Baroque Architecture
It wasn’t long before the Baroque period reached France after it began in Italy during the early 17th century. For centuries, the church was the dominant power in cities. Everything revolved around the church and everything was designed to benefit and maintain church power. Buildings, primarily churches and cathedrals were designed in a certain way and set right in the center of cities as a way to make known who had totalitarian power. As new ideas emerged during the late Renaissance period, the power was no longer of the church but instead was given to the state. It is during this time of the late Renaissance period and early Baroque period that bureaucracy begins. Aside from the Baroque period causing a shift in power from the church to the state, it also made way for all the new styles and technological advancements that came from the Renaissance period. These architectural and design changes were being used throughout the world. It did not take long for these changes to be present and noticeable in a city like Paris. Things like grand boulevards and monumentally beautiful palaces and gardens were part of the Baroque changes occurring in Paris. Some of the most influential architects and designers of the time led to the rise of the Baroque style in Paris. It is this era of Parisian history that ultimately led to the rise of modernism.
Introduction
Baroque Architecture
Figure 1: Palais du Luxemborg. [1]
Introduction
It wasn’t long before the Baroque period reached France after it began in Italy during the early 17th century. For centuries, the church was the dominant power in cities. Everything revolved around the church and everything was designed to benefit and maintain church power. Buildings, primarily churches and cathedrals were designed in a certain way and set right in the center of cities as a way to make known who had totalitarian power. As new ideas emerged during the late Renaissance period, the power was no longer of the church but instead was given to the state. It is during this time of the late Renaissance period and early Baroque period that bureaucracy begins. Aside from the Baroque period causing a shift in power from the church to the state, it also made way for all the new styles and technological advancements that came from the Renaissance period. These architectural and design changes were being used throughout the world. It did not take long for these changes to be present and noticeable in a city like Paris. Things like grand boulevards and monumentally beautiful palaces and gardens were part of the Baroque changes occurring in Paris. Some of the most influential architects and designers of the time led to the rise of the Baroque style in Paris. It is this era of Parisian history that ultimately led to the rise of modernism.
Baroque Architecture
Baroque architecture differs from country to country. It is the ideals of each country and their respective influences that define what their baroque style architecture looked like. Overall, baroque architecture was an extravagant and abnormal way of design. All aspects of the new designs that came from the Baroque Era were highly decorative down to the smallest details and ornamentation. It was a way to leave behind the old ways of design and adopt a new way of seeing things. One aim of baroque style architecture was to create an optical illusion in structures and create a sense of movement. Streets were no longer linear and narrow but curved and wide to provide more space for the carts people began to use. Extravagant twisted columns were used no longer for structural support but to add a sense of dimension and aesthetic to a building. Churches and cathedrals were being redesigned according to baroque design. These churches no longer included the dark and enclosed styles of Medieval Gothic architecture but rather highly decorative styles with a dramatic use of natural light that came in through the large stained glass windows. It was a mix of art and architecture in designs that made the baroque era so prominent in not only the history of Paris, but also in the history of the world.
This new style of design and architecture that came from the Baroque Era modified some of the older elements in order to better support structures. Buildings included elements such as vaults, arches, and buttresses which were previously used in older designs but were now modified to match the extravagance and the need of baroque design and structures. Because of the force being exerted on the new structure of the time by arches and vaulted ceilings, there was the need of a counter pressure which came from the flying buttresses. Designers also began to manipulate light and how it entered the buildings and how it made the building look. Because of the uses of things like buttresses, buildings no longer needed to have small windows that helped support the building but instead, at this point in time, architects and designer began to use large stained-glass windows as part of their new designs. This was very much used in churches and cathedrals. These large windows provided the interior of the building with natural lighting. Because these windows were stained, the light came in in an opaque way focusing light on certain locations of the interior and maintaining an artistic shadow in other locations. Many of these new architectural element important and significant of the time period also impacted design in Paris, France and created some of the most beautiful structures still preserved and visited today.
Resources
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Palais du Luxemborg 1. (2018)