The Baroque Ideal
http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~tas3/baroqueideal.html#GodfatherMonteverdi
This site briefly describes the musical goals and ideals aspired to by composers of the time. Concepts presented include the role of education and music theory on composers and the public, basso continuo and the doctrine of the affections.

Baroque Art
http://witcombe.sbc.edu/ARTHbaroque.html
A comprehensive list of key visual artists for the period, their paintings, and links to the intellectual history of art for the period, can be viewed here.