21/08/2007. Rome day one: Galleria Borghese. Bernini.

When we went to the Galleria Borghese I was not aware of how many Bernini sculptures I was going to get to see. I have learned about so many of them through my art history classes and they were so much more amazing to see in person. As I went from room to room and saw each Bernini I started to remember why he was such a great sculptor and what his style was like. Stylistically, Bernini was very interested in portraying the action of the moment. This is very consistent with the Baroque style of the time, which utilized motion to create drama. Unlike Michelangelo, for example, whose sculptures were often contemplative. Bernini caught the action in his sculptures, which is a difficult thing to do especially when working with marble. In each sculpture you could see the consistency in his manner of work.

I think one of the sculptures that I found the most interesting was the Apollo and Daphne. The main reason for this is because I absolutely love the way that Bernini sculpted the form of Daphne. The story is that of Apollo whom is trying to capture Daphne and right at the moment when he would have succeeded, she turns into a tree. They way he showed her fingers turning into leaves and branches (which look very fragile like branches) and the front of her body turning into the trunk of the tree. To see her body, not quite a tree and yet not completely a human form either is really impressive. It’s such a thrilling piece to see in person.

The piece that I was the most amazed at was the Rape of Persephone. The first time I saw this piece, I recognized it as being Bernini and something that I had previously studied. I found the tension in the work to be stunning and you could really imagine that this event had actually taken place and Bernini had sculpted it right at the moment. Hades is seen as being very muscular and is forcefully taking Persephone down to Hades with him. Bernini did not miss one detail, the tears running down her face, the twisting of her body as she desperately tries to escape his grasp. It is in this twisting of her body that the handiwork of Bernini is really seen. There is one place to the right of the sculptor, where Hades is clutching Persephone’s upper thigh and it looks completely real. I have never seen marble look like that before. It is like you can actually feel the tightness of his grip on your own body. The feeling of his fingers as they dig down into your flesh.

Bernini’s David was also evidence of his use of the moment. Very unlike Michelangelo’s David, Bernini’s is sculpted in the moment right as he is flinging the rock at Goliath. Michelangelo’s David is depicted moments before he is about to launch the rock and because of this, David is shown as being very contemplative and almost worried. Bernini’s is quite different. His David is fully twisted in the motion of slinging the rock at Goliath. His body is contorted, his face is fierce with courage and you almost half expect him to continue the motion to completion. There is no contemplation because there is no time for it. David had to kill Goliath right now, or he himself will be killed.

The great part about Bernini’s sculptures is that they convey a moment of distress and action. It is very rare to see a sculptor whom shows his subjects in this manner. It is really refreshing, even given the age of these sculptures to see someone who tried something different and challenged himself to work in a way I do not think any one else had previously.