There are
perhaps few things more frustrating than missing something that will not return
in the near future, if ever. So, it’s
with a heavy heart that I report that last Sunday (January 6) was the final day
for Bernini: Sculpting in Clay at
the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. Despite some real flaws in the presentation,
it was an excellent show.
Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) was the greatest
sculptor of the Baroque era. Perhaps the
finest collections of Bernini sculptures are to be found in the Villa Borghese and the Vatican; look for upcoming articles on
both in The Jade Sphinx. We looked at Bernini in a previous post when
examining representations of the Biblical David; his David is more determined,
more fierce, more … scrappy than the confident, gorgeous youth of Michelangelo or the fey aristocrat of Donatello.
Bernini is
often considered to be the successor of Michelangelo, as he married both the
heroic monumentality of his predecessor to a greater realism and dramatic
motion. He was also, like Michelangelo,
a multi-faceted genius, able to write plays, paint, design metalwork and create
stage sets. In addition, he too was
possessed of that peculiar religious fever that consumed Michelangelo,
believing that his art was a manifestation of his love for God. (One has only to look at the disturbingly
orgasmic Ecstasy of St. Teresa to
see how deeply rooted were his religious beliefs.)
Like many
sculptors (and, often, some painters), Bernini created mini-sketches in
terracotta of what would be larger, more demanding works in marble. It is a terrific boon to a sculptor to think
out the challenges of movement and pose on a small scale before committing to
the larger, less-forgiving work.
The
three-dimensional sketches in the show detailed a magnificent creative mind at
work. There were drawings along with the
three dimensional sketches – including a stunning self-portrait in chalk – and there
was very much the sense of being inside of an artist’s workshop. The text accompanying the exhibition was also
usually clear, concise and informative. The
figures on hand were, to your correspondent, surprisingly large – the Renaissance
mind did not think small. Nor where the
figures quick or rough in any way – these were superbly executed ‘first-runs’
and were beautiful works of art in-and-of-themselves.
Sadly, once
again the Metropolitan used spectacularly poor judgment in lighting and
positioning. Many of the figures were
too high for patrons to see the details, or behind plastic viewing walls that
seemed to do nothing but reflect ambient light, making it near impossible to
see the things within. Why a
multi-million dollar operation with a world-class reputation cannot do better
is one of the deeper mysteries of the New York art world.
For those
who missed the show, there is a fabulously illustrated catalogue, including not
only articles on view, but interesting new research on Bernini and his working
methods, as well. It is a pricey $65,
but of unusual interest because of the insight it reveals into this great
artist.
No comments:
Post a Comment