https://www.baroque.dahvc.org/fall-2021/files/original/Gian_Lorenzo_Bernini_-_Unity_of_the_Visual_Arts_/David/440px-Galleria_Borghese_42.jpg dbbcd714eaba077919e9fe8f079ae554 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Gian Lorenzo Bernini - "Unity of the Visual Arts" Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Meena Gudapati Description An account of the resource As a renowned sculptor, architect, and painter, Bernini fused all three media in several of his works. Art historian Irving Lavin published the book "Bernini and the Unity of Visual Arts" exploring in depth Bernini's synthesis of the media. Through my project, I will explore works of Bernini's to validate Lavin's widely known thesis. In addition to looking at works that more explicitly combine sculpture, architecture, and painting, I will look at individual works that show how Bernini looked beyond any norms and constraints of a medium. For example, through an analysis of his busts, we see how Bernini captured motion in a way that was previously restricted to paintings. Through this analysis of Bernini's more implicit methods of fusing media, I will endorse the term of Bernini's "Unity of Visual Arts". Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource David Subject The topic of the resource Statue of David during fight with Goliath Description An account of the resource Bernini’s sculpture, David, was commissioned by Cardinal Scipione Borghese for the Borghese Gallery. The sculpture was done in marble over the course of seven months spanning 1623 to 1624 [1]. In the life size sculpture, David is rotating his body in preparation to launch the rock at Goliath. Biting his lower lip and furrowing his eyebrows, David’s face is saturated with tension. He carries a pouch for the rock, and wears a cloth draped around his waist. David’s muscles appear anatomically accurate with muscles flexed emphasizing the tension. Caught in a moment of tension, Bernini’s David evokes feelings of uncertainty and power. Unlike prior sculptures which capture a moment of victory, Bernini captures the dynamic moment before victory [2]. The viewer almost roots for David to follow through with his throw and defeat Goliath. Given the composition of the piece, the viewer takes the position of a bystander of the fight between David and Goliath. Rotated around the central point of his abdomen and looking over his pulled forward shoulder, the viewer feels adjacent to the fight, trapped in the events to unfold. Bernini’s decision to capture a moment of tension and motion in his sculpture demonstrates his ability to break norms surrounding a medium. While sculptures were traditionally used as a medium to express pose and stillness, Bernini embraces motion [3]. His choice to make the viewer an active bystander watching a scene unfold contrasts the typical role of the viewer as a passive observer and admirer - it instead mirrors the motion captured in paintings during the Baroque and Renaissance periods. Through an analysis of Rubens painting of David and Michelangelo’s sculpture, an understanding of Bernini’s command of medium can be fleshed out. With David, Bernini uses sculpture as a mechanism to depict a moment typically constrained to paintings. This demonstrates his ability to think outside the constraints set for media and unit visual art under the theme of capturing moments. [1] “David .” Galerie Borghèse. Galleria Borghese, July 28, 2021. https://borghese.gallery/collection/sculpture/david.html. [2] Harris, Beth, and Steven Zucker. “Bernini's David.” Lumen. Accessed December 2, 2021. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/zeliart102/chapter/berninis-david/. [3] Warwick, Genevieve. “Bernini (1598–1680): Sculpting Sainthood.” Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review 104, no. 416 (2015): 444–55. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24640794. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gian Lorenzo Bernini Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived “David .” Galerie Borghèse. Galleria Borghese, July 28, 2021. https://borghese.gallery/collection/sculpture/david.html. Harris, Beth, and Steven Zucker. “Bernini's David.” Lumen. Accessed December 2, 2021. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/zeliart102/chapter/berninis-david/. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Borghese Gallery Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1623-1624 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Meena Gudapati Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 170 cm Type The nature or genre of the resource Sculpture Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Galleria Borghese, Rome, Italy