Spectacles, Patronage, and Jesuits in Baroque Rome (Week 4)
Jimmy Guardiola
It's hard to believe that we finished our last day of classes in Rome. In some ways, it seems we just got here and I'm no where near ready to leave. In others, looking back, it seems our visits to the Colosseum or even Pompeii were ages ago. Nevertheless, it has been an amazing time and experience and I am so grateful to have been a part of it. We finally wrapped up the tail end of the Baroque period where again we focused on Bernini and now his rival Borromini.
We started in Piazza Barberini to look at Bernini's first fountain work in Rome. The sculpture work is that of Triton, the son of Neptune. He is depicted as a merman, a being the the torso of a man and the legs of a fish or sea creature. We see his scaly, curvy legs slender down his pedestal. He sits on top the combined tail fins, forming a platform, of the large fish beneath him. In the pedestal, we see the triple tiara of the Pope, papal keys, and the famous Bernini bees. we see the pedestal curve and flail out to become the fish heads at the bottom supporting the structure. This work was inspired by a poem given to Bernini by Pope Urban VIII. It is about Triton and describes his crooked trumpet, in the form of the conch he is shown holding in the fountain, and how he calls to to summon the sea with great power. From the conch that Triton is blowing, water spews out with tremendous force. This showcases Bernini's intense attention to detail to create a magnificent water work that has drawn people for hundreds of years.
Next we went to see Chiesa di Santa Maria della Vittoria just a short walk northeast of the Triton Fountain. There we many great works in this baroque church but again, we were here to talk about Bernini. Located in the left transept, called the Cornaro Chapel, of the church is Bernini's great sculpture of The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. The story goes that Saint Teresa had a vision of an angel visiting her. The angle held a gold spear and proceeded to stab Teresa's heart. At that moment she experienced great pain but simultaneously that pain manifested into an intense, burning love for God and thus sparked her devout faith. In the sculpture we see an angel standing over Teresa with the spear taken out of her. The angel is smiling and Teresa is seen lying on the floor. She seems to be letting out an intense moan, both of pain and love. In the background we see golden beams rain down, representing the sun and the warmth of God's love
Next we went to explore Borromini. We went to the church San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane. This was a church in which Borromini had completely control over during its construction, something he thrived for. We see most jarring is how curvy and exaggerated the shape of the facade is. Next, looking up we see and oval shaped dome with many interlocking shapes of hexagons, octagons, crosses and small trapezoids. It is a brilliant example of symmetry and gives a sense of perfection. Even to those unaware of art and shapes and patterns can feel its perfection resonates through the church. His use of shapes is similar to how a musician would use chords to resonate perfect pitches in a performance hall.
These were the location I found most interesting as the sculpture work and architecture were breathtaking all around. This makes a wonderful end to the amazing experience I had in Rome. I hope to come back to see all that I couldn't see. I have learned o much over this month about the complexity that went into the art found all across this wonderful city.
It's hard to believe that we finished our last day of classes in Rome. In some ways, it seems we just got here and I'm no where near ready to leave. In others, looking back, it seems our visits to the Colosseum or even Pompeii were ages ago. Nevertheless, it has been an amazing time and experience and I am so grateful to have been a part of it. We finally wrapped up the tail end of the Baroque period where again we focused on Bernini and now his rival Borromini.
We started in Piazza Barberini to look at Bernini's first fountain work in Rome. The sculpture work is that of Triton, the son of Neptune. He is depicted as a merman, a being the the torso of a man and the legs of a fish or sea creature. We see his scaly, curvy legs slender down his pedestal. He sits on top the combined tail fins, forming a platform, of the large fish beneath him. In the pedestal, we see the triple tiara of the Pope, papal keys, and the famous Bernini bees. we see the pedestal curve and flail out to become the fish heads at the bottom supporting the structure. This work was inspired by a poem given to Bernini by Pope Urban VIII. It is about Triton and describes his crooked trumpet, in the form of the conch he is shown holding in the fountain, and how he calls to to summon the sea with great power. From the conch that Triton is blowing, water spews out with tremendous force. This showcases Bernini's intense attention to detail to create a magnificent water work that has drawn people for hundreds of years.
Next we went to see Chiesa di Santa Maria della Vittoria just a short walk northeast of the Triton Fountain. There we many great works in this baroque church but again, we were here to talk about Bernini. Located in the left transept, called the Cornaro Chapel, of the church is Bernini's great sculpture of The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. The story goes that Saint Teresa had a vision of an angel visiting her. The angle held a gold spear and proceeded to stab Teresa's heart. At that moment she experienced great pain but simultaneously that pain manifested into an intense, burning love for God and thus sparked her devout faith. In the sculpture we see an angel standing over Teresa with the spear taken out of her. The angel is smiling and Teresa is seen lying on the floor. She seems to be letting out an intense moan, both of pain and love. In the background we see golden beams rain down, representing the sun and the warmth of God's love
Next we went to explore Borromini. We went to the church San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane. This was a church in which Borromini had completely control over during its construction, something he thrived for. We see most jarring is how curvy and exaggerated the shape of the facade is. Next, looking up we see and oval shaped dome with many interlocking shapes of hexagons, octagons, crosses and small trapezoids. It is a brilliant example of symmetry and gives a sense of perfection. Even to those unaware of art and shapes and patterns can feel its perfection resonates through the church. His use of shapes is similar to how a musician would use chords to resonate perfect pitches in a performance hall.
These were the location I found most interesting as the sculpture work and architecture were breathtaking all around. This makes a wonderful end to the amazing experience I had in Rome. I hope to come back to see all that I couldn't see. I have learned o much over this month about the complexity that went into the art found all across this wonderful city.
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