Wordly Genius
Gianlorenzo Bernini and the Plazza Navona

 

The four corners of the world come together in a dynamic display of rushing water and dazzling marble in Rome's cherished Piazza Navona. Gianlorenzo Bernini fashioned this masterpiece after a complex conception for a fountain that now prominently dominates the Piazza. Bernini won the commission despite the forces working against him becuase of his unparalleled mastery of the Baroque. He surpassed the physical limitations of the marble medium with his superb and supple handling of the material. He also added a level of symbolism and meaning to the work that continues to have universal application.

Pope Innocent X desired the Piazza fountain to triumph the success and widespread authority of the Church. An ancient obelisk anchored the center of the fountain with various figures surrounding it in a swirling mass of polished marble. This obelisk helped anchor the modern Catholic Church in the same legacy of power and grandeur as the ancient Roman Empire. The grand central feature is crowned with a bronze dove with an olive branch to represent Christian peaceful doctrine.

Surrounding the obelisk, four larger than life marble statues react actively to the presence of this monument. These four figures represent the four corners of the world in the form of river personifications- the Danube as Europe, the Nile as Africa, the Ganges as Asia, and the della Plata as the Americas. The widely varied poses of the four figures have symbolism pertinent to the personifcations' relationship with the church. Europe is shown embracing the light o fthe crowned obelish, which represents its complete acceptance and indoctrination of the Christian faith. Europe's figure contrasts the African figure's apparent oblivion to the presence of the Church at all. The America's figure shields its eyes from the divine light, suggesting that it has yet to accept the faith, while Asia's personification looks on at the obelisk with a somber expression in a stance of passivity. The entire composition explodes with life and vibrancy with a presence of additional marble animals and figures intertwined with the personification as water bubbles out from all sides.

Bernini's painstaking preparation for the fountain features drawings, sketches, and clay models that have a similar vibrancy and vitality of his completed work. It is these very prepatory makings that compile this exhibition. Viewers will be amazed how the short strokes of the sketches capture the movement of the water and the firm contours of the marble in a realistc manner. The smaller three dimensional moderls are works of art in their own right as well.

The center piece of this exhibition is a 6'6" model of the Four Rivers Fountain accompanied by sketches in Bernini's hand and works of artists in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries shwoign the fountain in its setting.

 

Itinerary- Coming Soon!

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