Movement in stone: Bernini

By far my all time favorite sculptor is Gian Lorenzo Bernini. We will see a LOT of Bernini on this trip, even if we don't intentionally seek it out - it is everywhere in Rome, inside and out. Baroque art is not usually at the top of my list due to the overabundance of, well, everything. However, the sculptures created by Bernini are luscious, lively and intriguing. The figures in stone feel as though they are alive underneath a marble veneer waiting to break free. The flowing lines and graceful movement reach back to ancient Greek Hellenistic sculpture, but with even more polished detail. It baffles me how someone created something out of stone that nearly has the illusion that it could, at any moment, take a breath and start a conversation with you. Here is an article that references his accomplishments. Here is an editorial on his use of human sexuality in sculpture - particularly sculpture commissioned by Cardinals and Popes. He apparently lived by the mantra: “Those who never dare to break the rules never surpass them.” I'll drink to that!

Apollo and Daphne - Borghese Museum