Baroque and Rococo
 


     

Baroque and Rococo Art Map

 

Inigo Jones

Christopher Wren

Antonio Verrio

James Thornhill




collection:

Sebastien Bourdon





see EXPLORATION:


The Art of the Portrait





 

The City of London with St Paul's Cathedral, c 1860.
Guildhall Library, London

 

The 17th Century in England and Scandinavia

The English preference for classical architecture was confirmed by the success of Inigo Jones (1573-1652), a versatile architect inspired by the theories and buildings of Andrea Palladio, whose work he first encountered during his visits to Italy (1597-1603 and 1613-14). With the Stuart monarchs, James I (1603-25) and Charles I (1625-49), as his patrons, Jones designed the Queen's House at Greenwich (begun 1616); the Banqueting Hall for the Palace of Whitehall (1619-22. decorated by Rubens in 1634 to celebrate the reign of James I); and Covent Garden (c. 1630). Christopher Wren (1632-1723), a strict classicist, was the leading architect during the second half of the century and was responsible for the many City churches, including St Paul's Cathedral, which was rebuilt after the Great Fire of London in 1666 (estimated to have destroyed 13,200 houses). English painting started to emerge from isolation from the reign of James I onwards with the arrival of foreign artists, among them the Flemish painters Paul van Somer (1577-1621) and Daniel Mytens (1590-1656). Charles I was a great collector and passionate about art: Rubens was invited to London, as were van Dyck, who settled in the capital in 1632, and Orazio Gentileschi, a follower of Caravaggio, who arrived from Pisa in 1626. Towards the end of the century, large-scale mural decorations were first made fashionable by Antonio Verrio (c. 1639-1707), whose classicism influenced James Thornhill (1675-1734), the artist responsible for the decorative paintings inside the dome of St Paul's Cathedral and the Painted Hall at Greenwich Hospital. In Scandinavia, there was intense architectural activity in Stockholm after Gustavus Adolphus (reigned 1611-32) made it his capital. Early influences were mainly French and Dutch: one of the most notable figures was Nicodemus Tessin the Elder (1615-81), who designed the majestic Drottningholm Palace (begun 1662). The park was laid out by his son Nicodemus II (1654-1728), who was also the architect of the Royal Palace in Stockholm. The classical style was also used in Denmark in the Rosenborg Palace commissioned by Christian IV, who during his reign (1588-1648) promoted many major building projects.
  
 

INIGO JONES

A great admirer of Palladio and Scamozzi, Inigo Jones (1573-1652) was the foremost exponent of late-Renaissance classicism in England, where his work left an indelible mark; it also influenced 18th-century architecture in the US. His most successful projects included country houses (the Queen's House at Greenwich and Wilton House), the Banqueting Hall in Whitehall, and the enlargement of St Paul's Cathedral. He was famous in his day for his designs for the royal court's masques. An interesting collection of his drawings has survived, including designs for the Palace of Whitehall.
 

The Queen's House, by Inigo Jones, at Greenwich, England, 1616 to 1635

 

Banqueting House, by Inigo Jones, at Whitehall, London, England, 1619 to 1622

 

 Inigo Jones, Queen's House, London, England, 1616

 

Sir Christopher Wren

(b East Knoyle, Wilts, 20 Oct 1632; d London, 25 Feb 1723).

English architect. The leader of the English Baroque school, he was the creator of St Paul’s Cathedral, London, completed in his lifetime, and remains the most famous architect in English history.
 

Greenwich Hospital, by Sir Christopher Wren, at Greenwich, England, 1696 to 1715
 

Greenwich Hospital, by Sir Christopher Wren, at Greenwich, England, 1696 to 1715
 

Saint Paul's Cathedral, by Sir Christopher Wren, at London, England, United Kingdom, 1675 to 1710
 

St. James, by Sir Christopher Wren, at Picadilly, London, England, 1674 to 1687
 

St. Stephen's Walbrook, by Sir Christopher Wren, at London, England, UK, 1672 to 1687


 

James Thornhill

(b ?Woolland, Dorset, 25 July 1675; d Stalbridge, Dorset, 13 May 1734).

English painter. The great English exponent of Baroque decorative painting, he was the only one to compete successfully with foreigners for the relatively few large-scale decorative commissions available in England during the first quarter of the 18th century. His skill in this field was remarkable, since his training was irregular and his trips abroad (the Low Countries in 1711 and Paris in 1717) came only after he had reached maturity as an artist.
 

James Thornhill
Sir Isaac Newton
1709-12
Oil on canvas
Woolsthorpe Manor, Lincolnshire

 

James Thornhill
The Apotheosis of Romulus

 

James Thornhill
Allegorical group representing London, Justice, Prudence, Temperance and Fortitude

 

James Thornhill
Fortitude

 

James Thornhill
Justice

 

James Thornhill
Prudence

 

James Thornhill
Temperance

 

James Thornhill
Thetis Accepting the Shield of Achilles from Vulcan
c.1710
Tate Gallery, London

 

James Thornhill

Time, Truth and Justice

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PAINTING IN SWEDEN

Queen Christina of Sweden (1632-54) was one of the greatest royal collectors of the 17th century, and, before her conversion to Catholicism and subsequent decision to live in Rome, she filled Stockholm Castle with sculptures, paintings, coins, and gold- and silverware. Many of the works had been looted from Prague when the troops of Gustavus Adolphus ransacked the Imperial Palace there during the Thirty Years' War. Among the many artists at her court were portraitists such as the Dutchman David Beck and the French painter, Sebastien Bourdon (1616-71). The German David Klocker Ehrenstrahl (1628-98) was one of the most prolific artists during the following reign of Charles XI. His formative years were spent in Amsterdam, but he had also visited France. Italy, and England. A skilled portraitist and landscape painter, he brought Italian and French Baroque taste to Sweden. In the monumental allegorical works commissioned from him by the Dowager Queen Edvige Eleonora, he introduced the high Baroque style of Pietro da Cortona and Charles Le Bain to a northern audience.
 

see collection:


Sebastien Bourdon



see EXPLORATION:


The Art of the Portrait


"Masterpieces of European Portrait " by N. Schneider