Power of opulence: Baroque culture as communication structure

The presentation will reflect upon the methodological challenges of reconstructing the politics of opulence in the Baroque culture of 17th-18th century Europe. How can the theses of cultural turns, especially of performative turn be applied to the multimedial culture of European Baroque? Where to start? How can interdisciplinary analysis of political discourse of absolutism be linked to the history of communication and theory of art styles? How are we to define Baroque? As a style or a cultural period with its own agenda of power, body and voice? These and other issues will be included into an analysis of Baroque which was long time denied its own autonomous value in the history of culture. The major issue analysed will be the political communication of absolutism courts of Europe in its variety, stating that aesthetical categories had been applied to politics. Discourse analysis, defining culture as multimedia semiotic space. European music theatre  its major genre opera will be analysed using the frame of performative turn, defining opera as social drama displaying cultural meanings, defining power institutes in their performativity (festivals, Festzug, festa teatrale etc.).Various operas of the 17 and 18th century will be analysed as message and media. New theses on the communication structures of Baroque courts in ear;y absolutism period. The Baroque culture is intense aesthetisation of political communication of 17th and 18th century absolutism courts. Various communication tools, such as opera, were used to create new type of sacral image of rulers, linked to Greek mythology.