During the baroque period, architecture and the other fine arts were the instruments of a staging of "world theater" on a grand scale. The baroque art of the pope sin Rome, the displays of power and opulence in the court of the Sun King, Louis XIV, and Dutch painting -they all reflect different aspects of the underlying tension between pleasure in life and fear of death that was such a prominent feature of the baroque world view. The Essence of Culture: Baroque portrays the entire span of the fine arts of the baroque era, from rich splendour to religious asceticism. AUTHOR: For this work, editor Rolf Toman has gathered contributions from seven renowned authors with great expertise in the fields of architecture and art history to work with him. Taken as a whole, they give us a multi-faceted picture of baroque art in all its forms. SELLING POINTS: Chronological depiction of the fine arts from their origins in Rome through the late baroque and rococo Explanation of the sociopolitical background: the Counter- Reformation, the development of Protestantism, absolutism, and the French Revolution Various ways the baroque left its mark, including city planning, architecture, garden design, sculpture, painting, and emblems 500 colour photographs.