In the study of architectural history, one noticeable pattern is the apparent oscillation between different styles and languages. When a more restrained trend dominates, the subsequent one often reverts to more ornate motifs, and vice versa. It's crucial to acknowledge that this perceived 'flow' is only an impression; historical reality is invariably more intricate than records suggest, and the dominance of one style over another is an interpretation made by historians looking back from a future perspective. The Baroque style is a notable example of this phenomenon.
Baroque stands out from the preceding Renaissance in the historical evolution of styles. The Renaissance, grounded in classical proportions and symmetrical compositions, emphasized mathematical precision. In contrast, Baroque did not discard compositional principles or technical foundations but rather leveraged them to venture into more intricate, elaborate, and dynamic forms.
