The Baroque Period as the Gigantic Excelsior - Essay Example

Donna Purcell Order 546989 16 June World Literature: The Baroque Period as the “Gigantic Excelsior” The “Gigantic Excelsior” seems very appropriate for the Baroque “barroco” period. When studying the period and the influences of the Roman Catholic Church, which greatly promoted the success of the Baroque style. The Protestant Reformation instilled the thought that religious themes should embody direct and emotional involvement through art, music, literature, theatre, and philosphy.

The monarchial power began to influence the dramatic style of Baroque architecture and art as a means of impressing visitors and expressing aristocratic power and control. Baroque palaces were built around an entrance of courts, grand flowing staircases and enormous stately reception rooms that exhibited an atmosphere of characteristic wealth. “Excelsior” used in the modern context is defined as, “shavings used for packing breakable objects or upwards.” Applying this definition to the Baroque period applies the grand movement of a powerful style seen in the grand, massive and stately architecture, Ludwigsburg Palace, Stuttgart, Germany; the structure was built for protection and power.

Its massive large colonnades, domes, and areas of openness and cover present a bold display of volume and space. The Roman Catholic Church influenced paintings and sculptures through strong views of monarchy, handling of paint and composition, as well as space and motion. Emphasis was placed on bold colors, visible textures in cloth and skin in paintings. Typical Baroque art is seen in “Saint Theresa In Ecstasy” for the Cornaro Chapel that brings together sculpture, art and the image of theatre in one grand piece.

Sculptures were given a more life-like dynamic appearance, which centered on motion of the body in different directions or reverse pose. Music projected the element of a love of ornate objects; thus many new musical ideas were conceived out of this period. Baroque expressed new values that were used in metaphors and allegory, which showed much emphasis in Baroque literature. The theatre produced elaborate plays with a multitude of dramatic plots (Shakespeare). Opera and the use of the bass line in music encompassed all the arts together into a unified whole.

The philosophy of Baroque was bold, powerful, dynamic but also individual which exemplified “Gigantic Excelsior.” Works Cited: What is the Baroque Age? Web. 16 June 2011. http://shvoog.com/humanities/arts/. The Free Dictionary. Web. 16 June 2011. http://thefreedictionary.com/excelsior/. The Ludwigsburg Palace. Web. 16 June 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/. Baroque. Web. 16 June 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/.