Bernini’s Masterpieces: Baroque Sculpture and Artistry
Bernini’s Revolutionary Baroque Sculpture
Gian Lorenzo Bernini was a dominant personality whose inspiration came from Hellenistic models, characterized by a dynamic sense and sober realism. His artistic approach introduced intense emotion and dynamism, contrasting with the more placid forms often found in classical and Renaissance art.
Bernini’s David: A Baroque Masterpiece
Bernini’s David, a statue created between 1623 and 1624, powerfully contrasts its movement and expressive force with the static classical sense of Donatello or Michelangelo’s Mannerism. Executed in marble and life-sized, this sculpture depicts the future King David, a character from the Old Testament, in the pivotal scene where he defeats the giant Goliath by throwing a rock with a slingshot. Despite its Christian theme, this statue, among other similar works, serves to revive the classical theme of young Greek athletes, the kouros. Compared with previous versions of the subject, such as Michelangelo’s famous David, Bernini’s work exemplifies the paradigmatic qualities of Baroque sculpture.
Apollo and Daphne: Myth Transformed in Marble
Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne represents the myth of Daphne, whose Greek name means ‘laurel.’ Daphne was a nymph, daughter of the river god Peneus, who flowed through the region of Thessaly. The god Apollo, struck by one of Eros’s arrows, fell deeply in love with her, but she did not reciprocate his feelings and evaded him. As Apollo pursued her, she fled into the mountains. To escape, she implored her father, the river god Peneus, to transform her into a laurel tree. Her feet became rooted, and her limbs transformed into leafy branches. From that time forward, the laurel tree was devoted to the god Apollo and became his symbol.
The transformation, famously recounted by Ovid in his Metamorphoses, illustrates the origin of one of Apollo’s typical symbols: the laurel crown. Bernini captures Daphne’s transformation with intense emotion, portraying the different stages of her change. Similar to another of his works, The Rape of Proserpine, this sculpture invites viewer interaction. From behind Apollo, Daphne’s figure is initially hidden, revealing only the transforming tree. As one walks around the statue, a complete vision of the nymph’s metamorphosis unfolds.
The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa: Divine Rapture and Baroque Drama
The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, depicting the saint in full mystical rapture, is widely considered one of the greatest achievements of all Baroque art. Some modern critics have suggested that the religious experiences depicted, which result in a kind of syncope, hint at veiled orgasmic phenomena rather than purely spiritual encounters. In particular, Saint Teresa’s body posture and facial expression have led some to attribute her experience to a climax. While this theory can be intriguing, most serious scholars doubt that Bernini, a devout Baroque artist and practitioner of the mystical exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, would have intended to represent an episode of satisfied lust.
Instead, Bernini aimed to express the physical and facial equivalent of a state of divine joy, resulting in a transfiguring ‘coma’ or ‘Dream of God,’ a state common among mystics. The unity of architecture, theater, and sculpture found in this complex is also a hallmark of the Baroque style. The Holy Spirit is symbolized by a ‘bath of light’ or golden rays that surround the statue, emanating from hidden windows in the upper chapel, allowing the ‘sky’ to enter the church. The effects are truly dramatic.