At the end of the sixteenth century in Italy came to an artistic movement known as the Baroque. This trend included the architectural aesthetics, art and music, mainly. His influence spread to various countries of Europe during the seventeenth century it was considered the century baroque. In Italy, the Baroque architecture in particular stood out, with the artists Francesco Borromini and Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The latter has excelled through works such as the elliptical colonnade of St. Peter's Square and the interior decoration of the Vatican basilica, in addition to the sculpture Apollo and Dante, The Ecstasy of Santa Teresa and the Fountain of Four Rivers. Among the most prominent buildings are Borromini's church of Santa Ines and San Carlino alle Quattro Fontane, characterized by the dynamism of the structure, the curves of the walls and creativity of the spaces. The salient features in the visual arts were the great contrasts of light and shadow in the compositions, the prevalence of curved forms, the drama in the scenes and excessive ornamentation.
In Italy, highlighted by Michelangelo Caravaggio (The crucifixion of San Mateo) and Ludovico Carracci (The Rape of the Sabine Women). Among the highlights the mystical Spanish artists Francisco Zurbarán (The Glorification of St. Thomas Aquinas) and the courtier Diego Velasquez (Las Meninas) and others of renown.
Netherlandish painters were characterized by intimate and realistic tone of his paintings and post their pictures, while the Flemish artists created religious scenes. The former stressed Jan Vermeer, Frans Hals and Rembrandt Van Run. Among the highlight was Peter Paul Rubens Flemish.