LIB272
The Art of the Baroque Age
The 17th century was a turbulent time in the history of Western civilization and Western art. As the high humanism of the Renaissance began to fade, a new religious intensity came into being with the Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation, and the result in art was the development of the baroque style. This style, with the modifications that resulted from resistance to it, defined the art of the age. We’ll explore the works of a range of artists of the period, from regions including Italy, Spain, France, the “New World,” the Dutch Republic and Eastern Europe.
A $50 discount will be applied automatically for adults 55+.
This course will be offered at Harbour Centre on Tuesdays, Oct 22 - Nov 26, from 11:30 a.m. - 1:20 p.m.
Overview
Location: Vancouver
Duration: 6 weeks
Tuition: $180
Can be applied to:
Liberal Arts for 55+ Certificate
Upcoming Offerings
- Tue, Oct 22, 11:30 a.m. – 1:20 p.m. Pacific Time (class/lecture)
- Tue, Oct 29, 11:30 a.m. – 1:20 p.m. Pacific Time (class/lecture)
- Tue, Nov 5, 11:30 a.m. – 1:20 p.m. Pacific Time (class/lecture)
- Tue, Nov 12, 11:30 a.m. – 1:20 p.m. Pacific Time (class/lecture)
- Tue, Nov 19, 11:30 a.m. – 1:20 p.m. Pacific Time (class/lecture)
- Tue, Nov 26, 11:30 a.m. – 1:20 p.m. Pacific Time (class/lecture)
Course outline
- Week 1: The rise of the baroque in Italy
The completion of St. Peter’s Basilica and its decoration herald the rise of the baroque style: in its earliest appearance, the style of the Catholic Counter-Reformation. Architects, painters and sculptors such as Caravaggio, Bernini and Borromeo elaborate the style in detail, and its influence is carried over the Alps. - Week 2: The baroque in Spain and the New World
The Spaniards carry the baroque style to the Americas, where it is modified by Indigenous traditions. - Week 3: The baroque – or not-quite-baroque – in France, Britain and Portugal
The persistence of Renaissance ideals in France, Britain and Portugal produced a style that hovers midway between the baroque of the Counter-Reformation and the Renaissance style it had departed from. - Week 4: The age of the baroque in the Low Countries
The not-quite-baroque in the Dutch Republic, and the baroque in the Spanish Netherlands. The Dutch Republic tempered the influence of the baroque style with its Renaissance adherence to republican ideals. But in the Spanish Netherlands, the full baroque style was adopted by painters there. - Week 5: The baroque in Central and Eastern Europe
A century of upheaval saw devastation and reconstruction in Central and Eastern Europe. The baroque style was adopted as the style of reconstruction and baroque artists from Western Europe poured into Central and Eastern Europe to take part. - Week 6: The rococo
As Europe emerged from the devastation of its 17th-century wars into a period less destructive, the baroque style was softened and elaborated in the direction of the sensual and playful. This new style, with only a tenuous attachment to the old, is the rococo.
What you will learn
By the end of the course, you should be able to:
- Describe the difference between the Renaissance style, the baroque style and the not-quite-baroque style in places that blended the two
- Explain how the fully formed baroque style is an expression of the Catholic Counter-Reformation
- Explain how the spread of the baroque style was modified in Europe by national traditions in France, Britain and the Dutch Republic
- Discuss how the baroque style was modified by Indigenous traditions in the New World
- Discuss how artists from Western Europe came to develop the baroque style in Central and Eastern Europe
How you will learn
- Lectures
- Participation in class discussions
- Supplementary resources accessed through Canvas
- Reflective essay (applicable only to certificate students)
Learning Materials
No textbook is required. We will provide all course materials online.
Technical Requirements
For online courses, you will need a computer with audio and microphone that is connected to the internet. Canvas is the online system that will be used for the course. For more information and online support, visit Online Learning.