Definition of Style Baroque

The Baroque style of art and architecture developed in Europe, England, and the Americas during the 17th and early 18th centuries. The baroque style is characterized by an emphasis on unity among the arts. The baroque artist achieved harmony in painting, sculpture, and architecture and created new spatial relationships. In painting and sculpture this was achieved by means of highly developed naturalistic illusionism, usually heightened by dramatic lighting effects, creating an unequaled sense of theatricality, …

…mposed of great curving forms with ground plans of incredible size and complexity. Baroque architects used domes of various shapes. 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 Andre Le Notre.