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I saw in his hand a long spear of gold, and at the iron's point there seemed to be a li7le fire. He appeared to me to be thrus<ng it at <mes into my heart, and to pierce my very entrails; when he drew it out, he seemed to draw them out also, and to leave me all on fire with a great love of God. The pain was so great, that it made me moan; and yet so surpassing was the sweetness of this excessive pain, that I could not wish to be rid of it. The soul is sa<sfied now with nothing less than God. The pain is not bodily, but spiritual; though the body has its share in it. It is a caressing of love so sweet which now takes place between the soul and God, that I pray God of His goodness to make him experience it who may think that I am lying 2
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Bernini the sculptor Like Michelangelo he was a man of many talents architecture and sculpture His sculpture is expansive, theatrical and the element of <me usually plays an important role in it His David differs fundamentally - Michelangelo shows David before the ac<on and Donatello aoerwards Bernini chose to show the combat itself capturing the split second of maximum ac<on. He is caught in the moment where he is launching the stone into the air Whereas the Greek Discuss thrower captures a moment of s<llness before ac<on Bernini selected the most drama<c pose of a sequence of mo<on causing the viewer to become enraptured at the peek of the plot Michelangelo shows us a figure perfectly beau8ful. And so we have the full flowering of the Renaissance idea that man is created in God's image. Bernini shows us David ac8vely figh8ng Goliath - - with God on his side. Perhaps the way the church itself felt as they were badling against Luther. Michelangelo is asking us to sit and contemplate the incredible beauty of David, and through contempla8ng beauty, and the beauty of man, God's greatest crea8on, we come to know God. So, we could say that the path to God in the Renaissance was through the mind The Path to God in the Baroque Era: On the other hand, the path to God in the Baroque era is much more direct, more emo8onal, more bodily, and that of course relates to the embadled posi8on of the Church, which felt as though it needed to appeal very directly to the faithful The Baroque statues seems to be moving through <me and space The diagonal line immediately suggests movement and energy and drama - - very different from the immobility of the pyramid shape! NO NEED FOR CONTRAPOSTO It s unrestrained ac<on moves into our space and requires space around it David s face is not calm ra<onal and composed His expression is one of intense physical concentra<on on the ac<on he is an ac8on hero or a major league pitcher winding up to throw a 95 miles an hour fastball magnifying the drama<c impact of the sculpture David is the church s warrior, with God on his side he will defeat his enemies the protestant here8cs who try to stop the truly faithful. 6
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Saint Teresa She converted to Catholicism aoer the death of her father, which brought on a spiritual experience Saint Teresa a nun who was canonized in part because of the spiritual visions she experienced. She lived during the middle of the 16th century in Spain height of the Reforma<on. She fell into a series of trances, saw visions and heard voices. Teresa experienced a persistent pain which she likened to the fire 8pped arrow of divine love that an angel repeatedly thrust into her heart. The pain both physical and spiritually upliving Bernini Bernini was a devout Catholic, and understood Igna<us belief that the theatricality and sensory impact of the art would uplio and transport the spirit of the viewer and thus help increase devo<on, piety and faith in the church Bernini had studied theater produc<on and design, and designed this chapel much like a theater itself The chapel became a theater for the produc8on of this mys8cal drama mys8cal and spiritual experience were used by the church as a tes8mony of the Catholic Church s importance and favor in the eyes of God The niche in which it all takes place appears as the stage in front of the curtain capped with a broken pediment and ornamented with luxurious marble The curtain is drawn back to reveal Teresa illuminated by drama<c heavenly light We see her enraptured in the moment of spiritual pleasure like the David sculpture it is the peak of the drama Spiritual and physical passion cause her to swoon as the angel pieces her heart with divine love thus the church can enliven the senses and bring a divine pleasure to man The family of Cardinal Cornaro watch from the side balconies as if they are at the theater Behind them Bernini created illusion of architectur. It feels as though we've got the best seats in the house! This is a typical feature of Baroque art breaking down the barrier between the work and the viewer, to involve us. 8
Overview Originally Bernini was not invited to submit and entry for this commission because Pope Innocent associated the ar<st with Pope Urban who spent so much on art he nearly bankrupted the church Bernini snuck in a model an the Pope could not refuse him The fountain is in the Piazza Navona in front of the Pope s family palace Visual and Historical Analysis It is a gro7o suppor<ng a large and ancient obelisk the obelisk is taken from the circus of the Emperor Maxen<us on the Via Appia 4 statues personifying the 4 major rivers of the con<nents of world hold up the obelisk They twist the ges<culate with Baroque drama The Nile (Africa) covers his face because at this <me they did not know the source of the river The Rio de la Plata (America) has a hoard of coins symbolizing the wealth of the New World The Ganges (Asia) holds an oar signifying that it is easily navigated The Danube (Europe) awesruck, reaches up to the Papal coat of arms A 9
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The Old Saint Peter s had a large square courtyard or atrium In 585 Pope Sixtus V brought in an Egyp<an Obelisk as a symbol of Chris<an triumph in Rome Bernini was given the task of crea<ng a new piazza entry- way that would accommodate both the obelisk and the church s new façade and fountains He did so by crea<ng two large oval colonnade (each made of 4 rows of columns) which end in small temples that reflect the church s temple like facade The colonnades extend like arms that will embrace all who enter the piazza this dran<c gesture symbolizes the welcome the Church gave its members during the counter reforma<on The Welcoming Arms of Saint Peters 11
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