Historical Foundations of Visual Technology Workbook
8 Photography
The Baroque Era is characterized by architecture that has been called ornate and theatrical. As a counter
to the austerity of the Protestant Reformation, Catholic churches in this era tended to become more heavily
decorated. Architecture and sculpture became more suffused with variety, brilliance, and emotion as
evidenced by the works of Boromini, Bernini and Gaulli. The Baroque era faded with the Rococo period,
in which dainty decorations replaced bolder extravagances. Tastes in art in Protestant countries were more
subdued and sober, and portraiture continued to be the preferred form of art in England. "Historical painting,"
documenting events of the recent past came into vogue in the late 18th century as the American and French
revolutions challenged royal privilege. Art became polarized between conservative neo-classical adherents
in established academies and "revolutionaries" who experimented with content, color and light. Technology
continued to expand the palette and, in the 1830's, to produce the means to make images without an artist's
hand through photography.
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