I like the idea that the concept of the Baroque breaks the linearity of history from Helen Hills’ work. Before the Baroque period, I feel that the progression of artworks and styles almost follows an undeviating pattern; artists were able to craft increasingly realistic and naturalistic works from the Greek and Roman period to the Renaissance. However, in some sense, the focus of the Baroque shifts away from naturalism and instead experiments with movement, emotion, and foreign aesthetics. As we have talked about in class, I think the third component is really special to the Baroque period, as it was the first time that Europeans came into contact with Asia and the Americas, thus realizing the broader world that they could not imagine before. When we talk about the Baroque artworks, we must also consider the social context they were born in.
Although the global has become a village since then, we can still find many examples of cultural integration today. General Tso’s Chicken is a famous Chinese dish in the United States, but it can be barely found in China. The dish was actually created by a Taiwanese chef to suit the taste of American people, which bears resemblance to the religious artworks made in Africa and Asia for European patrons during the Baroque period. However, I think we have made some noticeable progression in intercultural communication since the Baroque period: whereas Europe served as the “leader” in cultural exchanges and treated other cultures as exotic and strange in the past, now people learn to respect cultural differences and become more inclusive.