Gian Lorenzo Bernini By Praveen Ram

Biography

Born: December 7, 1598, Naples, Italy

Spent most of his life in Rome, Italy

Work Ethic: Gian Lorenzo Bernini was an Italian sculptor and architect. One of the foremost workaholics in art history, Bernini toiled uniformly throughout his career, working seven hours a day without pause even in his old age. It is said that his younger assistants could not manage to keep up with him. Strict in his schedule, mornings and evenings were reserved for prayer and church with the rest of the day used for labor, seven days a week.

Credited with creating the Baroque style of sculpture: David, Apollo and Daphne, Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Bernini's patrons are: Pope Clement IX Rospigliosi, Pope Alexander VII Chigi, Pope Innocent X Pamphilj, Pope Urban VIII Berberini, Pope Gregory XV Ludovisi, Cardinal Scipione Borghese, Pope Paul V Borghese

BERNINI's works

Saint Peter's baldachin created in 1634.

The baldachin is a large ceremonial canopy made out of bronze. It is currently located at the centre of the crossing and directly under the dome of the basilica in Rome, Italy.

Bernini used a method of casting called the lost-wax method which is an ancient and painstaking process. In this method, the first step is to create a wax original model of the sculpture. In the baldachin, he used real life objects such as lizards or leaves to create an extremely life-like appearance. Molten bronze is applied to the hollow, melting the wax or disintegrating the lizards as it were, causing contemporaries to call his method of casting the "lost-lizard method."

I find this piece interesting because of the attention to every single detail and how elegant it looks. It is also interesting because of how unique the design of the whole structure is.

Bernini exemplifies idealism in his works because all of his works have a common ground in religion, but somehow makes it fit in the current world people are living today.

CITATIONS:

Websites:

"Gian Lorenzo Bernini Style and Technique." Artble. N.p., 20 Jan. 2016. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.

"Gian Lorenzo Bernini." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.

"Gian Lorenzo Bernini." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.

Pictures:

St. Peter's Baldachin | BAROQUE. | Pinte. Digital image. Pinterest. Pinterest, n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2016.

Bernini's 'Animas' Were Originally Meant. Digital image. Phys.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2016.

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