baroque, in art and architecture: Baroque Architecture

Buildings of the period are composed of great curving forms with undulating facades, ground plans of unprecedented size and complexity, and domes of various shapes, as in the churches of Francesco Borromini, Guarino Guarini, and Balthasar Neumann. Many works of baroque architecture were executed on a colossal scale, incorporating aspects of urban planning and landscape architecture. This is most clearly seen in Bernini's elliptical piazza in front of St. Peter's in Rome, or in the gardens, fountains, and palace at Versailles, designed by Louis Le Vau, Jules Hardouin-Mansart, and André Le Nôtre.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Late Baroque, c.1660–c.1725
• High Baroque, c.1625–c.1660
• Early Baroque, c.1590–c.1625
• Divisions of the Baroque Period
• Baroque Architecture
• Baroque Sculpture
• Baroque Painting
• Bibliography

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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