Spanish Baroque is a strand of
Baroque architectureBaroque architecture, starting in the early 17th century in Italy, took the humanist Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical, theatrical, sculptural fashion, expressing the triumph of absolutist church and state. New architectural concerns for color, light and...
that evolved in
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
and its provinces and former colonies, notably
Spanish AmericaIbero-America is a term which started to be used in the second half of the 19th century to refer collectively to the countries in the Americas which were formerly colonies of Spain or Portugal. Spain and Portugal are themselves included in some definitions, such as that of the Ibero-American Summit...
and
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
.
As Italian Baroque influences penetrated across the
PyreneesThe Pyrenees are a range of mountains in southwest Europe that form a natural border between France and Spain...
, they gradually superseded in popularity the restrained classicizing approach of
Juan de HerreraJuan de Herrera was a Spanish architect, mathematician and geometrician.One of the most outstanding Spanish architects in the 16th century, Herrera represents the peak of the Renaissance in Spain...
, which had been in vogue since the late sixteenth century. As early as 1667, the facades of
Granada CathedralGranada Cathedral is the cathedral in the city of Granada, capital of the province of the same name in the Autonomous Region of Andalusia, Spain.-History:...
(by Alonso Cano) and
Jaen CathedralJaén is a city in south-central Spain, the name is probably derived from the Arabic word Jayyan, . It is the capital of the province of Jaén. It is located in the autonomous community of Andalusia....
(by Eufrasio López de Rojas) suggest the artists' fluency in interpreting traditional motifs of Spanish cathedral architecture in the Baroque aesthetic idiom.
In
MadridMadrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. It is the third-most populous municipality in the European Union after Greater London and Berlin, and its metropolitan area is the third-most populous city by urban area in the European Union after Paris and London.The city is located on the river...
, a vernacular Baroque with its roots in Herrera and in traditional brick construction was developed in the Plaza Mayor and in the Royal Palace of
El Buen Retiro, which was destroyed during the French invasion by Napoleon's troops. Its gardens still remain as
El RetiroEl Retiro can refer to:* El Retiro: a former estate in Lake Wales, Florida, United States* Parque del Buen Retiro: a park in Madrid, Spain* El Retiro, Antioquia: a municipality in Colombia* El Retiro, Coahuila: a town in Mexico...
park. This sober brick Baroque of the 17th century is still well represented in the streets of the capital in palaces and squares.
In contrast to the art of Northern Europe, the Spanish art of the period appealed to the emotions rather than seeking to please the intellect. The
ChurrigueraThe Churriguera family consisted of at least two generations of Spanish sculptors and architects, originally from Barcelona, but who had their greatest impact in Salamanca...
family, which specialized in designing altars and retables, revolted against the sobriety of the Herreresque classicism and promoted an intricate, exaggerated, almost capricious style of surface decoration known as the
ChurrigueresqueChurrigueresque refers to a Spanish Baroque style of elaborate sculptural architectural ornament which emerged as a manner of stucco decoration in Spain in the late 1600s and was used up to about 1750, marked by extreme, expressive and florid decorative detailing, normally found above the entrance...
. Within half a century, they transformed
SalamancaSalamanca is a city in western Spain, the capital of the province of Salamanca, which belongs to the autonomous community of Castile and Leon...
into an exemplary Churrigueresque city.
The development of the style passed through three phases. Between 1680 and 1720, the Churriguera popularized Guarini's blend of
Solomonic columnThe Solomonic column, also called Barley-sugar column, is a helical column, characterized by a spiraling twisting shaft like a corkscrew...
s and
composite orderThe composite order is a mixed order, combining the volutes of the Ionic order capital with the acanthus leaves of the Corinthian order. The composite order volutes are larger, however, and the composite order also has echinus molding with egg-and-dart ornamentation between the volutes...
, known as the "supreme order". Between 1720 and 1760, the Churrigueresque column, or
estipiteThe estipite column is a type of column or pilaster typical of the Churrigueresque baroque style of Spain and Spanish America used in the 18th century. It has the shape of an inverted cone or obelisk....
, in the shape of an inverted cone or obelisk, was established as a central element of ornamental decoration. The years from 1760 to 1780 saw a gradual shift of interest away from twisted movement and excessive ornamentation toward a neoclassical balance and sobriety.
Two of the most eye-catching creations of Spanish Baroque are the energetic facades of the
University of ValladolidThe University of Valladolid is a university in the city of Valladolid in the Valladolid province of the autonomous region of Castile-Leon, in Spain...
(Diego Tome, 1719) and Hospicio de San Fernando in
MadridMadrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. It is the third-most populous municipality in the European Union after Greater London and Berlin, and its metropolitan area is the third-most populous city by urban area in the European Union after Paris and London.The city is located on the river...
(Pedro de Ribera, 1722), whose curvilinear extravagance seems to herald Antonio Gaudi and
Art NouveauArt Nouveau is an international movement and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that peaked in popularity at the turn of the 20th century . The name 'Art nouveau' is French for 'new art'...
. In this case as in many others, the design involves a play of tectonic and decorative elements with little relation to structure and function. The focus of the florid ornamentation is an elaborately sculptured surround to a main doorway. If we remove the intricate maze of broken pediments, undulating cornices, stucco shells, inverted tapers and garlands from the rather plain wall it is set against, the building's form would not be affected in the slightest. However, Churrigueresque baroque offered some of the most impressive combinations of space and light with buildings like
Granada CharterhouseGranada Charterhouse is a Carthusian monastery in Granada, Spain. It is one of the finest examples of Spanish Baroque architecture.The charterhouse was founded in 1506; construction started ten years later, and continued for the following 300 years. While the exterior is a tame ember in...
, considered to be the apotheosis of Churrigueresque styles applied to interior spaces, or the
Transparente of the
Cathedral of ToledoThe Cathedral of Saint Mary of Toledo, also called Primate Cathedral of Toledo, is a church in Spain. The seat of the Archdiocese of Toledo, it is one of the three 13th century High Gothic cathedrals in Spain and is considered to be the pinnacle of the Gothic style in Spain...
, by Narciso Tomé, where sculpture and architecture are integrated to achieve notable light dramatic effects.
The
Royal Palace of MadridThe Palacio Real de Madrid , also known as the Palacio de Oriente , is the official residence of the King of Spain in the city of Madrid and it is only used for State Ceremonies....
and the interventions of
Paseo del PradoThe Paseo del Prado is one of the main boulevards in Madrid, Spain. It extends north to south from the Plaza de Cibeles to the Plaza del Emperador Carlos V , with the Plaza de Cánovas del Castillo lying approximately in the middle...
(
Salón del Prado and
Alcalá Doorgate) in the same city, deserve special mention. They were constructed in a sober Baroque international style, often mistaken for neoclassical, by the kings
Philip VPhilip V of Spain , fils de France and duc d'Anjou, was king of Spain from 1700 to 14 January 1724, when he abdicated in favor of his son, Louis I of Spain, and from 31 August 1724 to 1746, assuming the throne again upon his son's death. Philip was the first Bourbon king of Spain...
and
Charles IIICharles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to his death in 1788.Eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, Princess Elisabeth of Parma, he became the Duke of Parma and Piacenza under the name of Charles I ; later on in 1734 while Duke of Parma he conquered...
. The Royal Palaces of
La Granja de San IldefonsoThe Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso is an eighteenth-century palace, formerly the summer residence of the Kings of Spain since the reign of Philip V. The palace is in the small town of San Ildefonso in the hills near Segovia, 80 km north of Madrid. The palace is in a restrained baroque...
, in
SegoviaSegovia is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Segovia in Castile and Leon. It is situated north of Madrid, and can be reached by bullet train in 35 minutes from Madrid at . 55,586 people live in the municipality of Segovia.-Name:...
, and
AranjuezThe Royal Palace of Aranjuez is a residence of the King of Spain, located in the town of Aranjuez . The palace is open to the public as one of the Spanish royal sites....
, in Madrid, are good examples of baroque integration of architecture and gardening, with noticeable French influence (La Granja is known as the
Spanish Versailles), but with local spatial conceptions which in some ways display the heritage of the Moorish occupation.
In the richest imperial province of 17th-century Spain,
FlandersFlanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France, and the Netherlands...
, florid decorative detailing was more tightly knit to the structure, thus precluding concerns of superfluity. A remarkable convergence of Spanish, French and Dutch Baroque
aestheticsAesthetics is commonly known as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
may be seen in the Abbey of Averbode (1667). Another characteristic example is the Church of St. Michel at
LouvainLeuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium. It is located about 30 kilometers east of Brussels, with as other neighbouring cities Mechelen, Aarschot, Tienen, and Wavre.The township comprises the historical city of Leuven and the former municipalities of...
(1650-70), with its exuberant two-storey facade, clusters of half-columns, and the complex aggregation of French-inspired sculptural detailing.
Six decades later, a Flemish architect, Jaime Borty Milia, was the first to introduce
RococoRococo is a style of 18th century French art and interior design. Rococo rooms were designed as total works of art with elegant and ornate furniture, small sculptures, ornamental mirrors, and tapestry complementing architecture, reliefs, and wall paintings...
to Spain (
Cathedral of MurciaThe Cathedral Church of Saint Mary in Murcia , commonly called the Cathedral of Murcia, is an important landmark in the city of Murcia, Spain, and it is the only cathedral in use in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cartagena in Spain.-History:When the Christian king Jaime I the Conqueror conquered the...
, west facade, 1733). The greatest practitioner of the Spanish Rococo style was a native master,
Ventura RodríguezVentura Rodríguez Tizón was a Spanish architect and artist. Born at Ciempozuelos, Rodríguez was the son of a bricklayer. In 1727, he collaborated with his father in the work at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez.-Major Works:...
, responsible for the dazzling interior of the
Basilica of Our Lady of the PillarThe Basilica-Cathedral of Our Lady of the Pillar is a Roman Catholic church in the city of Zaragoza, Aragon in Spain. The Basilica venerates Blessed Virgin Mary , under her title Our Lady of the Pillar praised as Mother of the Hispanic Peoples by Pope John Paul II...
in Saragossa (1750).
Spanish America
The combination of the Native American and Moorish decorative influences with an extremely expressive interpretation of the Churrigueresque idiom may account for the full-bodied and varied character of the Baroque in the American colonies of Spain. Even more than its Spanish counterpart, American Baroque developed as a style of stucco decoration. Twin-towered facades of many American cathedrals of the seventeenth century had medieval roots and the full-fledged Baroque did not appear until 1664, when the Jesuit shrine on Plaza des Armas in
Cusco||}Cusco or Cuzco is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region as well as the Cusco Province. The city has a population of 348,935 which is triple the figure of 20 years ago...
was built. Even then, the new style hardly affected the structure of churches.
The Peruvian Baroque was particularly lush, as evidenced by the monastery of San Francisco in
LimaLima is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, on a coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It forms a contiguous urban area with the seaport of Callao...
(1673), which has a dark intricate facade sandwiched between the twin towers of local yellow stone. While the rural Baroque of the Jesuite missions (estancias) in
Córdoba, ArgentinaCórdoba is a city located near the geographical center of Argentina, in the foothills of the Sierras Chicas on the Suquía River, about northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province....
, followed the model of Il Gesù, provincial "mestizo" (crossbred) styles emerged in
ArequipaArequipa is the capital of the Arequipa Region in southern Peru. With a population of 904,931 it is the second most populous city of the country. Arequipa lies in the Andes mountains, at an altitude of 2,380 meters above sea level; the snow-capped volcano El Misti overlooks the city...
,
PotosíPotosí is a city, the capital of the department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is claimed to be the highest city in the world at a nominal 4,090 m . It lies beneath the Cerro de Potosí — sometimes referred to as the Cerro Rico — a mountain popularly conceived of as being "made of" silver ore, which has...
and
La PazLa Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of La Paz Department. Located at an elevation of , it is the world's highest capital city. La Paz sits in a bowl surrounded by the high altiplano. As it grows, La Paz climbs the hills, resulting in varying...
. In the eighteenth century, the architects of the region turned for inspiration to the
MudejarMudéjar is the name given to individual Moors or Muslims of Al-Andalus who remained in Christian territory after the Reconquista but were not converted to Christianity...
art of medieval Spain. The late Baroque type of Peruvian facade first appears in the Church of Our Lady of La Merced,
LimaLima is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, on a coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It forms a contiguous urban area with the seaport of Callao...
(1697–1704). Similarly, the Church of La Compañia,
QuitoSan Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito, is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains...
(1722-65) suggests a carved altarpiece with its richly sculpted facade and a surfeit of spiral salomónica.
To the north, the richest province of 18th-century
New SpainThe Viceroyalty of New Spain , was the political unit of Spanish territories in North and Central America, and Asia-Pacific. The territory included the present-day California, Southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America , the Caribbean, and the Philippines. It was ruled by a viceroy from...
—
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
— produced some fantastically extravagant and visually frenetic architecture known as Mexican Churrigueresque. This ultra-Baroque approach culminates in the works of Lorenzo Rodriguez, whose masterpiece is the Sagrario Metropolitano in
Mexico CityMexico City is the capital city of Mexico. It is the economic, industrial, and cultural center in the country, and the most populous city, with about 8,836,045 inhabitants in 2008...
(1749-69). Other fine examples of the style may be found in the remote silver-mining towns. For instance, the Sanctuary at
OcotlanOcotlán is a city and municipality in Jalisco, Mexico. It is considered the furniture capital of Mexico. Embedded deep in the Ocotlán culture is the appearance of the Merciful Lord Jesus Christ, for which event the people in Ocotlán, who are mostly Catholics, hold local celebrations. Ocotlán has...
(begun in 1745) is a top-notch Baroque cathedral surfaced in bright red tiles, which contrast delightfully with a plethora of compressed ornament lavishly applied to the main entrance and the slender flanking towers (
exterior,
interior).
The true capital of Mexican Baroque is
PueblaThe city of Puebla, officially Heroic Puebla de Zaragoza is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Puebla. The city has a population of 1,399,519...
, where a ready supply of hand-painted figurines (
talaveraTalavera may refer to the following:* Surname:** Talavera* Places:** Talavera, Lleida, a municipality in Segarra, Catalonia** Talavera, Nueva Ecija, a municipality in Nueva Ecija, Philippines** Talavera de la Reyna, a district in Andahuaylas, Peru...
) and vernacular gray stone led to its evolving further into a personalised and highly localised art form with a pronounced Indian flavour. There are about sixty churches whose facades and domes display glazed tiles of many colours, often arranged in Arabic designs. Their interiors are densely saturated with elaborate gold leaf ornamentation. In the 18th century, local artisans developed a distinctive brand of white stucco decoration, named "alfeñique" after a Pueblan candy made from egg whites and sugar.