Blog #5 Baroque Art in Italy
Monument to Anexander VII (Fabio Chigi April 7, 1655-May 22 1667)
St Peters Basilica
By Gian Lorenzo Bernini
One of the most famous papal monuments in St Peters Basilica was created by Bernini, the same artist/ sculpture/ architect who created the Baldacchino in St Peters and the statue of Ecstasy of St Teresa in Santa Maria della Vittoria. Although this piece was not in our Art History book, it is one that I saw when visiting St Peters. As I was walking around the enormous Basilica, (the largest church in the world that can hold 60,000 people!) I came across this unusual monument. The fact that it even caught my eye is somewhat of a miracle as the Basilica is 730 feet long/ 500 feet wide. It has over 120 different monuments, statues and altar pieces. So when you have walked most of the way down the Basilica from Portico to Apse, and have already seen the Pieta, the Baldacchino, the Altar of the Chair and beautiful Gloria above, it is very easy to get overwhelmed by all of the statues, and works of art. But as I was standing at the edge of the Left Transept, I overheard a tour guide speaking in English about the Monument to Alexander VII. She was pointing out that the sculptural drapery over the doorway, below the statue, was made of Sicilian Jasper and that it was created by breaking up the stone, and ‘gluing” it back onto the form of the drapery to make a beautiful and unique flowing colored marble surface. This tour guide said that nobody knows what kind of epoxy the stonemason used to this day, as it worked so seamlessly and has held up so beautifully (remember- this was in 1673- 336 years ago!) Upon further inspection, I began to see that this monument was unlike the others in the Basilica. Most monuments are fairly straight forward, with a Pope or Saint modeled in profile or head on, looking out at the Basilica with a contemplative, and yet detached look. Alexander is kneeling in prayer. He seems calm and peaceful. But on all four sides of him, below his plinth, are the 4 “virtues” embodied in the female form, of Charity, Truth, Justice and Prudence. The faces of the 4 virtues look to Alexander as to tell him that something distressing has suddenly appeared. The “drapery” below the plinth is actually the cloak of “Death” who is holding up one bony hand to reveal an hour glass, signifying that time has run out. The Skeleton of Death is in gilded bronze and is cloaked in the beautiful red and pink Jasper marble. This sets Death off powerfully against the white marble of the 4 Virtues and the Statue of Alexander. The plinth is in green marble with a black and gold nameplate. The niche that this statue inhabits is covered in gold and colorful marble. It is a very good example of the Baroque style, with its flashy gold embellishments, the honeycomb pattern in the domed roof of the niche that decreases in size to give the illusion of a deeper and taller dome that actually exists, and the theatrical use of the cloak as a curtain that is pulled back to reveal Death just under the surface. The curtain is very artfully draped in a way to work with the fact that a door leading out of the church is just below the high niche. Please take a look at the photos above to see the details (overview of the whole monument and the detail of the Jasper marble with Death below).
Kimberlie, once again you have opened my eyes to another amazing experience! Yes! This sculpture is amazing. There is a definite "spiritual quality" about this sculpture. I feel as if there was a divine presence guiding the artist in his creation. I spent 3 weeks last summer in Florence and Venice and it was a definite sensory overload! As you say, there were so many pieces of art in one space that entire monumental masterpieces were easily overlooked. The Italians definitely did not live by the less is more motto - and Baroque art is the absolute antithesis of that motto! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome sculpture...! I assume you took those photos too...! I REALLY love this piece. I think I actually like it because of the trend of sculls/bones right now. I grew up with various skeletal figures around the house (dad is a doctor), so I think that is why I am drawn to those sort of images. VERY cool... thanks for the description as well!
ReplyDeleteKimberlie, I so enjoy reading your blogs! Not only are your topics interesting, but you are a fantastic writer! Your words paint the pictures so well that I can almost feel as if I was there. I have not yet been to Italy (outside of your descriptions!) but look forward to it even more now.
ReplyDeleteKimberlie, Its a pleasure to read your comments, and an education! Your travels have served you well and given us all an experience to enjoy through your sharing. Thanks, Ted
ReplyDeleteMy gosh! What an amazingly intricate and beautiful piece. Thanks for sharing! You are so fortunate to visit such a special place. I really have an added appreciation for the workmanship in these pieces as I advance both in this class and in my Graphic Rendering class. For example, the drapery you refer to in this work....it's so realistic. It is challenging enough to capture texture, value and shadow on paper with pencils--let alone carving stone!
ReplyDeleteYour blogs are always so interesting. I like how you give an explanation about how the drapery symbolized death. I think its amazing how artists convey different meanings in their works through ordinary objects like a drapery for example.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the fact that you chose something that was not in the book. Art is not the same for everyone and I think that when you experience a piece in person that it is so much more moving than when you see it in a book or on a website. I have never had the luxury of being able to travel, but soon hope to remedy that. I have many friends who have gone so many differet places and seen so many different things that I feel like I am missing so much. What I love about art is the history of it. You did a fantastic job of explaining to your readers the importance and sybolic meanings of these photos. Great job and thanks for the comment!
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