"Ecstasy of St. Teresa" Bernini - the peak of the master's work

Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini (1598 - 1680), the creator of the Baroque style in sculpture, was a multi-faceted man. He created architectural works (churches, chapels, secular buildings), wrote, staged plays and played them, painted with oil, worked on the manufacture of decorative objects (carriages, lamps, mirrors), skillfully combined architecture and sculpture in the construction of fountains and tombstones , Among which the main place is occupied by Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. Bernini created a pure and sensual theatrical work.

A brief biography of the master

Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini was born in Naples in the family of a sculptor. When he was 10 years old, the family moved to Rome. And from the age of 17 he already performs custom jobs: tombstones, portrait busts. He is seen, and at 23, Pope Gregory XV knighted him. During his long life, he worked with many pontiffs who highly appreciated his work, considering this deeply faithful gentleman to be the continuer of the traditions of Michelangelo.

At the insistence of his patron Papa Urban VIII, the master marries a poor but beautiful girl who gave birth to 11 children. His talent is becoming known throughout Europe. With the request to sculpt their ceremonial portraits, both crowned persons and cardinals turn to him. At the behest of the soul, he performs a portrait of his beloved Constant Buonarelli. With her to a certain extent, the sculpture "Ecstasy of St. Theresa" is connected.

Sculptural works

It is difficult now to imagine Rome without the statues created by Bernini for the bridge of the castle of St. Agelo. They are made for the order of Pope Clement IX and represent the process of repentance. Numerous pilgrims who came to the eternal city, saw in them the symbols of the Passion of our Lord. Not all the statues of the pontiff allowed to leave on the street and admit the destructive influence of climate and time. Now two angels are in the nearby church of Saint André della Frité.

Fountains

Now it's incredible to imagine Rome without Bernini's fountains. One of the most monumental is the Fountain of the Four Rivers. This is a huge bowl, which is a symbol of the ocean, where four great rivers flow. They are represented by giants of white marble: the African Nile with a palm tree standing side by side; The European Danube, next to which is a lion. Asia is represented by the Ganges, teeming with waters and, finally, La Plata, which became the symbol of America, next to which there are coins showing the wealth of this continent.

Scandalous portrait

In addition to such monuments, you can see the work of the master, which in its entirety is of a personal nature. He deeply fell in love with his assistant's young wife, created her bust, extremely sexy. It almost came to the point of killing. But Pope Urban VIII himself intervened in him, who invited the sculptor to marry as soon as possible. This sexuality will later be embodied in the "Ecstasy of St. Theresa". Bernini himself felt the beloved Constance as an angel, filling it with ecstasy. One only needs to look at her disheveled hair, loose clothes, the look caught in the middle of the conversation. Everything speaks of the energy and passion of Bernini. Sculptures of the front, of course, are kept and majestic. It is enough to see portraits of the King of France or England.

«Ecstasy of Saint Teresa»: description

This is one of the masterpieces of baroque sculpture (1647 - 1651), created for the chapel of Santa Maria della Vittoria, commissioned by Cardinal Federico Coronaro. "The ecstasy of St. Teresa" Bernini sculptured, combining architecture, sculpture, painting and decoration. This is the center of the chapel, in which a beautiful combination of visual and thematic appears. Two sculptures are located in the niche of the altar. They are surrounded by columns of colored marble. The background figures are gilded bronze rays, symbolizing the divine light.

The real additional light is a window that is invisible to the viewer. Thus, a scenic bright effect is created. In the side walls of the altar are members of the Coronaro family, as if witnessing this miracle. The ecstasy of Saint Teresa by Bernini is Image of the spiritual experience of the saints and divine visions.

It is known that Theresa of Avila possessed both mystical experiences and a great gift of speech. She left a lot of written messages after her. Here is how she describes her vision, which embodied Bernini: "Once an angel appeared to me beautiful beyond all measure. I saw in his hand a long spear with fire on the point. It seemed that hit me in the heart several times. The pain was so real that I moaned. But no earthly joy can give such full satisfaction. " And now we see how, threw back her head, Teresa Avilskaya sank without effort. The lips opened in the cry of sweet flour. Half-closed eyes do not see the cherub, which rises above it. The holy mantle lay soft folds and turned into a cloud. The composition is contrast: a slender, flexible and fragile figure of a cherub is raised over the sagging, sobbing saint. These sculpted portraits seem to have moved away from each other, but nevertheless they create an indissoluble unity. Colored gleams of columns play on the figures, creating a picturesque effect.

Conclusion

By combining the architectural and plastic groups, Bernini achieved color and light contrasts. Theatricality of the piece combines with religious content and makes a very strong impression on the viewer. The event of sacred ecstasy, very personal, becomes public property. For three hundred years the magic atmosphere of the miracle has been happening here and now.