On Leaves, Rogues, and Rivalries Sitting on the front row of my Fine Arts class and watching a film about the artist Gianlorenzo Bernini, I was enthralled with the real “power of art”. Seeing the story of Apollo and Daphne in action was mesmerizing. Looking at the marble-turned-flesh self portrait of Bernini was astounding. Best of all, gazing at the vision of St. Teresa of Avila in ecstasy was an honor. A. Gianlorenzo Bernini in Arts Strengths. As an artist, Bernini knew a lot about human passion, feelings and emotions. He was able to depict the vision of St. Teresa of Avila in the most touching and inspiring angle through his use of a woman’s face in ecstasy. Being visited by an angel and filled by the love of God is pure heaven and happiness. God is the only way to truth and eternal happiness. This is the main point of this sculpture. He was able to capture and immortalize that bliss experienced by this nun who has this deep fervor for the Creator. The saint’s mouth was open as if she was moaning and her eyelids were half closed as if she was loving every second of the sweet torture. Another thing which was very amazing about him is that he can turn marble into leaves, trunks, clothes, and even flesh. Upon viewing his artworks, I was really flabbergasted with his Apollo and Daphne. I have read mythology and their brief love story was one of my favorites. But seeing the two characters in marble made me love the story more. Their flesh looked so real. It was as if I could really feel the softness of their skin and touch the smoothness of their arms. Plausible, indeed. Weakness. But a person would always have that single flaw. As the saying goes, nobody is perfect. Unknown to many was the acquisition of Bernini with helpers in making an artwork, but those assistants were never recognized. He would always take all the credit. He, at some point in his life, was caught up with all this fame, popularity, and greatness. At a young age, he was already successful and well-known. He was charming, handsome, and skillful in the arts. He can do painting, sculpture and space planning. Recognizing himself as a great architect, he attempted to make two bell towers on each side of St. Peter’s Cathedral. He ignored the risks involved because he believed so much in himself. His other colleagues agreed with his plan. And indeed, he successfully erected them; but after only a few weeks, cracks formed on the sides of the bell tower. This started the downfall of this majestic artist. His work was demolished by the pope and his rival Francesco Borromini was put in place of him. The good thing about Bernini is that he did not wallow too much on the sorrow and humiliation of this event unlike other artists who might have committed suicide if this happened to them. Instead, he looked for ways to regain back and clean his name. A great opportunity landed on his doorstep soon after. This was when he made a chapel and a sculpture for St. Teresa of Avila. After this, he was again recognized as one of the greatest artists ever. B. Gianlorenzo Bernini in Life
As a human being, he loved competition. He engaged himself in a serious rivalry with Borromini which drove them both to hate each other. Bernini even insulted some of his rival’s works by creating sculptures pointing to the horrible works of Borromini. His strength here was seen in his continuous battle with the other architect. He refuses to give up and lose. He would always fight and make his artworks better than Borromini’s. The weakness which is very transparent in this story is the lack of a healthy-competition character for Bernini. This rivalry led both of them to hate each other.
As a young man, Gianlorenzo Bernini was popular because of his charm and good looks. He was described as a lad who stands and walks in a “regal” manner. He can get whatever he wants by merely looking at the person. He is also very talented in the arts. At old age, he still continued making masterpieces while, at the same time, devoting time for God. He attends Mass and receives the Holy Communion. One can even call him ideal and religious. But no one really is because he also had flaws.
At his young age, he was mesmerized by the beauty of Constanza Bonarelli. He even made a very beautiful sculpture dedicated for her. But this woman, sensuous and beautiful that she is, had other lovers as well. The young Bernini was so in love with the woman that he attempted to kill his own brother, Luigi, who was found sleeping with Constanza. Although Bernini was respected in the community and had nice manners, the man can also kill and “cut flesh” because of extreme jealousy. This love for Constanza, Bernini’s most obvious weakness, drove him almost to murder.
Bernini, a man of great etiquette, is also capable of being a rogue.
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All in all, Gianlorenzo Bernini may have committed a number of faults in his life but one cannot deny the fact that he has contributed a lot in the world of arts. He worked with numerous popes and made a lot of improvement with Rome. These are the reasons why he was called as the “Emperor of the Arts” by Simon Schama’s “Power of Art”.