How did Baroque architecture create a sense of movement?

Baroque architecture created a sense of movement through several deliberate design strategies intended to heighten drama, sensuality, and emotional impact.12

Key techniques used to achieve this dynamic quality include:

• Complex Spatial Planning: Architects favored complex plan shapes, often based on the oval, and utilized the dynamic opposition and interpenetration of spaces rather than the static, stable, and defined geometry of the High Renaissance.12
• Curvaceousness and Surface Treatment: The style is characterized by curvaceous forms, twisting elements, and elaborate, contrasting surface textures. This positive molding of space invited participation and provided multiple, changing views as one moved through the building.12
• Integration of the Arts: Architecture, painting, and sculpture were integrated into unified decorative ensembles. Painting became illusionistic, often dissolving ceilings into vivid, infinite scenes that directed the viewer’s senses toward heavenly concerns.2
• Dramatic Lighting: Architects employed hidden light sources and intense contrasts between light and shadow to enliven forms and create a sense of immediacy.2

By focusing on directionality and movement, Baroque buildings were designed to dominate their environment and command the viewer's experience, contrasting with the passive, contemplative nature of earlier architectural styles.2