Thursday, 29 March 2012

Research Statement and Annotated Bibliography

I chose to research the movement of Baroque style in general art, architecture and history.
Baroque style is dramatic, of that there is no denying. In the book Guide to Baroque Rome, a collection of writings on architectural works of the Roman Baroque period, an etching of the Vatican is described to “greatly [enlarge] the width of the staircase” and “[falsify] the effect by implying light falls on the staircase from the left” (Blunt, 1982, 202) to make the staircase seem grander than it actually is.
The online journal The Economist provided insight on the lives of the Baroque artists and enthusiasts, opposed to just looking at the style as purely material. Taking this perspective when looking at the art is important as its shows how the art came to be.
Although the edited book 500 Years of Italian Furniture: Magnificence and Design is a compilation of works in Italian culture, a section is dedicated to Baroque, Late Baroque Variations and Rococo design, which allows us to witness the development of the style.
The website The Art of Manliness provides a collection of Baroque artwork with analysis for each piece. This site really shows how Baroque art was employed to deliver stories in a “direct, emotionally persuasive and [powerfully]-designed” (McKay, 2010) manner.
This image, found in The Baroque Era in the Arts, holds true to the Baroque style. It is very busy, with lots of people holding dramatic poses all clustered together unnaturally. Lots of shadow is employed to make the pale body of Jesus almost shine in contrast.

Blunt, A. (1982). Guide to Baroque Rome. St Albans, UK: Granada Publishing Limited
Anonymous (1998). Baroque Genius. The Economist, 348 (8087), 87. Retrieved from

http://www.economist.com/node/166526
Editing by Settembrini, L., Colle, E., De Giorgi, M., (2009). 500 Years of Italian Furniture: Magnificence and Design. Milano, Italy: Skira Editore S.p.A.
McKay, B., McKay, K., (2010). The Basics of Art: The Baroque Period. The Art of Manliness. Retrieved from

http://artofmanliness.com/2010/10/18/the-basics-of-art-the-baroque-period/
Editing by Guisepi, R. A., (Unknown). Baroque Paintings. The Baroque Era in the Arts. Retrieved from
http://history-world.org/Baroque%20art.htm



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