A visual journey through faith and art
Italian Institute of Culture, 11 Fitzwilliam Square East, Dublin 2Monday-Friday from 11 am to 5 pm.This exhibition celebrates
the Italian Baroque and presents a selection of artistic and
architectural masterpieces produced during one of the most important,
controversial and misunderstood periods of Italian and European art
history. Italian Baroque, in stark contrast with the quiet symmetry and
perfect geometric proportions of the Renaissance, was characterised by
the use of the curved line, sinuous ellipses and spirals and by an
exaltation of complex polycentric curves.
Astonishing in its complexity, the extreme virtuosities of its works
were conceived to amaze and entertain. The Baroque was also exemplified
by the horror vacui: every inch of the painted, sculptural or
architectural surface was richly decorated and embellished, giving the
whole a sense of density, dimensionality and lavish richness.The
Baroque in Italy is presented through a charming and surprising
collection of photographs, with a selection of regional examples from
Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Tuscany, Emilia Romagna, Lazio, Campania,
Basilicata, Sicily and Sardinia. There is a special concentration on
Puglia, a veritable open-air museum of the most enchanting pieces of
Baroque art, with particular attention to the most valuable
architectural works in Foggia, Bari, Taranto, Brindisi, Lecce and their
territory.
On the occasion of this exhibition we would like to invite the
contemporary European visitor to celebrate with us the magnificence of
the unconventional, creative, innovative beauty of the Baroque style in
Italy.