Barokkityylin

Barokkityylin, known in English as Baroque style, was a highly ornate and dramatic artistic movement that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century to the mid-18th century. Originating in Rome, it quickly spread across the continent, influencing architecture, sculpture, painting, music, and literature. The style is characterized by its grandeur, opulence, and a sense of dynamic movement.

In architecture, Baroque buildings often feature elaborate facades, dramatic curves, and a profusion of decorative elements such as sculptures, gilding, and frescoes. Churches and palaces were designed to impress and evoke a sense of awe. Prominent architects associated with the style include Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini.

Baroque painting is known for its intense emotion, dramatic lighting (chiaroscuro), and dynamic compositions. Artists like Caravaggio, Rembrandt, and Peter Paul Rubens employed bold brushwork and rich colors to create a powerful visual impact. Subjects often depicted religious scenes, historical events, and portraits with a heightened sense of realism and drama.

Sculpture in the Baroque period also embraced movement and emotion. Bernini's works, for instance, capture figures in mid-action with flowing drapery and expressive faces, conveying a strong sense of vitality and passion. The style sought to engage the viewer's senses and emotions, often with theatrical flair.

Baroque music, exemplified by composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel, is characterized by its complexity, grandeur, and emotional depth. It often features elaborate counterpoint, dramatic contrasts in dynamics, and virtuosic instrumental passages. The overall aim of the Baroque style, across all its manifestations, was to overwhelm the spectator with its splendor and intensity.