The Baroque period in Italy began in Rome in reaction to the Protestant Reformation and Mannerism. The Roman Catholic Church supported the dramatic Baroque art style to communicate religious themes in an emotional way and restore Catholicism's prominence. Major figures like Bernini and Borromini used Baroque elements like dramatic lighting, motion, and grandeur in works like Bernini's Ecstasy of Saint Teresa and Borromini's San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane to spectacular effect and further Counter-Reformation goals. Caravaggio also employed tenebrism and dramatic realism to engage viewers.

2. Europe in the 17th
Century
2

3. THE BAROQUE PERIOD IN ITALY
• Started in Rome
– As a reaction to the Protestant Reformation
– Also in reaction to Mannerism
• The Baroque period is also referred to as the Age of
Expansion, especially in the arts.
• Patron Popes of the Baroque period included:
– Paul V
– Urban VIII
– Innocent X

4. Roman Catholic Church supported Baroque art style
in response to the Protestant Reformation (movement
to reform Catholic Church) – communication of
religious themes with viewer's direct and emotional
involvement
Aristocracy adopted Baroque style to impress visitors
and to express triumphant power and control

5. Figure 19-2 CARLO MADERNO, facade of Saint Peter’s, Vatican City, Rome, Italy, 1606–1612. 5
Baroque Art of 17th
Century - ITALY
Much of Italian Baroque Art was aimed at propagandistically restoring Catholicism’s
predominance and centrality/ used as teaching tool
17th
century Italian Baroque Art and Architecture characteristics: dramatic/theatrical,
grandiose scale, elaborate ornateness – all used to spectacular effect

6. Figure 19-2 CARLO MADERNO, facade of Saint Peter’s, Vatican City, Rome, Italy, 1606–1612. 6
Baroque Art of 17th
Century - ITALY
Much of Italian Baroque Art was aimed at propagandistically restoring Catholicism’s
predominance and centrality/ used as teaching tool
17th
century Italian Baroque Art and Architecture characteristics: dramatic/theatrical,
grandiose scale, elaborate ornateness – all used to spectacular effect
•Pope Paul V
commissioned
MADERNO to complete
St. Peter’s in Rome, 1606

7. Figure 19-2 CARLO MADERNO, facade of Saint Peter’s, Vatican City, Rome, Italy, 1606–1612. 7
Baroque Art of 17th
Century - ITALY
Much of Italian Baroque Art was aimed at propagandistically restoring Catholicism’s
predominance and centrality/ used as teaching tool
17th
century Italian Baroque Art and Architecture characteristics: dramatic/theatrical,
grandiose scale, elaborate ornateness – all used to spectacular effect
•Pope Paul V
commissioned
MADERNO to complete
St. Peter’s in Rome, 1606
•Maderno had to work
with the preexisting
structure/ his design for
the façade was never
fully executed

8. Figure 19-2 CARLO MADERNO, facade of Saint Peter’s, Vatican City, Rome, Italy, 1606–1612. 8
Baroque Art of 17th
Century - ITALY
Much of Italian Baroque Art was aimed at propagandistically restoring Catholicism’s
predominance and centrality/ used as teaching tool
17th
century Italian Baroque Art and Architecture characteristics: dramatic/theatrical,
grandiose scale, elaborate ornateness – all used to spectacular effect
•Pope Paul V
commissioned
MADERNO to complete
St. Peter’s in Rome, 1606
•Maderno had to work
with the preexisting
structure/ his design for
the façade was never
fully executed
•Clergy rejected the
original central plan (by
Bramante and
Michelangelo) because
of association with
pagan buildings like the
Pantheon

9. Figure 19-4 Aerial view of Saint Peter’s, Vatican City, Rome, Italy, 1506–1666. 9
Figure 24-3 CARLO MADERNO, plan of
Saint Peter’s, Vatican City, Rome, Italy, with
adjoining piazza designed by
GIANLORENZO BERNINI.
ITALY – St. Peter’s – Maderno and Bernini
•Pope Paul V commissioned Maderno to add
3 nave bays – symbolic distinction between
clergy, laity and provided space for
processions

10. Figure 19-4 Aerial view of Saint Peter’s, Vatican City, Rome, Italy, 1506–1666. 10
Figure 24-3 CARLO MADERNO, plan of
Saint Peter’s, Vatican City, Rome, Italy, with
adjoining piazza designed by
GIANLORENZO BERNINI.
ITALY – St. Peter’s – Maderno and Bernini
•Pope Paul V commissioned Maderno to add
3 nave bays – symbolic distinction between
clergy, laity and provided space for
processions
•Lengthening nave pushed the dome back –
this changed Michelangelo’s plan to have
structure pulled together and dominated by
the dome

11. Figure 19-4 Aerial view of Saint Peter’s, Vatican City, Rome, Italy, 1506–1666. 11
Figure 24-3 CARLO MADERNO, plan of
Saint Peter’s, Vatican City, Rome, Italy, with
adjoining piazza designed by
GIANLORENZO BERNINI.
ITALY – St. Peter’s – Maderno and Bernini
•Pope Paul V commissioned Maderno to add
3 nave bays – symbolic distinction between
clergy, laity and provided space for
processions
•Lengthening nave pushed the dome back –
this changed Michelangelo’s plan to have
structure pulled together and dominated by
the dome
•BERNINI designed the
monumental piazza (plaza) in
front of St. Peter’s

12. 12
Figure 24-3 CARLO MADERNO, plan of
Saint Peter’s, Vatican City, Rome, Italy, with
adjoining piazza designed by
GIANLORENZO BERNINI.
ITALY – St. Peter’s – Maderno and Bernini
•Pope Paul V commissioned Maderno to add
3 nave bays – symbolic distinction between
clergy, laity and provided space for
processions
•Lengthening nave pushed the dome back –
this changed Michelangelo’s plan to have
structure pulled together and dominated by
the dome
•BERNINI designed the
monumental piazza (plaza) in
front of St. Peter’s
•Like welcoming arms of the
church
•Oval shaped/ four rows of
Tuscan columns make up two
colonnades/ end with Classical
temple fronts

13. 13

15. 15

16. Gianlorenzo Bernini
• He arrives in Rome in 1605.
• Made a lot of sculptures for St Peters.
• He also designed the piazza.
His sculpture David has 4 of 5 characteristic of
Baroque sculpture:
– Motion
– A different way of looking at space.
– The concept of time
– Drama

17. 17
Martyrdom of St Lawrence, 1614-15.

18. 18
GIANLORENZO BERNINI, Baldacchino,
Saint Peter’s, Vatican City, Rome, Italy,
1624–1633. Gilded bronze, 100’ high.
Baroque Architecture & Sculpture
Italy
Bernini’s baldacchino serves both
functional and symbolic purposes.
It marks Saint Peter’s tomb and the
high altar, and it visually bridges
human scale to the lofty vaults and
dome above.

19. Figure 19-5 GIANLORENZO BERNINI, baldacchino, Saint
Peter’s, Vatican City, Rome, Italy, 1624–1633. Gilded
bronze, approx. 100’ high. 19Figure 19-6 GIANLORENZO BERNINI, Scala Regia, Vatican City,
Rome, Italy, 1663–1666.
ITALY - BERNINI
•Bernini decorates interior of St. Peter’s – Bronze
Baldacchino provides dramatic, compelling presence at
the crossing.

20. Figure 19-5 GIANLORENZO BERNINI, baldacchino, Saint
Peter’s, Vatican City, Rome, Italy, 1624–1633. Gilded
bronze, approx. 100’ high. 20Figure 19-6 GIANLORENZO BERNINI, Scala Regia, Vatican City,
Rome, Italy, 1663–1666.
ITALY - BERNINI
•Bernini decorates interior of St. Peter’s – Bronze
Baldacchino provides dramatic, compelling presence at
the crossing.
•Left: Spiral columns
recall those of an
ancient baldacchino
over same spot in Old
St. Peter’s/ bronze
columns cast in five
sections from wooden
models/ bronze was
attained from
dismantled portico of
the Pantheon

21. Figure 19-5 GIANLORENZO BERNINI, baldacchino, Saint
Peter’s, Vatican City, Rome, Italy, 1624–1633. Gilded
bronze, approx. 100’ high. 21Figure 19-6 GIANLORENZO BERNINI, Scala Regia, Vatican City,
Rome, Italy, 1663–1666.
ITALY - BERNINI
•Bernini decorates interior of St. Peter’s – Bronze
Baldacchino provides dramatic, compelling presence at
the crossing.
•Left: Spiral columns
recall those of an
ancient baldacchino
over same spot in Old
St. Peter’s/ bronze
columns cast in five
sections from wooden
models/ bronze was
attained from
dismantled portico of
the Pantheon
•Below: Royal stairway in Vatican City
connects papal apartments to the portico and
narthex of St. Peter’s/

22. 22
Bernini, Damned Soul, 1619

23. Figure 19-7 GIANLORENZO BERNINI, David, 1623.
Marble, approx. 5’ 7” high. Galleria Borghese, Rome. 23
Bernini – Expresses the Italian Baroque Spirit in Sculpture
It demands space around it/ the figure moves out into
and partakes of the physical space that surrounds it and
the observer

24. Figure 19-9 GIANLORENZO BERNINI, Ecstasy of Saint Teresa,
Cornaro Chapel, Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome,
Italy, 1645–1652. Marble, height of group 11’ 6”. 24
Bernini – Interior Niche of Cornaro Chapel
•Ecstasy of St. Teresa – 1645-52
The whole chapel became a theater for the production
of this mystical drama

25. Figure 19-9 GIANLORENZO BERNINI, Ecstasy of Saint Teresa,
Cornaro Chapel, Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome,
Italy, 1645–1652. Marble, height of group 11’ 6”. 25
Bernini – Interior Niche of Cornaro Chapel
•Ecstasy of St. Teresa – 1645-52
The whole chapel became a theater for the production
of this mystical drama
•Theatricality and sensory
impact were useful vehicles
for achieving Counter-
Reformation goals

26. I saw in his hand a long spear of gold, and at the iron's point there seemed to
be a little fire. He appeared to me to be thrusting it at times into my heart,
and to pierce my very entrails; when he drew it out, he seemed to draw them
out also, and to leave me all on fire with a great love of God.
The pain was so great, that it made me moan; and yet so surpassing was the
sweetness of this excessive pain, that I could not wish to be rid of it. The soul
is satisfied now with nothing less than God. The pain is not bodily, but
spiritual; though the body has its share in it, even a large one. It is a caressing
of love so sweet which now takes place between the soul and God, that I pray
God of His goodness to make him experience it who may think that I
am lying.
During the days that this lasted, I went about as if beside myself. I wished to
see, or speak with, no one, but only to cherish my pain, which was to me a
greater bliss than all created things could give me
26

27. •Bernini depicts spiritual and
physical passion/ he was master at
carving marble and showing
variety of TEXTURES (clouds, cloth,
flesh, feathery wings)

30. And between death and light, Bernini may be suggesting there
may be moments of ecstasy worth saving and remembering.

31. Bernini was 71 years old when he began the work of the monument to the Blessed
Ludovica Albertoni, and it was one of his last sculptures.
The work depicts Ludovica Albertoni on her deathbed, experiencing both mortal suffering and
religious ecstasy, surrounded by putti, and awaiting to rise to the Holy Spirit.

32. Figure 19-9 FRANCESCO BORROMINI, facade of San Carlo
alle Quattro Fontane, Rome, Italy, 1665–1676. 32
Figure 24-11 FRANCESCO
BORROMINI, plan of San Carlo
alle Quattro Fontane, Rome, Italy,
1638–1641.
Borromini – Italian Baroque Architecture
Church of St. Charles of the Four Fountains
•The interior is a variation on the centrally planned church
•Plan is hybrid of Greek cross and oval with long axis between
entrance and apse
•Side walls move in flow that reverses the façade’s motion/ protruding
columns/ coffered oval dome
USES THE DYNAMIC OVAL

33. 33

34. Baroque Architecture
Borromini capped the interior
of San Carlo with a deeply
coffered oval dome that
seems to float on the light
entering through windows
hidden at its base.
34
Italy
BORROMINI,
San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane (view into dome),
Rome, Italy, 1638-1641.

35. Figure 19-12 FRANCESCO BORROMINI, Chapel of Saint Ivo,
College of the Sapienza, Rome, Italy, begun 1642. 35
Figure 19-13 FRANCESCO
BORROMINI, plan of the Chapel of
Saint Ivo, College of the Sapienza,
Rome, Italy, begun 1642.
Borromini – Chapel of St. Ivo
•Exterior: Borromini played concave against convex forms on
upper level of chapel/ lower level already there when he began
work on upper level/ pilasters seem to push the bulging forms
outward/ buttresses above pilasters curve upward to brace the
tall ornate lantern topped by a spiral
•Centralized star plan/
apses on all sides

36. Figure 19-14 Chapel of Saint Ivo (view into dome), College of the Sapienza, Rome, Italy, begun 1642.36
Borromini – Dome of Chapel of St. Ivo

37. Figure 19-15 ANNIBALE CARRACCI, Flight into Egypt, 1603–1604. Oil on canvas, approx. 4’ x 7’ 6”. Galleria Doria
Pamphili, Rome.
37
CARRACCI – Drawn to the Classics (contrast to Caravaggio)
•Flight into Egypt- 1603- Carracci created the “ideal” or “classical” landscape (from Venetian
Renaissance works) showing all the props of a pastoral scene and tranquil mood/ the architectural
structures capture idealized antiquity and the idyllic life/ figures are diminished in size to become part
of the landscape

38. Figure 19-16 ANNIBALE CARRACCI, Loves of the
Gods, ceiling frescoes in the gallery, Palazzo
Farnese, Rome, Italy, 1597–1601. 38
CARRACCI – Ceiling Fresco in the Palazzo Farnese Gallery
Loves of the Gods – interpretations
of the varieties of earthly and divine
love in classical mythology
This fresco simulates
framed easel paintings
for ceiling design – this
technique is called
“quadro riportato” –
and it became
fashionable for ceiling
painting for several
hundred years

39. Baroque fresco
Renaissance fresco

40. Caravaggio
• The theatrical Baroque sculpture had its counterpart in
painting.
• Caravaggio (Michelangelo de Merisi)
• Portrayed dramatic movement, tenebrism, emotionally
charged subjects, and figures caught in time.
• Tenebrism - exaggerated chiaroscuro. Translated as “dark
matter” it is often characterized by a small and concentrated
light source in the painting or what appears to be an
external”spotlight” directed as a very specific point in the
composition.

41. Figure 19-17 CARAVAGGIO, Conversion of
Saint Paul, Cerasi Chapel, Santa Maria del
Popolo, Rome, Italy, ca. 1601. Oil on canvas,
approx. 7’ 6” x 5’ 9”. 41
CARAVAGGIO – One of the Most Noted Baroque Painters
•He disliked the classical masters and
refused to emulate their work/style-
was criticized for this
•He had a troubled personal life (info.
from police records)
•Conversion of St. Paul – 1601

42. Figure 19-18 CARAVAGGIO, Calling of Saint Matthew, Contarelli Chapel, San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome, Italy, ca. 1597–
1601. Oil on canvas, 11’ 1” x 11’ 5”. 42
CARAVAGGIO – Calling of St. Matthew – Theatrical Lighting
•Commonplace setting
(bland street scene with
plain building as backdrop)

43. Comparison

44. the Martyrdom of Saint Matthew

45. Figure 19-19 CARAVAGGIO, Entombment, from the
chapel of Pietro Vittrice, Santa Maria in Vallicella,
Rome, Italy, ca. 1603. Oil on canvas, 9’ 10 1/8” x 6’ 7
15/16”. Musei Vaticani, Pinacoteca, Rome. 45
Entombment – Sums up CARAVAGGIO’S Distinctive Style
1603 – large-scale painting for Chapel of
Pietro Vittrice in Rome
Caravaggio places the figures on a stone slab
that seems to extend into the viewer’s space,
suggesting that Christ will be laid directly in
front of the viewer.
The theological implications are that Christ is
being laid on the altar of a church, thus
making real the doctrine of transubstantiation
(the transformation of the Eucharistic bread
and wine into the body and blood of Christ);
Christ would thus be present during Mass, the
Roman Catholic church service

46. 46
Beheading of Saint John the Baptist (detail), 1608.

48. 48
David with the Head of Goliath, 1610.

49. CARAVAGGIO. Judith and Holofernes (c. 1598). Oil on canvas. Approx. 56 3⁄4” x 76 3⁄4”.

50. Figure 19-20 ARTEMISIA GENTILESCHI,
Judith Slaying Holofernes, ca. 1614–
1620. Oil on canvas, 6’ 6 1/3” x 5’ 4”.
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence.
50
GENTILESCHI (Female) – “Caravaggista”
•Caravaggio’s style (combo. of
naturalism and drama) became popular
and appealed to patrons and artists
•Gentileschi was trained by her father
(who was influenced by Caravaggio)

51. Judith and her Maidservant
1613-14
Judith's maid Abra has
gathered up the head of
Holofernes in a basket, and
they are preparing to leave his
tent when they hear something
which makes them stop and
listen. The danger of their
situation is implied by the
position of the sword in
Judith's hand: a few more
inches and it will cut into her
own white throat.

52. 52
BAROQUE CEILING PAINTINGS (next three slides)
(1) Pietro da Cortona, Triumph of Barberini, Palazzo Barberini, Rome.
(2) Giovanni Battista Gaulli, Triumph of the Name of Jesus. Il Gesu, Rome.
(3) Fra Andrea Pozzo, Glorification of St. Ignatius, Sant’Ignazio, Rome.
Because of the considerable height and the expansive scale of most ceiling frescoes,
the awe they produce was an opportunity to impress on worshipers the glory and power
of the Catholic Church. Combined with Baroque theatricality, dynamism, and
complexity, these frescos served the Counter-Reformation well.
Cortona’s Triumph of Barberini shows the family of Pope Urban VIII, in the radiant
light of immortality.
Gaulli’s Triumph of the Name of Jesus offers the Roman Catholic faithful a glimpse of
Heaven. To add more realism to the scene, Gaulli added painted figures on the
stucco extensions that project outside the painting’s frame.
Fra Pozzo’s Glorification of Saint Ignatius gives the appearance that the roof has
been lifted off of the church. Saint Ignatius was the founder of the Jesuit order, which
was active in the Counter-Reformation.
Italy

53. Figure 19-22 PIETRO DA CORTONA, Triumph of the Barberini, ceiling fresco in the Gran Salone, Palazzo Barberini, Rome,
1633–1639.
53
DA CORTONA – Triumph of the Barberini

54. Figure 19-23 GIOVANNI BATTISTA GAULLI, Triumph of the Name of Jesus, ceiling fresco with stucco figures in the vault of the Church of Il Gesù, Rome,
54
GAULLI – Triumph in the Name of Jesus - 1676
Frescoes spanning church ceilings contributed to creating transcendent spiritual
environments well suited to the needs of the Church in Counter-Reformation Italy

55. 55

56. Figure 19-24 FRA ANDREA POZZO, Glorification of Saint Ignatius, ceiling fresco in the nave of Sant’Ignazio, Rome, Italy, 1691–1694.56
POZZO – Glorification of St. Ignatius - 1691
Fra Pozzo was lay brother of Jesuit order and master of perspective and ceiling decoration/ the
church of Sant’ Ignazio was prominent in Counter-Reformation Rome because of its dedication
to St. Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuit order

57. 57
Spain
Baroque Painting
By the 17th
century, the imperial age of the Spanish Habsburgs was
over.
Struggling to maintain control of their empire, and keep Roman
Catholicism dominant, both Philip III, and Philip IV continued to spend
lavishly on art.
Baroque artists in Spain sought ways to move viewers and to
encourage greater devotion and piety. They tended to depict scenes
of death and martyrdom, and sought to instill strong emotional
reactions in their viewers.
Spain was the proud home of two saints: Teresa of Avila and Saint
Ignatius Loyola.

58. Figure 19-28 DIEGO VELÁZQUEZ, King Philip IV of
Spain (Fraga Philip), 1644. Oil on canvas, 4’ 3
1/8” x 3’ 3 1/8”. The Frick Collection, New
York. 58
VELAZQUEZ – Portraying Royalty, King Philip IV of Spain
•During a 3 month stay in Fraga, Philip
ordered this painting
•Philip appears as military leader, in a red
and silver campaign dress (but does not
have a commanding presence)

59. 59
Innocent X
c. 1650; Galleria Doria-Pamphili, Rome

60. Figure 19-30 DIEGO VELÁZQUEZ, Las Meninas
(The Maids of Honor), 1656. Oil on canvas,
approx. 10’ 5” x 9’. Museo del Prado, Madrid. 60
VELAZQUEZ – Art and Royal Life, Las Meninas
After visit to Rome from 1648 to
1651, he returned to Spain and
painted his greatest masterpiece
– Las Meninas (The Maids of
Honor)/ it hung in Philip’s
personal office

61. 61
Here you see the artist looking at the viewer; in the background there appears to be a portrait of the
king and queen, but it could be a mirror rather than a painting, and if so, the king and queen would
then be standing near the viewer. Or, if the artist were looking at the entire scene with a mirror,
then there is a sense of almost endless reflection back and forth.
DIEGO VELÁZQUEZ, Las Meninas (The Maids of Honor), 1656. Oil on canvas, approx. 10’ 5” x 9’. Museo del Prado, Madrid.

62. Comparison

63. 63