Galleria Borghese - Il Ratto di Proserpina & Apollo e Dafne
Gian Lorenzo Bernini (also spelled Gianlorenzo or Giovanni Lorenzo) (born Naples, December 7, 1598 - died Rome, November 28, 1680) was an Italian artist who worked mainly in Rome. He was the leading sculptor of his time, credited with creating the Baroque style in sculpture, and was also a prominent architect[1][2]. In addition, he also drew, wrote plays, worked in metal and designed perspectives.
#Art #GianLorenzoBernini #painting
This great work, completed in 1622, shows the abduction of a young woman,
Proserpina, by Pluto, god of the underworld.
He scoops her up and, despite her struggle,
carries her away before our eyes.
I love Bernini's attention to detail.
Pluto's fingers sink into Proserpina's flesh
and his brow twisted by her pushing hand.
So full of life and so, how do you say, sensuale.
In this sculpture, carved just a year or so later,
Bernini shows the god Apollo trying to rape a water nymph called Daphne.
According to myth, she cried out to her father, the river god,
to save her.
And at the last moment, he transformed her vulnerable flesh into a tree.
Bernini wanted Daphne to turn into a tree before our eyes.
As we walk around the sculpture, we see Daphne slowly changing.
Apollo no longer grasps a beautiful young woman, but a tree.