A Comparison Of The Baroque And Neoclassical Periods

1167 Words3 Pages

For this task, the two art periods that I have decided to compare are the Baroque and the Neoclassical periods. The discipline within in the humanities that I have choose to focus on for this essay is the aspect of architecture in the respective periods. The earlier period between the two, the Baroque era, took place roughly during the seventeenth century and lasted into the early eighteenth century. Characteristically, the Baroque period with respect to its style is widely known for its typical shape being more complex than compared to earlier times. A Baroque era building may have a shape that more so represents an oval or an ellipse, compared to the square, circle, or cross depicted in the Renaissance era, for example. (Visual-Arts-Cork.com, 2014) It is also known for being built more on a grandiose and dramatic appearance. Another characteristic that is known about the Baroque era buildings is that the planners of that era tended to build entire cities to fit a sort of preset arrangement around its most magnificent or important buildings and structures. The builders and architects would have the tendency to place grand parks and gardens around important city focal points. It really was a modern day equivalent of city or town planning. (Visual-Arts-Cork.com, 2014) The social conditions that contributed to the style of the Baroque are of particular importance, as well. During these years, it was very common for the rulers of that time to hold absolute power over their people. Some will call it the “age of absolutism”. Because of this, many common people never really experienced the benefits of this era. This was reserved for the wealthy and well-connected in that society. The politics of the day were driven b... ... middle of paper ... ...eras, one needs to only look and see some of the buildings that are being built today with that same influence. New court houses, libraries, post offices, even some banks, office buildings, and hotels have some resemblance of the neoclassical influence. That influence is not just here in the United States either, but it is also seen in the European and South American regions as well. On the other hand, Catholic and other denomination’s churches are still built with the same feeling from the Baroque era. With this in mind, you can plainly see that when it comes to civil government and civil service, the buildings built even today have the Neoclassicism trait, while the religious and spiritual centers still carry some Baroque like qualities. Both eras carry such beauty with them that in my belief we will continue to see them through our lifetimes.

Open Document