Baroque Art and Architecture
History
The style dominating the art and architecture of Europe and certain European colonies in the Americas throughout the 17th and 18th century in certain places. The term Baroque is derived from Spanish and Portuguese word that denotes irregular shaped pearl. As human awareness towards the world continuously expands, art has not only been influenced by the many discoveries of science, but many aspects of baroque art are also determined by religion, especially the Roman Catholic Church which served as a highly influential patron. The monarchies of France and Spain are the examples that Baroque Art is also influenced by political situations.
Generally, Baroque Art is a sense of movement, energy and tension. Intense spirituality is often present
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Palazzo Doria Tursi were among them, where the planimetric configuration of the vestibule, combined with highest indoor garden through a wide staircase, denounces the presence of a movements in depth.
Characteristics
In 17th-century Italy, Baroque architecture is a European phenomenon. Its characteristics are gorgeous, theatre and richly ornamented by sculpture and an effect known as chiaroscuro, mass and shadow created was the strategic use of light and shade on a building. The Baroque style in Sicily was largely confined to buildings erected by the church and palazzi built as private residences for the Sicilian aristocracy.
Grotesque masks and putti. It is often supporting balconies or decorating various bands of the entablature of a building. Then grinning or glaring faces are a relic of Sicilian architecture from before the mid-17th century (Illustrations 2 and 3) .
Balconies. It is often complemented by intricate wrought iron balustrades after 1633 (Illustrations 2 & 3) and by plainer balustrades before that date (Illustration