Baroque and Rococo

by Germain Bazin

Baroque and Rococo art and architecture have become popular once more, after a century and a half of neglect, misunderstanding and scorn. This radical shift in taste has led to a rapid growth of detailed knowledge about the artists who created these exhilarating styles. The famous masters have been reassessed and whole areas of achievement--Italian Baroque painting, German Rococo architecture--have been brought to a new, enthusiastic public. Germain Bazin's engaging survey of this rich subject ranges over all Europe and traces the origins and effects of these two periods of art--from the Counter-Reformation to Neoclassicism, Exoticism and even Art Nouveau. 218 illus., 43 in color.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, History, Architecture, Art History, Reference, Travel

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1964

Reviews

[Lazarus P Badpenny Esq]

'No other period so clearly contradicts the theory of Taine, according to which art is strictly determined by environment.' p.10

Unfortunately this emphasis proves something of a thematic cul-de-sac. Comments immediately following this statement regarding the Counter-Reformation and the deliberations of the Council of Trent seem to deliberately undermine the argument that art is unique from its historical context. More perverse, considering this opening salvo, is that Bazin then proceeds to divide his study of the Baroque along geographical rather than stylistic lines. What results is entirely unsatisfactory; the book becomes little more than a well-illustrated timeline, the reader bombarded with lists of artists whilst their place in the Baroque canon is assumed to be, to all intents and purposes, self-evident. And whilst schools are established based on the influence of particular artists there is very little examination of the motives of these originals. So so-and-so visited Napoli and came under the influence of certain paintings by Caravaggio. Yet there is only cursory contextual discussion about why Caravaggio painted the way he did and why this might have seemed simultaneously so appealing and revolutionary to his peers (and which could have been achieved without overwhelming the book's commitment to providing a broad overview).

Having emerged from an extended tussle with Timothy Garton Ash I couldn't help but be reminded of the 'illusion of retrospective determinism' about which Ranke warned and Garton Ash repeatedly refers.

[liv turko]

Sweeping, but unfortunately didn’t really get into anything. Plus approaching the movements strictly through countries and centuries didn’t clearly trace the movements properly (in my opinion…….)

[J.M. Hushour]

It's always a surprising pleasure to read about kinds of art that you have always snootily disdained without really knowing anything about them. Baroque! Ha! It conjures up images of harpsichords and delicate, filigreed string symphonies sawing away banally as the carriage todges over the muddy lanes paved with peasants.
Still not sure what the titular terms mean, I can say this: this is definitely a kind of art that a historical approach benefits. Baroque was the kind of wacky, ejaculatory art of the post-Reformation age, kind of what 70s hirsute porn was to the post-hippie adult entertainment era. Rapturous senses spilled out in sculpture and architecture and painting, though still largely unsecular, began to take a more personal turn, as exemplified by Caravaggio and others. Rococo seems to have simply been an more orgious turn in representation: asymmetrical and lacking theological grace, but that is its charm.
I realize I probably have no idea what I'm talking about, but reading books like this always make me unafraid to make a fool of myself.

[Christopher Sumpter]

Perhaps I don't have the background in European art history to appreciate this book, but it read like a phone directory to me. It was just a heavy slog through long lists of names and dates that did little to help me understand the defining characteristics of these artistic movements and how they played out throughout Europe. In one place, the pages of the book were actually out of order. It had no conclusion whatsoever, abruptly stopping in the middle of a conversation about Wedgewood china. Very odd, and I can't recommend reading this unless you're cramming for an exam.

[William Collen]

I was hoping for an aesthetic / philosophical analysis of the style but this book is simply an inventory. It is broken up into small chapters discussing the various European countries; each chapter is further divided into sections on architecture, sculpture, painting, and "the minor arts." Sometimes the chapters are only two pages long. The book is merely a list of artists' names, places they worked, and the important works associated with them. Sometimes the entries are extremely perfunctory, such as the last paragraph of chapter one, which reads, in its entirety, "Genoa and Venice produced woven stuffs of the finest quality and the stamped velvets of Genoa were in demand throughout Europe."
That being said, this is a fine jumping-off point for one's own researches. And as is typical of all the Thames & Hudson "World of Art" books, the illustrations are generous (if a little small).

[Raphaela Folia]

από την μια έχουμε Ιταλικό μπαροκ και από την άλλη Γερμανικό ροκοκό.. ίσως θα λέγαμε ότι αυτές οι δυο τέχνες ήταν παραμελημένες και με την πορεία των χρόνων αναγεννήθηκαν, ήρθαν ξανά στην επιφάνεια.. Bazin έχει κάνει πραγματικά καλή δουλειά σε αυτό το βιβλίο

[Katarina]

HRV: Pročitano za nastavu na faksu i korišteno u seminarima.

ENG: Read for my college classes and used for seminars.

[Laraine]

If your going to Central Europe this is a helpful book.

[Lisa]

A valuable comparison across countries. Interesting opinions, the author is extremely confident but not off-putting.

[Nadette]

A bit biased in my opinion, and throwing statements too freely to criticize Italian works of art. Not the strongest book in this series

[David Bisset]

Basin writes with tremendous verve and provides many valuable insights. His style is almost baroque. This is not a criticism, for the baroque period of superb creativity!