Abstract

This essay proposes to adopt the concept of Iperbaroque as an interpretive category to frame 21st-century cultural phenomena and taste. Iperbaroque is an extension (not a contradiction) of the concept of Neobaroque developed by critics of the late 20th century. Neobaroque posited a return to the taste of the 17th century. Iperbaroque confirms that the traits of the Neobaroque are still prevalent, but asserts that in the 21st century they have reached levels of intensity and complexity that exceed even those of the 17th century. The essay tests this hypothesis on rebuses of the last decades. The rebus is selected as a representative of the taste for indirect allusion of the 17th century and as a popular form of entertainment in today’s world. The essay demonstrates that modern rebuses can be understood through Tesauro’s writings about enigmas (showing a connection with the Baroque), but also embody Tesauro’s ideals better than 17th-century proto-rebuses did. Modern rebuses are therefore showed to be more Baroque than their Baroque counterparts – in an Iperbaroque, rather than Neobaroque, perspective.