APRIL 2009 » book review

Baroque Bliss

The Baroque Architecture of Sicily
by Maria Guiffrè
Thames & Hudson, Inc., New York, NY; 2008
287 pp; hardcover; 272 color photos; $95
ISBN 978-0-500-34239-8

Reviewed by Nicole V. Gagné

The development of Baroque architecture in Europe can be traced to early-17th-century Italy, when Renaissance architecture began to display a greater fascination with contrasts of light and shade, the expressive placement of color, and the dramatic possibilities of sculpted and painted ornament. Over the century, these innovations spread throughout Europe and were incorporated into palatial residences as well as sacred spaces.

In Sicily, however, the Baroque was somewhat slower in making its impact. Both Greek classicism and Gothic-inspired Norman design still played an essential role in the island's architecture – a reflection of Sicily's long history of colonization and foreign rule. (Not until 1860 did Sicily officially become part of the Kingdom of Italy.) Baroque architecture was fully embraced there only in the aftermath of perhaps the worst natural catastrophe ever to strike Sicily – the great earthquake of 1693, in which dozens of cities and hundreds of villages were damaged or destroyed outright, and more than 100,000 people lost their lives. In the massive efforts to rebuild the devastated regions, a door was opened to Baroque stylization, and it wasn't long before a more imaginative and personalized approach, a truly Sicilian profile, emerged in the treatment of this popular style.

This transformation in Sicilian design is the subject of an impressive new book published by Thames & Hudson. The Baroque Architecture of Sicily, with text by Maria Guiffrè and photographs by Melo Minnella, sets a new standard in the study of this neglected subject, both for its scholarly thoroughness and for the spectacular photographs that fill the pages of this handsome tome. Guiffrè, a professor at the School of Architecture, Palermo University, has all the firsthand knowledge necessary to take a detailed look at the deep cultural impact that the Baroque came to have in Sicily.

Unlike so many other coffee-table books that are all gloss and no meat, The Baroque Architecture of Sicily provides a fascinating and educational account of this rich architectural tradition. The depth and expertise of Guiffrè's text is matched by Minnella's superb pictures; together they give meaning and immediacy to a vital trend that remains something of a blank in most people's appreciation of Western European architecture. Guiffrè and Minnella give you a first-rate tour of some of Sicily's greatest treasures, always with a keen eye for drawing out the unusual aspects of the buildings in this not-unfamiliar design style.

Yes, all the salient features of Baroque architecture were prominent in Sicily's reconstruction. The broader and more circular forms, imposing central projections, dramatic contrasts of light and darkness, the blending of architecture and painting (ceiling frescoes, trompe l'oeil effects, etc.), and above all, an unshakable reliance upon ornamentation in stone, plaster, stucco and faux finishes – they're all there for readers to delight in. However, to these fundamentals, the architects, designers and builders of 18th-century Sicily added their own enthusiasm, and it is this uniqueness that Guiffrè and Minnella's book celebrates.

In both word and image, the pair gives loving attention to such Sicilian Baroque characteristics as the design of curved facades – some bulging aggressively, others an inviting concave, and even combinations of both, as with the undulating facade of the church of Sant'Antonio in Ferla. There's also the detailed ironwork in the Sicilian keenness for elaborate balconies. Vast exterior staircases make their appearance, sometimes direct, elsewhere split into complementary curves. Church campaniles can be enlivened by colorful majolica panels or tiles, sometimes in striking polychrome effects. And everywhere and always one can find putti (cherubic figures), for which the Sicilian artisans nursed a special fondness. Whether fully sculpted, relief carved, or painted, these merry little angels ornament endless surfaces, indoors and out.

Naturally, indigenous materials had their impact too: The ubiquity of Sicily's dark volcanic lava stone resulted in a new take on the Baroque interplay of light and shadow, as shades of grey and/or black stone were set in contrasting decorations, sometimes along with white plaster for an unexpected checkering, such as the highlighting of the arches and columns on the church of San Martino in Randazzo.

For too many Americans, familiarity with Sicilian architecture is limited to repeated viewings of Francis Ford Coppola's Godfather trilogy. That's why Maria Guiffrè and Melo Minnella's gorgeous new volume is so valuable. Sicily's Baroque buildings, both secular and scared, are one of the wonders of Western European architecture; and The Baroque Architecture of Sicily is a wonder of the early-21st-century architectural scholarship and appreciation. This is one offer you shouldn't refuse. TB

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