Apollo and Daphne; Created by: Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini

 



Apollo and Daphne; Created by: Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini

Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini was an architect and sculpture in Italy. He was considered to be a prodigy, especially during his early years. Bernini is known in history as the master of baroque in the 17th and the 18th century.” Many individuals compared him to Michelangelo. Bernini typically did sculptures that seemed as if it was an action or movement that was frozen. The goal was to be able to look at the sculpture and see it as moving or what it could be doing. They were typically subjecting from the biblical or mythological era.  A few examples of his work are Aeneas, Anchises, and Ascanius (1619), The Rape of Proserpina (1621-1622), Apollo and Daphne (1622-1625), and David (1623-1624). Bernini was one of the aspects in the influence of royalty, because everyone craved having artwork that has as much detail and being in constant motion in a stand still state. The more you have to represent your wealth and power the better.

            The sculpture of Apollo and Daphne was inspired by a true story. The tale of Ovid’s Metamorphosis. I am going to attach the story of the tale after this paragraph because it is a remarkably interesting read, that I feel was worth the read.

 “Apollo, the god of light and poetry, teased Cupid about how young he was to handle the bow and arrow, terming them as very dangerous to a young boy. Apollo’s remarks evoked some spite in Cupid and as part of his revenge; he pricked the god with his arrow and made him fall madly in love with a nearby river nymph Daphne. Sadly, Daphne could not fall in love with Apollo as she had devoted all her life to serving Diana and had decided to remain a virgin and unmarried.

Seeing the lust in Apollo’s eyes as he pursued her, she cried out to her father, the river god to rescue her and in turn, he turned her into a laurel tree. Apollo took home the tree as he declared that if she was not going to his lover, then she will at least be his tree."

            In the sculpture, Bernini was able to capture the moment that Daphne was transforming. You can also see the emotions and shock through Apollos fingers. This is where the motion comes in. In real life, the statue is not moving, but the way the artist and sculpted and portrayed the sculpture. When you look at the sculpture though, you see and can imagine the sculpture moving. The sculpture is life size and was commissioned by: Cardinal Scipione Borghese in 1622 and the sculpture is very proudly displayed at the Galleria Borghese.

            This sculpture is an amazing art form. Unfortunately, owning the actual thing would probably not be possible. There is a lot to consider when owning a sculpture, especially something that big. However, I would love to own at least a picture of it and I would have a copy of the story printed out and out below it. I love the Greek Gods and Goddesses and until now I did not realize this was a part of the Baroque era. Seeing all the lines that got delicately put is remarkable and you can imagine time consuming. This piece of art is amazing and something I feel everyone can probably get a different feeling out of it. What do you think of this masterpiece?

 

References:

Apollo & Daphne (Bernini), Partnerships for Sustainable Development, 2010, www.rome.info/bernini/apollo-daphne/.

Apollo and Daphne, 21 June 2021, www.gianlorenzobernini.org/apollo-and-daphne/.

Baroque Art - The Key Artists and Paintings of the Baroque Period, 3 May 2021, artincontext.org/baroque-art/#Baroque_Sculpture.

 

 

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