Cameras are not permitted in the Borghese Gallery, which is a pity. The gallery is home to three of the most striking marbles, all by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Gothic successor to Renaissance Michelangelo. If both were sports sculptors, Michelangelo would carve Babe Ruth pointing his bat towards center field while Bernini would sculpt Jackie Robinson stealing home.
Bernini's "David"
Bernini's David, is very different than Michelangelo's. Michelangelo's giant is left-handed, like its creator while Bernini's is life-sized. And while Michelangelo's pensive David seems to be thinking, "I can take this guy," Bernini's has his right arm with its sling already in motion, his face concentrated like John McEnroe serving match-point at Wimbledon.
Apollo and Daphne has shows the exact moment when Daphne, about to be captured by Apollo, begins to transform into a tree. Her hair is morphing into delicate leaves and her dainty toes, now tree roots, are burrowing into the ground. Individual crystals in the white marble (Cararra??) sparkle in the sunlight streaming through the window.
In Pluto and Prosperine, Pluto attempts to capture the sun-loving Prosperine (Persephone) and transport her to his underworld kingdom. As his fingers press into the flesh of struggling Prosperine's thigh, her face is contorted in a scream and even her toes are tensed for escape.
Compared to Michelangelo's contemplative Pieta, for example, Bernini's marbles are all action. While Michelangelo depicts the inward struggle of his subject, Bernini takes us to the here and now, the crucial moment of the story. Which approach is better? Who is the master sculptor? All I know is the world is lucky to have known both!
There were many other works by great artists including several by Raphael and Carravaggio but it was the Bernini sculptures that rocked my boat.
