89. Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Ecstasy of Saint Teresa
Cornaro Chapel, Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria Rome, Italy. Gian Lorenzo Bernini. c. 1647-1652 C.E. Marble (sculpture); stucco and gilt bronze (chapel)

Bernini used the erotic character of the experience as a springboard to a new and higher type of spiritual awakening. It is one of the most important examples of the Counter-Reformation style of Baroque sculpture, designed to convey spiritual aspects of the Catholic faith.

Content:

• Media - White marble, carved out with a chisel
• Genre - Kinetic art 
• Golden arrow pointing "at her heart", tilting downwards
• "Rays of sun" behind them; holy light of God 
• St. Teresa herself
• Accompanied by a "high ranking" angel floating with wings on his back
• Her body is contorted as though she is about to moan (textually accurate), twisting feet and hands
• Rays of sunlight in the background (gold)
• Rocks surrounding the base of the sculpture, supporting it and allowing it to buffer the main part
• Expressive folds of clothing, which were not uncommon for his style (see below)
• A "fabulous illusion of architecture—a coffered barrel vault, doorway and columns"

The Veiled Virgin

Context:

• Artist - Gian Lorenzo Bernini 
• Location - Cornaro Chapel, Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome
• Time period - Baroque, 1647 - 52
• Subject matter is religious and distorted
• No central hierarchy or pyramid, center is a void
• Unseen source of light ("rays of sun" in the background) 
• Weapons (arrow) and chaotic discord represented instead of religious order and structure
• Dramatic, theatrical; not realistic
• No real background/backdrop 
• Forcefully involves the viewer--made relatable to a wider audience by depicting her revelation as sexual and physical in order to make it seem more realistic; no frame or limitation placed on it (because it relates to the human experience)
• Subject - Teresa of Ávila
• Canonized (aka made a saint by the church)
• Lived in 16th century Spain at the height of the Reformation
• St. Teresa is having a vision of an angel telling her to come worship god
• Cornaro Chapel 
• Grouping of the patrons aka Cornaro family sculpture displayed to the left of St. Teresa's central sculpture
• Federico Cornaro, Cardinal of Venice
• Depicted as though they are watching her moment of revelation (see below)

• Similar to his past works, but fully clothed and dignified
• Makes her display of sexuality even more admirable (difficult to do without having clothes off)
• Shares religious/mythological figures and sense of movement and transformation (e.g. Greek god Apollo chasing the mortal Daphne as she begins the transformation into a tree, the first dryad)

Form:

• Dynamic, realistic, but not naturalistic figures
• Flowing, rippling robes showing the outline of her body while simultaneously covering it
• Movement in their clothing, facial expressions, and body language
• St. Teresa's writhing body beneath the heavy cloth
• She appears to have just recently collapsed, mouth open in awe, eyes half-lidded in wordless pleasure
• Angel's clothing being whipped up by a perpetual wind 
• Expressive and emotional, not passive or calm; bears resemblance to Constanza bust and his David (see below)

Bernini's David

Constanza bust

Function:

• Serve as a visual representation of the moment St. Teresa was awakened and brought to god
• Physically, the central sculptural group in the chapel (see below)

• Bernini was deeply religious and wanted to help people understand divine ecstasy through a depiction of physical pleasure, attempting to embody her writings on the subject

Other:

• Bernini crafted this sculpture at one of the lowest points in his life, after the majority of his patrons had abandoned him following the fiasco of St. Peter's church. It was, in a sense, a way for him to redeem himself, to his patrons, the church, and to God. 
• He believed that the closest anyone would get to capturing the essence of them was to sculpt the moment directly before or after they spoke, which is clearly displayed in his Ecstasy of St. Teresa.

• Khanacademy entry
• This is Saint Teresa's description of the event that Bernini depicts: "Beside me, on the left, appeared an angel in bodily form.... He was not tall but short, and very beautiful; and his face was so aflame that he appeared to be one of the highest rank of angels, who seem to be all on fire.... In his hands I saw a great golden spear, and at the iron tip there appeared to be a point of fire. This he plunged into my heart several times so that it penetrated to my entrails. When he pulled it out I felt that he took them with it, and left me utterly consumed by the great love of God. The pain was so severe that it made me utter several moans. The sweetness caused by this intense pain is so extreme that one cannot possibly wish it to cease, nor is one's soul content with anything but God. This is not a physical but a spiritual pain, though the body has some share in it—even a considerable share."

Links:

• https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/monarchy-enlightenment/baroque-art1/baroque-italy/a/bernini-ecstasy-of-saint-teresa
• https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/monarchy-enlightenment/baroque-art1/baroque-italy/v/bernini-ecstasy-of-st-theresa

Sources:

• Khanacademy (essay, video)
• Power of Art (video)