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Baroque and Rococo
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Baroque and Rococo
Art Map |
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Carlo Lurago
Agostino Barelli
Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach
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The Hapsburgs and the 17th Century
In the 16th century, an irreparable schism developed in Central
Europe: the north espoused the Protestant cause while the south, on the
whole, remained Roman Catholic. During the Thirty Years' War (1618-48)
this " split deepened, ending with the Peace of Munster under which the
German nation was no longer a political unity - over 300 small states
were recognized - and the House of Austria tightened its grip on
Bohemia, which lost all political autonomy. The country had come under
the control of the Hapsburgs in 1526, and by the turn of the century the
presence of Rudolph II's court in Prague had transformed the city into a
lively centre of international culture. From 1581 to l6ll,
Bartholomaeus Spranger
(1546-1611), one of the greatest pre-Baroque Mannerist artists, was
active in Prague. He is best known for his mythological pictures such as
Minerva Conquering Ignorance (c. 1591). Although the Thirty
Years' War blighted artistic activity in Central Europe until the
mid-century, the larger cities. Vienna and Prague, soon recovered their
ascendancy and the southern zones began to flourish. With the Hapsburg
dynasty and the Catholic religion established,many Italian architects
were attracted to the empire, particularly during the first phase of
building activity. As early as 1621, Count Wallenstein entrusted his
magnificent new palace in Prague to Andrea Spezza (died 1628). In the
same city, the Jesuit College (Klementinum) and the Leopold Gate
(c.1670) were designed by Carlo Lurago , and the Czernin Palace
(begun 1668) by Francesco Caratti and church of the Crusader
Knights (1679-88) by the French architect Jean-Baptiste Mathey (c.
1630-95) were also built. In Munich, Agostino Barelli (1627-99)
was responsible for the Church of the Theatines (1663) and for beginning
the Nymphenburg Palace (1664), which was completed by Enrico Zuccalli
(1642-1724). In Vienna, Carlo Antonio Carlone designed the Jesuit church
of the Nine Angelic-Choirs (1662) and Filiberto Lucchese the Leopold
wing of the Hofburg Palace (1661-68). The great era of Austrian Baroque
only began after 1683, the year the Turks were defeated and Hapsburg
power assured. The concentrated urban development in Vienna did not,
however, destroy the ancient plan of the city. The new districts
effectively encircled the old nucleus. The ring-road on the site of the
old city walls was lined with palaces and gardens, many designed by
Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach (1656-1723), the leading Austrian
architect, between 1690 and 1700.
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Carlo Lurago
(1615-1684)
Italian architect, active in Prague.
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Carlo Lurago
St. Stephan's Cathedral, Passau
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Francesco Caratti
(1620-1677)
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Francesco Caratti
Czernin Palace, Prague, detail of the facade,
begun 1668.
Appointed architect to Prince Czernin in 1668, Caratti
held the post until his death in 1677.
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Agostino Barelli
(1627-1699)
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Agostino Barelli
Facade and dome of the Church of the Theatines,
Munich, 1663-74.
Barelli spent many years working for the religious
order founded by St Gaetano of Thiene.
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Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach
(1656-1723)Austrian architect. Johann Bernhard Fischer von
Erlach (the honorific was granted by the emperor in 1696 when Fischer
was ennobled) was the son of Johann Baptist Fischer, a sculptor and
decorator active in Graz, near the Austrian border with Italy. Johann
Bernhand became the last great architect of the Renaissance and Baroque
periods, occupying a central role in the buildings of the imperial court
circle in Vienna. His eclectic approach was adopted as the official
style of the Habsburg court. His second son, Joseph Emanuel Fischer von
Erlach, was trained by his father as his successor and completed his
unfinished work after his death.
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Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach
Kollegienkirche in Salzburg (1696-1707)
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Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach
Karlskirche, Vienna, 1716.
The
church was commissioned by Emperor Karl VI in fulfilment of his vow
made during the 1713 plague.
The life of St Charles Borromeo,
Archbishop of Milan and patron saint of the plague,
is illustrated
on the columns.
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Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach
Karlskirche, Vienna, 1716
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Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach
Palais Lobkowitz
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ROYAL PALACES IN VIENNA AND BERLIN
Begun in 1695 to a design by Fischer von Erlach, the construction of
the Schonbrunn Palace was not complete until the mid-18th century.
This was Vienna's answer to Versailles, an expression of Austria's
leading status as a European monarchy. The architect's original
plans had been even more ambitious, fusing elements of Roman
architecture with massive and imposing French models, such as
Bernini's project for the Louvre and Hardouin-Mansart's Palace of
Versailles, and also perhaps making reference to ancient
architecture in the east. In 1698. another grandiose building
project was launched: the Royal Palace in Berlin, designed by the
architect and sculptor Andreas Schluter for the Elector of
Brandenburg, who became the first king of Prussia in 1701. The
palace was destroyed in 1945.
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Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach
Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, 1695
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