During the baroque period, architecture and the other fine arts were the instruments of a staging of "world theater" on a grand scale. The baroque art of the pope sin Rome, the displays of power and opulence in the court of the Sun King, Louis XIV, and Dutch painting ?they all reflect different aspects of the underlying tension between pleasure in life and fear of death that was such a prominent feature of the baroque world view. The Essence of Culture: Baroque portrays the entire span of the fine arts of the baroque era, from rich splendour to religious asceticism. AUTHOR: For this work, editor Rolf Toman has gathered contributions from seven renowned authors with great expertise in the fields of architecture and art history to work with him. Taken as a whole, they give us a multi-faceted picture of baroque art in all its forms. SELLING POINTS: Chronological depiction of the fine arts from their origins in Rome through the late baroque and rococo Explanation of the sociopolitical background: the Counter- Reformation, the development of Protestantism, absolutism, and the French Revolution Various ways the baroque left its mark, including city planning, architecture, garden design, sculpture, painting, and emblems 500 colour photographs
