THE BAROQUE: AGE OF KINGS

Elizabeth Handley, accredited lecturer, Arts Society, United Kingdom


 

Wednesday 28–Friday 30 January 11.15 am COURSE FEES R345; Staff and students R173

 

Turbulent, theatrical and highly ornate, this is the aesthetic of the Baroque, the age of absolutism – the ‘divine right of Kings’. Gone are the ethereal a cappella of the Middle Ages and dulcet tones of the Renaissance. The term ‘Baroque’ came to designate the period in the arts from roughly 1600 to 1750 and encompasses the careers of some of the greatest painters, sculptors, architects and composers the Western world has ever produced.

Originally carrying negative connotations, Baroque art is now regarded as robust and decorative, massive and grandiose, complex and full of motion. This course explores the way in which the Baroque masters followed on from the great artists of the High Renaissance but infused their work with a vigorous new spirit. Luxurious display and unlimited magnificence and splendour framed the extravagant life of the courts – regardless of cost.

We begin in Italy in around 1600 when Rome became the fountainhead of the Baroque movement, reflecting a Catholic reaction to the advance of Protestantism. We continue to Spain, where architects enthusiastically took up the Italian Baroque style. The second lecture covers the great age of Dutch and Flemish painting which took place during a long period of stability in the Low Countries. We proceed to the German states where, after decades of war and chaos, peace and stability meant that large-scale artistic projects could be undertaken once again. The final lecture takes us to England where, after the return of Charles II from exile in France, the English Restoration marked an outburst of pent-up energy following the austere years of Cromwell’s Commonwealth. We conclude with the Baroque in France, where, as in Italy, we find masters in every field of artistic expression: painting, architecture, sculpture, literature and music.

Lecture titles

  1. Introducing the Baroque: Mediterranean masterpieces in Italy and Spain
  2. Developments in Flanders, the Netherlands and the German states
  3. Grand finale: England and France

TO BOOK: https://www.webtickets.co.za/performance.aspx?itemid=1575237679

Elizabeth Handley

Elizabeth Handley taught practical music, played the harpsichord and flute in various Baroque ensembles, and sang in Richard Cock’s choir. She was a programme compiler and music producer at the SABC, and then assistant to an impresario organising the concert tours of overseas artists throughout Southern Africa. Before relocating to Sweden, she presented pre-concert talks for the JPO. For many years she has been teaching musical history and appreciation to adults, first in SA, and more recently in Stockholm. She currently tutors English in Stockholm, and is the editor of her own online culture-travel magazine: www.joiedevivremagazine.com