Rome, as you know, oozes with artistic masterpieces. Some are by famous artists, and in some cases (especially those from ancient Rome) the artists are unknown. It’s hard to walk anywhere without stumbling upon something that catches the eye or makes you gasp. All of these artists over the centuries have contributed to making Rome the city it is. It would be difficult, or even impossible, to pick one single artist over all the others.
But we will. Not in the sense that our choice is the greatest artist in Rome (though he might be). Just in the sense that we always associate Rome with one artist in particular: Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Born in Naples in 1598, he was recognised early on as having special talent. In 1606 his father, Pietro, himself a sculptor, received a papal commission and so moved the family to Rome. From then until his death Bernini rarely left Rome, where his talents were much in demand by popes and cardinals. He is perhaps best known for his sculpture and architectural designs. But he was also a painter (there are a couple of his sketches in the Borghese) and writer (primarily for the theatre), and he designed lots of everyday objects.
Our favourites of his many architectural projects are the Piazza San Pietro (above). This is the massive public space that fronts St Peter’s Basilica, with curved porticos, four columns deep, said to symbolise the embracing arms of the Catholic church. His achievement is all the more impressive given what was there: the earlier space is fairly traditional, and even haphazard. Bernini’s square is unifying and grand beyond belief.
Just as impressive (and perhaps more moving) is one of Bernini’s last projects, the Church of Sant’Andrea al Quirinale. We discovered this one only recently but goodness, what a beauty! Where Piazza San Pietro is grand, Sant’Andrea is small. From the street facade, you think it will be a small narrow church. Only Bernini made the interior circular so the sense of space is immense, enhanced by a spectacular central dome. The image of Sant’Andrea (done after Bernini’s time) has him ascending into heaven, an effect made more marvellous by the dome.
For sculpture it’s virtually impossible to choose a favourite, so we choose three. And no surprises here, as they’re among the most famous sculptures in Baroque art. First, ‘St Teresa in Ecstasy’ in the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria. Here Bernini has sculpted the moment that Teresa documents in her autobiography, when she says she saw an angel with an arrow of gold that pierced her and caused her simultaneously pain and pleasure. And Bernini’s portrait of her depicts that moment in highly eroticised fashion. Perhaps just as astonishing is the composition of the lower part of the sculpture with its intermingling of Teresa’s sinking body and the folds of her robes. Her body seems to be almost entirely without form and to melt into the rocks.
Our other two are both in the Galleria Borghese and are not Christian, but inspired by Greek myth. The first, ‘The Abduction of Persephone’ (Proserpina in Latin and Italian), depicts the moment that the god of the underworld, Pluto (Greek Hades), seizes the girl, who pushes against the side of his head in an attempt to escape. The hound of the underworld, Cerberus, with open mouth growls up at her from the other side. The statue, made of Carrara marble, contains astonishing details, such as the impress of Pluto’s hand upon Persephone’s thigh.
Finally, perhaps the most amazing of all: Apollo and Daphne. Like the previous sculpture this is based on a tale from Greek myth, in which the god Apollo pursues the young Daphne against her will. She in turn prays to her father to save her somehow, and her salvation comes at a high price, (she becomes a, or the, laurel tree). Bernini captures the beginning of the transformation, with Apollo laying hold of the human girl, who is already turning into a tree, with leaves emerging from her hands, a bark beginning to grow about her body, and her toes already turning into roots.
There are, of course, so many other works of Bernini throughout Rome. But these are our favourites – at least until our next trip!
