Baroque
The Ecstasy of St. Teresa, by Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini, 1652.
A common theme for Baroque artists was the miraculous moment where the divine met the earthly, the sacred intruded upon the profane. St. Teresa was a mystic nun who recorded an experience in which an angel came down and pierced her innards with the flaming arrow of divine love. The pain was great yet sweet and brought her into ecstasy with God. The Baroque use of light is also on display; the wooden rays come down in spectacular fashion and are lit by a yellow paneled window above the sculpture. (McKay, 2010).
At the heart of Martin Luther's drive to reform, the Church was a shift from the primacy of the image to that of the written word. Accompanying this ideological shift was the more practical concern about idolatry, which took the form of passionate sermons against religious imagery and, eventually, widespread acts of iconoclasm. In the face of these calls for reform, Pope Paul III ordered a comprehensive review of Roman Catholic doctrines and liturgical practices. This eighteen-year effort, known as the Council of Trent (1545-63), included a re-evaluation of the Church's policy on art and the sources, inspiration, and objectives of its patronage. The ornate church interior was singled out by reformers as evidence of the Catholic Church's worldliness, corruption, and widespread encouragement of idolatry among its adherents. In December 1563 the Council published guidelines on art, asserting the value of sacred images and the importance of their role in instructing the faithful. (Thirteen.org,2021).
Sources:
Brett & Kate McKay. “Baroque Art Basics.” The Art of Manliness, 19 Oct. 2010, www.artofmanliness.com/articles/the-basics-of-art-the-baroque-period/.
Thirteen.org, 2021, www.thirteen.org/wnet/powerofart/berbios.php. Accessed 18 June 2021.
Wow, Jessica, thank you for bringing this sculpture to my attention! The folds in Mother Teresa's robe are exquisite. So dramatic and profoundly mystical. And the texture on the cloud! There's so much movement, its slightly horrifying and awesome at the same time. I can certainly see "the sacred intruding upon the profane" in this piece.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I loathe censorship of any kind, I can't say I mind some of the sculptures we got as a result of the Reformation. This one is sublime.
Jessica,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your use of a sculpture for this blog. I feel that many of us are used to using paintings as artwork, so it is nice to see something different. I think it is neat that this sculpture has a background in teaching the church members about their faith. It's always cool when an art piece has a purpose and can live it out.
Hi Jessica!
ReplyDeleteI find this piece also also very amazing. I haven't really looked into sculptures as much as I have seen famous paintings and the attention those bring. It's cool to see a whole other world of art that was formed. I love how something so stuck in place can still bring so much movement through the details; a very hard element to master in my opinion. It's cool to read about the story behind the art and I learned something new reading your blog!
Jessica,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the fact that you went outside the box and used a sculpture for this assignment! The way that there is a massive amount of movement in such a fixed object is very cool to me!
Hi Jessica! Wow this is such an amazing piece. It reflects baroque art perfectly with its theatricality and use of light and dark colors to depict this moment. The folds in the clothing are incredible and it is even more impressive that it is made of marble. It looks as if the wind is rustling through them in this moment.
ReplyDeleteWhat captures my attention is the expressions on the faces of St. Theresa and the Angel. St. Theresa described in this moment feeling pain but never wanting to leave that moment. That tranquility and serenity are reflected in her facial expression, while the angel seems to give a knowing smirk. What also comes to mind is the positioning of St. Theresa and the angel. The angel is above her which I think may symbolize the divine over herself.
The stucco used for the light rays coming down is used and covered in gold leaf and the look to be on top of clouds. This is certainly an extravagant, life altering event that is depicted.