Style of art and architecture characterized
by extravagance in ornament, asymmetry of
design, and great expressiveness.
It dominated European art for most of the
17th century, with artists like the painter
Rubens and the sculptor Bernini.
In architecture it often involved large-scale
designs, such as Bernini's piazza in Rome and
the palace of Versailles in France. In music
the Baroque era lasted from about 1600 to
1750, and its major composers included
Monteverdi, Vivaldi, J S Bach, and Handel. In
painting, Caravaggio, with his bold use of
light and forceful compositions, was an early
exponent, but the Carracci family was more
typical of the early Baroque style, producing
grandiose visions in ceiling paintings that
deployed illusionistic painting of florid
architectural decoration. In sculpture, the
greatest master was Bernini, whose Ecstasy of
St Theresa 1645-52 (Sta Maria della Vittoria,
Rome) is a fine example of overt
emotionalism. Most masterpieces of the new
style emerged in churches and palaces in
Rome, but it soon spread through Europe. The
Swiss art historian Burckhardt was the first
to use the term `baroque'.