Bernini Marble Sculptures

Every time i m in rome i make a pilgrimage to the borghese to see it.

Bernini marble sculptures. Bernini s sensual awareness of the surface textures of skin and hair and his novel sense of shading broke with the tradition of michelangelo and marked the emergence of a new period in. The story goes that she was taken by pluto who was the ruler of the underworld. It shows the abduction of proserpina an ancient roman goddess. A perfect example of the way bernini combined sculpture and architecture it depicts the rapture of st teresa of avila at the moment when an angel pierces her heart with the golden arrow of divine love.

The billowing robes and the golden light are typical of the artist s fusion of marble and gilt. But on this trip a visit to see apollo and daphne isn t enough. Apollo and daphne is a life sized baroque marble sculpture by italian artist gian lorenzo bernini executed between 1622 and 1625 housed in the galleria borghese in rome the work depicts the climax of the story of apollo and daphne phoebus and daphne in ovid s metamorphoses. Mostly i m keeping an eye out for bernini sculptures particularly apollo and daphne a sculpture so delicate and alive it s hard to believe it s carved from marble not from snow.

Bernini depicted david dressed in typical shepherd s attire with the armor of israel s king saul given to david for battle and his harp lying beneath. Bernini s insistence that beauty should be found in observing humans and nature instead of studying classical statues or renaissance paintings was a move away from the traditional ways of creating work. These marble works show an unparalleled virtuosity in carving that obdurate material to achieve the delicate effects usually found only in bronze sculptures. The sculptor of the roman baroque.

A life size marble sculpture david is a portrait of the biblical david as he prepares to throw a stone that would defeat goliath. This work displays bernini s technical brilliance and innovation in his manipulation of marble as the folds of teresa s robes rather than the controlled folds of classical sculptures are shown whirling around teresa contributing to the sense of movement. Another piece commissioned by cardinal scipione borghese it still resides in the galleria borghese. The following is a list of works of sculpture architecture and painting by the italian baroque artist gian lorenzo bernini the numbering follows rudolph wittkower s catalogue first published in 1955 in gian lorenzo bernini.

The rape of proserpina is another bernini sculpture made from marble sculpted between 1621 and 1622.