https://baroque.dahvc.org/fall-2021/files/original/Gian_Lorenzo_Bernini_-_Unity_of_the_Visual_Arts_/Blessed_Soul/Blessed_Soul_by_Bernini.jpeg 7d341c03255c6801219310da10750d4f 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 Blessed Soul Description An account of the resource The marble bust Blessed Soul, or Anima Beata, was created in 1619 along with Damned Soul when Bernini was only 20. The piece is thought to have been commissioned by Cardinal Pedro Foix de Montoya [1]. The bust depicts a woman looking up toward heaven with a slightly open mouth with an almost absent expression. She wears a crown of flowers atop her long, curly hair, and the bust, like Damned Soul, cuts off around her collarbone and neck. While Damned Soul captures an intensity of emotion and pain, the woman in Blessed Soul almost appears absent from life, fixated on looking toward heaven. The parted lips and slight head tilt add an aura of innocence to the woman's expression. While the emotion is far less eminent in Blessed Soul than in Damned Soul, Bernini still captures an instantaneous motion and emotion rather than capturing a figure at rest. With her head tilted, lips parted, and eyes looking upward, the woman looks as though she is about to speak or perhaps ascend to heaven. Though the purity in her face is clear, the absence of life and emotion almost leaves a negative connotation on going to heaven [2]. The Damned Soul clearly experienced agony, but appears more alive with such intensity of emotion. Bernini again used sculpture as a media to depict an expression that may have more typically been seen in oil portraiture prior to the Baroque period. Through next examining a portrait of Caravaggio, this connection can be understood. Once again looking beyond a medium’s history and standard uses, Bernini established himself as a visionary almost agnostic to the medium he was working with. His paintings, sculptures, and architecture are connected by their dynamic nature. [1] “Anima Beata (the Blessed Soul).” Sotheby's. Sotheby's. Accessed October 18, 2021. https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/tomasso-the-more-a-thing-is-perfect/anima-beata-the-blessed-soul. [2] Rowland, Ingrid D. “Bernini: He Had the Touch.” The New York Review of Books. NYREV, July 21, 2020. https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2015/06/04/bernini-he-had-touch/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Bernini Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Montagu, Jennifer. “Bernini and the Unity of the Visual Arts.” The Burlington Magazine 124, no. 949 (1982): 240–43. http://www.jstor.org/stable/880696. Rowland, Ingrid D. “Bernini: He Had the Touch.” The New York Review of Books. NYREV, July 21, 2020. https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2015/06/04/bernini-he-had-touch/. “Anima Beata (the Blessed Soul).” Sotheby's. Sotheby's. Accessed October 18, 2021. https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/tomasso-the-more-a-thing-is-perfect/anima-beata-the-blessed-soul. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Piazza di Spagna Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1619 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Meena Gudapati Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image of marble bust 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 Piazza di Spagna, Rome, Italy