Twisted Columns: The History of Baroque Architecture



Overview

The highly decorative and eccentric movement of Baroque architecture has always been dismissed as excessively dark and ornated. This course will dive into the sophisticated side of Baroque architecture that had its epicentre in seventeenth century Rome. It coincided with the Catholic, counter-reformation and its style would never be detached from religion. This course will retrace the history of Baroque architecture starting from Michelangelo mannerism in Rome. It will detailly look into regional variations, the Italian Baroque in Rome, Turin and Sicily, the palaces in France, the courts in Spain. It will enquire in the more cautions English Baroque under the work by Nicholas Hawksmoor, John Vanbrugh, and James Gibbs.

The course will insist on Baroque exceptional features, the use of internal spaces, masses, oval shapes, and twisted columns, ending in highly crafted scenography architectures. Finally, it will discuss the last tail of Baroque, the sclerotization of its forms into the excesses of Rococo architecture.

Programme details

Course begins: 24th Apr 2025

Week 1: The origins of Baroque Architecture. Rome and the Counter-Reformation.

Week 2: Roman Baroque 1: from Michelangelo Mannerism to Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

Week 3: Roman Baroque 2: Francesco Borromini, Giacomo Da Vignola.

Week 4: Italian Baroque: Torino and Sicily in the name of Guarino Guarini, Filippo Juvarra, and Angelo Italia.

Week 5: French Baroque: the architecture of the court, palace of Versailles by Louis Le Vau, Jules Hardouin-Mansart, and Robert de Cotte.

Week 6: German Baroque: Dresden and Potsdam.

Week 7: Spanish Baroque: Toledo and Madrid.

Week 8: British Baroque: from Christopher Wren to Nicholas Hawksmoor, John Vanbrugh, and Thomas Archer.

Week 9: British Baroque: Blenheim Palace visit.

Week 10: Late Baroque to Rococo. Conclusions.

Certification

To complete the course and receive a certificate, you will be required to attend at least 80% of the classes on the course and pass your final assignment. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £285.00
Take this course for CATS points £30.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Daria Ricchi

Daria Ricchi is an architectural writer and historian. She holds her Ph.D. in history and theory from Princeton University, and she is a Senior Lecturer at Oxford Brookes Universtiy in the School of Architecture. She is working on the role of history in the practice of architecture.   

Course aims

The aim of the course is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the historic, religious, and socio-pollical reasons behind Baroque Architecture.

Course objectives:

1. To distinguish Baroque architecture from earlier and later architecture;

2. To recognise stylistic features of Baroque architecture;

3. To understand the difference variations of Baroque architecture in Europe and the UK;

4. To show the importance of masses and space in the making and reading of the built environment.

Teaching methods

The class consists of frontal lectures and discussion of readings.

 

 

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be expected to:

_ recognize stylistic features that distinguish Baroque architecture;

_ distinguish the different variations of Baroque architecture in Europe and the UK;

_ read space instead of facades.

 

Assessment methods

Students will be asked a 300 words proposal to be submitted by week 5, and a final 2000 words paper.

Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work the required standard.

Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form

Application

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment Form (Word) or Enrolment Form (Pdf)

Level and demands

The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)

To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support