Baroque architecture emerged in Italy in the late 16th century and spread across Europe and Latin America by the 17th century. It was initially used by the Catholic Church to assert dominance over Protestantism but later demonstrated absolute royal power through grand palaces. Two influential Baroque architects were Bernini and Borromini. Examples of outstanding Baroque architecture include churches like San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane in Rome and secular buildings like the Palace of Versailles. Rococo style originated in 18th century Paris as a lighter, more elegant and ornate alternative to Louis XIV's grand Baroque style at Versailles, using flowing, naturalistic designs. Walls, ceilings and moldings in the Rococo style were decorated with intricate curves and counter

1. BAROQUE AND ROCOCO
Baroque architecture covered the period between the late 16th and
mid-18th century. I t evolved out of Renaissance architecture in I taly. The
architectural style which emerged in I taly soon spread to the rest of
Europe and by the 17th century, Spanish Baroque style reached Latin
America. Initially used to express the triumph of the Roman Catholic
Church over Protestant Reformation, the architectural style later also
came to be used as a visual demonstration of absolutist regime in
the form of magnificent palaces. The two main architects of the
Baroque era were Bernini and Borromini. There are 10 masterpieces
of Baroque architecture, both religious and secular. Firstly San Carlo
alle Quattro Fontane, Rome designed by one of the leading
Baroque architects Francesco Borromini is one of the finest examples of
Baroque architecture. Next is the St. Peter's Square, Vatican. I t is
imposing colonnades with 140 statues of saints are the work of Gian
Lorenzo Bernini. Following by Les Invalides in Paris, Palace of Versailles
in Versailles, Karlskirche in Vienna, Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, St
Paul's Cathedral in London, Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg,
Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Western Façade and
Zacatecas Cathedral in Zacatecas. Moreover, in order to fulfill its
propagandist role, Catholic-inspired Baroque art tended to be
large-scale works of public art, such as monumental wall-paintings
and huge frescoes for the ceilings and vaults of palaces and churches.
Rococo style, style in interior design, the decorative arts, painting,
architecture, and sculpture that originated in Paris in the early 18th
century but was soon adopted throughout France and later in
other countries, principally Germany and Austria. I t is characterized
by lightness, elegance, and an exuberant use of curving, natural
forms in ornamentation. At the outset the Rococo style
represented a reaction against the ponderous design of Louis XIV’s Palace
of Versailles and the official Baroque art of his reign. Several interior
designers, painters, and engravers, among them Pierre Le Pautre, J.-A.
Meissonier, Jean Berain, and Nicolas Pineau, developed a lighter and more
intimate style of decoration for the new residences of nobles in Paris. In the
Rococo style, walls, ceilings, and moldings were decorated with delicate
interlacings of curves and countercurves based on the fundamental shapes of
the “C” and the “S,” as w ell as w ith shell forms and other natural shapes.