Germain Bazin: Baroque and rococo

Baroque and Rococo art and architecture have become popular once more, after a century and a half of neglect, misunderstanding and scorn. This radical shift in taste has led to a rapid growth of detailed knowledge about the artists who created these exhilarating styles. The famous masters have been reassessed and whole areas of achievement – Italian Baroque painting, German Rococo architecture – have been brought to a new, enthusiastic public. Germain Bazin's engrossing survey of this rich subject ranges over all Europe and traces the origins and effects of Baroque and Rococo – from the Counter-Reformation to Neoclassicism, Exoticism and even Art Nouveau.
‘He writes with a Gallic verve and grace which are very successfully conveyed through Mr Jonathan Griffin's translation .... His observations upon painters and painting are particularly acute’ (The Connoisseur)