Class today focused on a continued look at the Baroque period. Gianlorenzo Bernini was a famed sculptor from Italy in this time. His interpretation of the David for the Borghese family is a new representation of the work. While other sculptures or paintings have focused on his heroism after defeating Goliath, Bernini chose a different moment. Keeping with the themes of Baroque (dynamism, sense of motion), he portrays David as he’s about to release his slingshot. This frozen moment mid-action gives David position loaded with potential and has the appearance of springing to action any second. His concentrated human face is also sculpted with exquisite detail, with skill expertly portrayed in just seven months. Bernini’s The Ecstasy of St. Teresa is another sculpture deserving of attention. The dynamic floating position of Teresa and angel poised to strike the saint’s heart are captivating as the audience waits in anticipation of the action. The use of outside light from windows above the sculpture illuminate the stone with a contrast of light and shadow to give it a divine aura.
Transitioning to Spain, paintings like The Club Footed Boy continue the baroque style. Dedicated to the Counter Reformation and Inquisition, religious themes remained popular in art. The boy is depicted as a beggar with a notes asking for alms for the poor as written in the Bible. His pose with his walking stick mirrors both those of Christ carrying his cross and a man with a weapon, alluding to the beggar boy as a solider of God. But most importantly, the boy is painted with a smiling face. It’s a celebration of life for the boy.