Giovanni Bernini can be safely called a universal master. He was equally good at painting, sculpture and architecture. His creations have become the main symbol of the Italian Baroque. Created in the 17th century, they still amaze with their scope and splendor.
Biography: early years
Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini was born on December 7, 1598 in Naples. He was the sixth child in the family of Angelica and Pietro. His mother was a native Neapolitan and his father was from Tuscany. When Giovanni was born, his father had already taken place as a sculptor and earned good money. After his birth, seven more children appeared in the family.
From early childhood, Giovanni's favorite pastime was drawing. He could do it for hours. Giovanni also enjoyed watching his father work. Pietro noticed this and began to slowly teach his son the basics of his profession.
When Giovanni was seven years old, the large Bernini family moved to Rome. There, my father had a large money order for the restoration of a number of projects of the ancient era in the papal halls of the Vatican. He often took Giovanni with him. Together with his father, they worked for three years at the residence of the Pope, where luxury reigned everywhere. Jewelry, rare works of art, expensive furniture - all this delighted young Bernini. He conveyed his emotions to paper, drawing what he saw.
The father happily gave his son tools and trusted to help him work on some details of the sculptures. He was proud of Giovanni and at every opportunity he praised and demonstrated his abilities, surrounded by established artists and sculptors. So, the diligence and talent of Giovanni was noticed and appreciated by the famous artist Annibale Carracci, as well as Pope Paul V. According to legend, the father brought Giovanni to the pontiff and asked him to paint a portrait of the Apostle Paul. The boy was not taken aback and painted it with the features of the Pope's face. He was flattered and even called the young artist "the next Michelangelo." He also allowed him to take as much gold from the bag as his hands could hold. In addition, the Pope sent Giovanni to an art school. Later, his nephew, Cardinal Scipione Borghese, would be the patron saint of the young Bernini.
Already at the age of ten, Giovanni independently created the first marble sculpture. One of his debut works has survived to this day. This is the sculpture "Amalthea the Goat with Babies Jupiter and Faun", which is kept in the famous Borghese gallery in Rome. The work is dated 1609. For a long time, Bernini denied authorship and the sculpture was considered an antique find.
Among his first works were two busts - "Cursed Soul" and "Blissful Soul". The first was conceived as a self-portrait and a contrast to the second bust.
Creation
His first "official" creation is considered the sculpture "The Martyrdom of St. Lawrence". When he started working on it, he was 15 years old. Already at that time, it was important for Giovanni to capture true emotions in a fixed stone. While working on this sculpture, he set his leg on fire in order to see the real expression of pain on his face and transfer it to the marble. His torment was not in vain. The first work made a splash due to its realism. It dates from 1617 and is located in the Uffiza Gallery in Florence.
Subsequently, his creations were distinguished by scale, luxury and courage. Giovanni knew how to imitate the softness of the body, the shine of the skin. He worked the stone so masterly that it seemed as if his sculptures were alive, just frozen for a moment.
Among his famous sculptures:
The Ecstasy of Louis;
Apollo and Daphne;
The Ecstasy of St. Teresa;
"Abduction of Proserpine".
The fountains of Giovanni deserve special attention. They are characterized by majesty and storyline. Thus, the fountain of the four rivers was built according to the master's sketch in the period from 1648 to 1651. It adorns Piazza Navona in Rome to this day. An obelisk rises in the center, and four statues around symbolize the great rivers of the world - Danube, La Plata, Nile and Ganges.
Bernini's architectural creations follow the same style as his other works. They are all pompous and majestic. According to Bernini's sketch, the famous colonnades were erected on St. Peter's Square in the Vatican. They are located on both sides of the square and symbolize the hands of God embracing the world.
Personal life
Until almost forty years of age, Giovanni did not think about his wife and children. It was good for him to live alone. And he considered sculptures to be his children. He changed his point of view after meeting Constance, the wife of his assistant Matteo Bonarelli. Giovanni began to meet with her in secret.
A hot romance lasted more than three years. He soon learned that Constance was also dating his younger brother Luigi. Giovanni was very furious. One night he watched his brother after his meeting with Constance and struck several blows with an iron bar. Luigi suffered two broken ribs, but was able to escape and hide from the angry brother within the walls of the church. At the same time, Giovanni's servant came to Constance's house and inflicted several cuts on her face with a razor.
A big scandal broke out. To somehow hush him up, the Pope ordered Giovanni to marry 22-year-old Catherine Terzio. She was the daughter of one of the Roman notaries. Catherine gave birth to 11 children.
Bernini died on November 28, 1680. He was 82 years old. He is buried in the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. His parents are also buried there.
