Baroque

An artistic style born in Italy close on the heels of the Catholic Reformation. It was particularly dynamic in the 17th and 18th centuries. Since the end of the 18th century the term ‘baroque’ – whose etymology is uncertain – has been traditionally used to designate an artistic style marked by its exuberance and extravagance. After many debates on the subject certain contemporary historians go as far as to use the term in contexts beyond the fine arts: theatre, religion, and politics can also be given the epithet ‘baroque’. This then essentially designates a method of communication which in a flamboyant way plays tricks on and dupes reason in order to talk to the heart, light up the senses and to encourage emotional and intuitive knowledge.