Baroque 1600-1780

The baroque period spanned the whole of Europe from 1600 to 1780. Beginning with Italian artists who brought drama to painting through dynamic compositions and pronounced contrasts between light and dark, the baroque was later exported by countless artists to their own countries, where the new style developed in very different ways. With its monumental historical paintings and magnificent portraits, catering to sovereign desires for splendor and demonstrations of both secular and religious power, the baroque rose to become the style of European court art. The latest phase of the baroque, known as rococo, began in about 1720 and was characterized by an increased sense of playfulness and intimacy.

Kristina Menzel is an art historian specializing in the art of the Netherlands. She has been working in the publishing industry for many years and lives in the Rhineland. Art historian Ruth Dangelmaier has worked for many years as a freelance writer.