Bernini's Sensual Baroque Sculptures and Their Papal Patrons
Gian Lorenzo Bernini's Baroque sculptures, known for their sensuality, flourished during the Counter-Reformation despite the Church's conservative stance. His patron, Cardinal Scipione Borghese, granted him creative freedom, allowing works like "Apollo and Daphne" (1622-25) and "Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence" (1617) to emphasize wonder and the marvelous. This sensuality, while paradoxical given the era's focus on lust as a spiritual danger, boosted tourism during the jubilee year and aligned with Baroque artists' pursuit of the marvelous.
Key facts
- Gian Lorenzo Bernini was a Baroque sculptor.
- His sculptures were markedly sensual.
- The Counter-Reformation era was conservative.
- Scipione Borghese was Bernini's patron.
- Borghese gave Bernini free rein.
- Lust was seen as a great danger to the human soul.
- Bernini's work contributed to tourism in the jubilee year.
- Sensuality was a display of the marvelous in Baroque art.
Entities
Artists
- Gian Lorenzo Bernini