The Baroque era came about from the Reformation which was a religious movement that took place in the sixteenth century that divided Christianity between the Roman Catholics and the Protestants. It was initiated by a German Augustinian monk by the name of Martin Luther. He challenged a lot of the teachings from the Roman …show more content…
He was also known for his painting and architecture. When Bernini created art, he would portray theatrical descriptions with characters showing them in a powerful emotional state. Bernini was born in Naples in 1598 with his father being a sculptor. Bernini’s reputation was established by four masterpieces that he created that are all on display in the Galleria Borghese in Rome. They were the Aeneas, Anchises, Ascanius, The Rape of Proserpina, Apollo and Daphne, and David. He adapted the traditional greatness of Renaissance sculpture to the Baroque style for religious and historical sculpture. They are powerfully instilled with intense realism, passionate, and dramatic compositions. His sculptures would always focus on specific points of tension in the stories that he was trying to tell. Bernini went on to create several other astonishing Baroque style sculptures over his lifetime. He died in Rome in 1680 and was buried in the Bernini’s family vault with his …show more content…
Teresa sculpture. In this scene, the characters are said to be a nun, Saint Teresa of Avila and an angel. The angel is said to have had a spear in his hand with fire at the spear’s tip aiming for the nun’s heart as described in Teresa of Avila autobiography. The sculpture itself is life size and made of marble. It is illuminated by natural light which filters through a window in the dome. Teresa is shown lying on a cloud indicating that this is intended to be her spirit. Other witnesses of this event appear on side walls, they are also made of white marble. The witnesses are believed to be the Cornaro family watching and discussing this event as if they are at the theatre. The theatre boxes they are setting in are made of colored marble. The gold rays coming down from the sky is depicted as the Holy Ghost or heavenly light. By having the rays shining down on Teresa and the angel, it gives the observer an idea of what Bernini wanted them to focus