism in marble and bronze to achieve natural textures.

Master Sculptors of the Roman Baroque

• Gian Lorenzo Bernini: The most representative sculptor of the Baroque. He had an extensive production noted for imagination and technique, influenced by Mannerism, antiquity, the Cinquecento, and Classicism. His early works, such as Apollo and Daphne and The Rape of Proserpine, are noted for their Mannerist style.
• Alessandro Algardi: Known for the Statue of Innocent X.
• Stefano Maderno: Distinguished by the figure of St. Cecilia, which appears stretched.
• Francesco Mochi: A very original artist highlighted by the refined refinement of Mannerism. One of his most prominent works is Alessandro Farnese.