Baroque Blog Post

  

I chose to write about OPTION 2: Is our society more Baroque or more Renaissance? Be specific in your answer. Justify it using the way we talked about both Baroque and Renaissance in class and using specific examples from contemporary society.

            I think our society has more to a baroque style to it. The people in our society are always trying to make everything bigger and better. We don’t need things to be bigger or better, but everyone still strives for it. Just like in the baroque time period, people today do things in excess just because they can. I feel like most people today aren’t content with what they have, and they just keep wanting more and more. Like in the baroque painting when they tried to fit as much as they could into one area, people do the same today. They try to fit as much into their lives as they can, which creates chaos, just like the baroque photos.

            I think one example of baroque style that is shown through our society is the city Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. These building have between 57-92 stories, and the tallest reaches up to 400 meters (1,310 ft). These towers were intended to “create a dramatic new landmark for Dubai.” And although these building contain offices, apartments, hotel rooms, and other services, the main reason these were built was for show. These buildings are a great example of how global society strives for more. These building did not need to be built, but the guy that built them did it just because he could. Another Baroque technique these buildings show is curves. Baroque paintings used a lot of curves to add variation. These building use curves for the same thing. Not many other buildings have been built like this, and that makes these building look different from other. The reason these building were built in curves was so they could look more unique. They were also built this way to add a dramatic effect, just like the baroque paintings did.

           Our society strives for bigger, better, more chaotic lives, just like baroque artists wanted in their paintings. These effects can be good, but can also be bad at times. If everyone is striving for “more” all the time, then nobody will ever be content with what they have. It can also be good because it is good to strive to be better, to push the limits. Our society is definitely more like Baroque than Renaissance.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1239480/Burj-Dubai-Tower-opens-claim-worlds-tallest-building-title.html