What is Baroque art?

Baroque was the dominant art and architectural style of the 17th century, characterised by dramatic scenes, realism and a sense of awe. This movement emerged against the backdrop of the Protestant Reformation, with the Catholic church wanting to use arts to reassert its power — they commissioned large-scale, dramatic paintings and sculptures to evoke emotion from the viewer.

Although originating in Rome, the Baroque style spread across Europe. Prominent Baroque artists included sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini and painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, with the latter known as the ‘Father of Baroque painting’. Caravaggio’s works such as The Calling of Saint Matthew (1599–1600) featured an innovative use of lighting, which inspired other Baroque painters throughout Europe, including Peter Paul Rubens, Rembrandt van Rijn, Diego Velázquez and Johannes Vermeer. Rembrandt produced several of the most famous art pieces from the Baroque period, including The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp (1623) and The Night Watch (1642), with Vermeer painting another well-known work, Girl with a Pearl Earring (c. 1665).

Baroque’s influence went beyond art, also shaping architecture, music and literature. Baroque architecture can be seen in buildings such as The Palace of Versailles in France, and uses ornate decoration, grand scale and a theatrical use of space. Whatever form the works took, the Baroque period was about impressing and moving its audience and was used by those in power as a tool of persuasion, whether that was by the Church, rulers or the aristocracy.

What are the characteristics of Baroque art?

In visual art, Baroque artists use intense realism and dynamic compositions to give viewers the sense they were witnessing an event in real-time. Further key features of Baroque art include vibrant colours, dramatic lines and the use of Chiaroscuro and Tenebrism (styles which contrast light and dark).

Compared to the balance and harmony associated with the Renaissance period, Baroque art focused on excess, theatrically and movement. These features were particularly prominent in outdoor Baroque sculptures, which often used polychrome wood and stone to create realistic, emotional religious features that had life-like skin, hair and facial features — aimed at emphasising grandeur, detail and emotional impact.