Bernini's other famous work is his
more controversial sculpture of The Ecstasy of St. Theresa.
The story of St. Theresa was that,
in a vision, an angel pierced her heart with a fire-tipped golden arrow,
symbolizing God's love. In the statue
here, the angel and the saint are carved in white marble, and the background is
golden rays coming from above. The scene
is lit overhead by a window built into the Vatican wall. The figures appear to be floating freely in
the space, don't they?
Much has been made of the artwork's
sexual undertones. The arrow is at first
an obvious phallic symbol, targeting a swooning female whose facial expression
indicates one of euphoria. And although
we cannot see inside of this cold, statuesque Theresa, Bernini put his
sculpting genius on display with his treatment of this subject. We do see the ecstasy of St. Theresa, not
merely in her face, but in her entire form, covered as it is in wavy, flowing
robes. The drapery of the nun is surging
with energy and motion that indicates the electric activity being felt on the
inside. Bernini takes a subject of
spirituality and infuses it with more realistic, human, almost base
descriptions, as if to convey the divine love of God as a very carnal, sensual
phenomenon. If you would ask how to
interpret such a crossover, the resulting discussion would fill many more pages
which I will not trouble to venture down at the moment. It is possible, however, once finished with
our overview of art history, to then go back, ask questions, discuss, and focus
in on the specifics that were left behind.
For now, we should press on.
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