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The Cultural movement of Baroque has often been identified with the that of Absolutism and the Counter Reformation, though the existence of important Baroque art and architecture in non-absolutist and Protestant states undercuts this unity.

• Painting

The Council of Trent (1545-63), in which the Roman Catholic Church answered many questions of internal reform raised by Protestants and those who remained inside the Catholic Church, addressed the representational arts by demanding that paintings and sculptures in church contexts should speak to the illiterate rather than to the well-informed. This turn toward a populist conception of the function of ecclesiastical art is seen by many art historians as driving the innovations of Caravaggio and the Carracci brothers, all of whom were working (and competing for commissions) in Rome around 1600.

• Sculpture

The most important sculptor of the Baroque period is undoubtedly Gianlorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), who approached Michelangelo in his omnicompetence. Bernini sculpted, worked as an architect, painted (though his painting is not now well-thought of), wrote plays, and staged spectacles. In the late 20th century Bernini was most valued for his sculpture.

/talk