Sicilian Baroque is the distinctive form of Baroque architecture that
took hold on the large island of Sicily off the southern Italian coast
in the 17th and 18th centuries. The style is recognisable not just by
its typical Baroque curves and flourishes, but by its grinning masks
and putti and a particular flamboyance that has given Sicily a unique
architectural identity. The Sicilian Baroque style came to fruition
during a major surge of rebuilding following a massive earthquake in
1693. Previously, the Baroque style had been used on the island in a
naive and parochial manner, having evolved from hybrid native
architecture rather than being derived from the great Baroque
architects of Rome. After the earthquake, local architects, many of
them trained in Rome, were given plentiful opportunities to recreate
the more sophisticated Baroque architecture that had become popular in
mainland Italy. Around 1730, Sicilian architects had developed a
confidence in their use of the Baroque style. Their particular
interpretation of this style led to its evolving further into a
personalised and highly localised art form on the island. From the
1780s onwards, the style was gradually replaced by the
newly-fashionable neoclassicism.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_Baroque
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1777:
Christmas Island, the oldest atoll in the world, was discovered by
Captain James Cook.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiritimati)
1865:
Confederate veterans founded the Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist
group.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ku_Klux_Klan)
1906:
Reginald Fessenden (pictured) transmitted the first radio broadcast.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reginald_Fessenden)
1914:
British and German soldiers interrupted World War I to celebrate
Christmas, beginning the Christmas truce.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce)
1974:
Cyclone Tracy destroyed most of Darwin, Australia.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone_Tracy)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the houseNot a
creature was stirring, not even a mouse;The stockings were hung by the
chimney with care,In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there. --
"A Visit from St. Nicholas" --
(
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/w%3AA_Visit_from_St._Nicholas)