BAROQUE ART
In fine art, the term Baroque (derived from the Portuguese 'barocco'
meaning, 'irregular pearl or stone') describes a fairly complex idiom,
originating in Rome, which flowered during the period c.1590-1720, and
which embraced painting, and sculpture as well as architecture. After the
idealism of the Renaissance (c.1400-1530), and the slightly 'forced'
nature of Mannerism (c.1530-1600), Baroque art above all reflected the
religious tensions of the age - notably the desire of the Catholic Church
in Rome (as annunciated at the Council of Trent, 1545-63) to reassert
itself in the wake of the Protestant Reformation. Thus it is almost
synonymous with Catholic Counter-Reformation Art of the period.
RENAISSANCE