Final answer:
Baroque was a term used by historians to highlight the ornate and complex qualities in seventeenth-century art, music, and literature. Initially seen as bizarre and misshapen, it eventually became the term used to describe the entire historical period characterized by intense piety, dramatic colors, and the use of light and theatrical poses.
Step-by-step explanation:
By using the term "baroque," historians were calling attention to the ornate and complex qualities present in many examples of seventeenth-century art, music, and literature.
Originally seen as bizarre and misshapen by eighteenth-century critics, the term eventually came to designate the historical period as a whole, characterized by a blend of secular and religious forces, intense piety, dramatic colors, and the use of light and theatrical physical poses.