GIAN LORENZO BERNINI

1598-1680

There are two devices which can help the sculptor to judge his work: one is not to see it for a while. The other... is to look at his work through spectacles which will change its color and magnify or diminish it, so as to disguise it somehow to his eye, and make it look as though it were the work of another. Gianlorenzo Bernini

Grades 3-5 PowerPoint Lesson Plan

OBJECTIVES

HISTORY: Places an artwork in its art historical context. Students will be able to identify the dramatic movement and emotionalism of Baroque sculpture.

CRITICISM: Informed talk about art. Students will be able to describe the difference between a sculptural form and a two dimensional art work.

AESTHETICS: Questions the nature, value and beauty of art. Students compare Michelangelo’s sculptures to Bernini’s sculptures and discuss whether or not one style is better than the other.

PRODUCTION: Creating art. Students will create a self-portrait that is a sculptural form.

VOCABULARY

Note to volunteers The vocabulary words will be in bold italics throughout the lesson. They will be defined within the text of the lesson and do not need to be presented separately. The definitions included under this section of the lesson are very detailed and intended for adults.

Form: an object that has volume that takes up space. A three-dimensional object that has height, width and depth. (Shape only has two dimensions, height and width.)

Note to volunteers To help students understand what a form is, bring in a ball

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(form) and a circle cut-out (shape) for comparison so that the students have a visual example. A cut-out of a square or rectangle could be compared to a box.

Sculpture: any work of art carried out in three dimensions (height, width and depth). An artist who creates a sculpture is called a sculptor.

Baroque: art movement that prevailed in Europe in the 17th century. It originated in Italy and stressed an overall unity through the use of sweeping curves and slashing diagonals and by means of a massing of light against dark, and physicality paired with void. It was expressive, often turbulent, and stressed the dramatic moment. Baroque art was essentially a Roman Catholic art and its development coincided with the Counter-Reformation.

RELIGION GUIDELINES

Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley issued this statement from the U.S. Department of Education, in June of 1998. (These guidelines were re-released in December of 1999 without change.)

Teaching about religion: Public schools may not provide religious instruction, but they may teach about religion, including the Bible or other scripture: the history of religion, comparative religion, the Bible (or other scripture)-as-literature, and the role of religion in the history of the United States and other countries all are permissible public school subjects. Similarly, it is permissible to consider religious influences on art, music, literature, and social studies.

To look at the specific Beaverton School District policy on studying religious beliefs and customs, visit the school district’s website, www.beavton.k12.or.us. Click on school board, then school board policies, then section IGACA.

NUDITY GUIDELINES

This lesson uses slides which contain some nudity. Although the nudity may not be considered “graphic,” the figure is not clothed. When using these slides you must take the following step. 1. The school Art Literacy coordinator must notify the school principal in advance of the volunteer presentation. Show the principal the materials that will be used. If the principal is not in agreement with your presentation, do not go ahead with the presentation as planned (substitute a slide which meets with the approval of the principal). Remember, your presentation directly reflects on the school. A parent will probably not make a distinction between the school and Art Literacy, in their mind they are one and the same. To look at the specific Beaverton School District policy on studying controversial issues, visit the school district’s website, www.beavton.k12.or.us. Click on school board, then school board policies, then section INB.

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INTRODUCTION

DAVID BY MICHELANGELO, 1501-04, MARBLE, 17’ Let me start by telling you a story. A very long time ago, a young artist named Gian Lorenzo Bernini (GEE-awn Low-REN-so bear-NEE-nee), walked through the public square in Florence, Italy, past the sculpture of David that the artist Michelangelo (mik-el-AN-jel-loe) had carved 100 years earlier. He looked at it and thought to himself, “This statue of David is beautiful, but he doesn’t look like he is ready for a battle. He looks so quiet and still”

Bernini had read the story in the Bible about the young shepherd named David who had used a slingshot and a stone to kill the giant Goliath (go-LYE-uth.) This David sculpture didn’t look ready for a fight and Bernini just KNEW he could make a more exciting sculpture. His sculpture would look so real at every angle, you would want to duck for fear of being hit by a stone from his slingshot…..

DAVID BY BERNINI, 1623-24, MARBLE, LIFE-SIZE …and here we see the finished sculpture of David by the famous artist we are going to learn about today, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Can you say that with me – Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Do you think this sculpture of David looks like he’s ready for a fight? (Let students give their opinions.)

HISTORY

SELF-PORTRAIT, HEAD C.1675, TERRACOTTA, Gian Lorenzo Bernini was born in Italy over 400 years ago. His father was a sculptor. A sculptor is an artist who makes artwork like this statue.

Sculptures are not flat like paintings or drawings, sculptures take up space. You can walk all the way around a sculpture and it can look different from every side. They can be made from many different kinds of materials. This one is made of clay and gives us an idea of what Bernini looked like.

By the time Bernini was 10 years old, his talent was noticed and instead of studying by himself, he began to be taught by other artists. By his early twenties, he was recognized as brilliant, and not only was he the best sculptor any of the teachers had seen, he could also paint, design buildings, write plays and design the sets! Although he had many talents, he became a sculptor like his father.

STONECUTTER WITH MALLET AND CHISEL Most of the sculptures made by Bernini and other artists during this time were carved from a very hard stone called marble. The tools sculptors use for carving

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stone like you see here, are a hammer called a mallet and sharp metal tools called chisels.

The sculptor hits the flat end of the chisel with the mallet which shatters and breaks off the stone. The stone is slowly carved away using these tools. The artist chips away all the parts of the stone that are not part of their design. It takes a long time to carve a sculpture depending on how big or small it is. Many of the sculptures Bernini carved took a year or more to finish.

APOLLO AND DAPHNE 1622-1624, MARBLE Bernini’s sculptures were very exciting. He told stories with his artworks that showed how the people in them were feeling and he could make us feel as if we are watching the story right in front of us.

This is a close up view of a sculpture that tells the make believe story of Apollo and Daphne (DAFF-nee). We see Apollo chasing Daphne, who was afraid of being caught, so her father saved her by turning her into a tree. Bernini chose to show the most exciting part of the story in his sculpture; the moment when Daphne begins to turn into a tree.

Apollo has a look of shock on his face as he realizes that Daphne’s feet are turning into roots, her hair is turning into leaves, and her hands are turning into branches. Daphne looks terrified, not only because she is being chased, but she realizes that she is turning into a tree.

The figures in this sculpture almost look like real people who are frozen in time and they are what we call life-size, or the same size as a person.

FOUNTAIN OF FOUR RIVERS 1651,ROME, ITALY, PIAZZA NAVONA This is the Fountain of Four Rivers that Bernini also designed. Even though it is almost 400 years old, it is a still a popular place for people to visit in Rome today.

In it, there are four large marble sculptures that stand for four great rivers in different parts of the world. There are also plants and animals that live and grow by each river. As you walk around it, the view of what you see will change….

FOUNTAIN OF FOUR RIVERS, DETAIL 1651,ROME, ITALY, PIAZZA NAVONA Here is another view of one of the sculptures as you go around the fountain. Sculptures take up space and in art they are called forms. Say that with me – “forms.”

Forms take up space. They are what we call three-dimensional. They are tall (height), wide (width) and deep (depth). Paintings and drawings are flat and have

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only two dimensions (height and width). We call things that are flat, shapes.

Look at all the different views we can see of the fountain when walking around it!

Note to volunteers Left click your mouse two more times to fade in two more views of the fountain, one at a time.

FYI The information contained in a box in this lesson is added for the adult volunteer’s enrichment. Generally, the information is not intended for inclusion in the classroom presentation. However, if appropriate, you may wish to present some of this information to the students.

Pope Innocent X wanted a special fountain to be designed which would feature an obelisk from Egypt. Since Bernini was not in favor with the Pope at this time, he was not invited to bid on the job. One of Bernini’s friends persuaded him to make a model of how he would render the design. The friend secretly placed the model in a room of the Pope’s palace. The Pope saw it, loved it, and for the remainder of his life Bernini was in favor with the Papacy. The Pope said, “The only way to resist executing his works is not to see them.”

The Fountain of the Four Rivers depicts Gods of the four great rivers in the four continents as then recognized by the Renaissance geographers: the Nile in Africa, the Ganges in Asia, the Danube in Europe and the Río de la Plata in America.

Each location is further enhanced by animals and plants of that country. The Ganges carries a long oar, representing the river's navigability. The Nile's head is draped with a loose piece of cloth, meaning that no one at that time knew exactly where the Nile's source was. The Danube touches the Papal coat of arms, since it is the largest river closest to Rome. And the Río de la Plata is sitting on a pile of coins, a symbol of the riches America might offer to Europe (the word plata means silver in Spanish).

Each River God is semi-prostrate, in awe of the central tower, epitomized by the slender Egyptian obelisk (built for the Roman Serapeum in AD 81), symbolizing Papal power and surmounted by the Pamphilj symbol of the dove.

The Fountain of the Four rivers is a theater in the round, whose leading actor is the movement and sound of water splashing over and cascading down a mountain of travertine marble. The masterpiece was finally unveiled to the world on June 12, 1651, to joyous celebration and the inevitable criticisms of the day. Bernini built other beautiful fountains. He felt a good architect had to give fountains some real significance or that they should allude to something noble. Before Bernini, fountains were geometric forms, often stacked one above the other. Bernini’s fountains have a feeling of life and activity to them. This is still a popular Roman landmark today.

ANGEL WITH A CROWN OF THORNS 1667-69, MARBLE, SANT ANDRÉA DELLE FRATTE, ROME, ITALY During the time when Bernini was alive, most people didn’t know how to read. The Catholic Church hired artists to create paintings or sculptures that would tell the people about the stories in the Bible.

Just like a writer tells us a story with words that we picture in our minds, Bernini’s sculptures can tell us stories. Like a picture, a sculpture can help us imagine the drama of a story.

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Here we see a sculpture by Bernini of an angel. This isn’t a sweet, quiet angel. This angel is rising up out of the clouds, with his body twisting and robes blowing around. He looks as if he is about to unfurl his wings and swoop down on us.

Realistic marble sculptures like this are very hard to create. Marble is a very hard stone, and artists like it for human figures because it can be made to look like skin. Bernini used small tools to give the skin of his figures fine texture and the “glow of life.” A sculptor may have to work on a sculpture for years until it is finished. Mistakes are hard or even impossible to fix.

Bernini’s sculptures were part of a new art movement that was called Baroque . Say that with me “Baroque” (buh-rohk). This kind of art was different from what people were used to seeing. The kind of art that people were used to seeing looked still and quiet. Baroque art had a new look to it. The artworks were full of:  Drama and excitement.  Emotion – showing lots of feeling.  Details and looked very realistic.  Movement or looking as if the figures were moving.  The ability to make us, the viewers, feel as if we are part of the story.

CRITICISM

DAVID 1623-24, MARBLE, LIFE-SIZE, GALLERIA BORGHESE, ROME Let’s go back to the sculpture of David we looked at, at the beginning of our lesson. Even though we are looking at a picture of this sculpture that looks flat, in real life it takes up space, just like your body.

Here are two different views of it, one from the front and what you would see if you could walk around the sculpture and look at the back of it.

Note to volunteers Left click your mouse to see a second view of the sculpture.

Now let’s take a closer look at only one view of this sculpture.

Note to volunteers Left click your mouse to see the next view of the sculpture.

Sensory Properties: What do you see? 1. If a shape is flat like a painting or drawing and a form takes up space, would you say this sculpture is a shape or a form? (A form.) 2. Does this man look realistic? (Yes, extremely.) 3. If you could see this sculpture in person, describe how it would be different than looking at a painting on the wall. (Sculptures are three-

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dimensional forms, they will look different from different angles; a person needs to walk around the entire sculpture to see all the angles.)

Formal Properties: How is it arranged? 1. To make their artwork more interesting to look at, many artists will create contrasts in their work. Contrasts are things that are different in the same artwork. For example, an artist might contrast a dark color with a light color. In a sculpture, dark and light shadows may appear. A smooth texture could be contrasted with a rough or bumpy texture. Curving lines could be contrasted with straight lines. When you look at this sculpture, where do you see contrasts or differences in dark and light or light and shadow? (There are contrasts in dark and light with the way the shadows fall through-out this sculpture.) 2. If the light were coming from the left side of this sculpture instead of the right, would the dark and light contrasts be in the same places? (No, it would be completely different. They change depending on what direction the light comes from.)

Technical Properties: What media, tools and techniques were used? 1. What tools do you think Bernini would have needed in order to carve this sculpture? (A piece of marble, mallets or hammers, different sizes of chisels, maybe a ladder. Usually an artist would first construct a clay model of the piece before starting to carve it. Marble was costly and you didn’t want to make mistakes!)

Expressive Properties: What mood or idea does it express? Bernini’s sculptures bring us right into the action of whatever his figures are doing. We feel like we are right there living the story along with them. In this sculpture, Bernini chooses to show us the moment just before David is going to fight the giant Goliath. He has been given armor to protect himself, but he decided not to wear it and it lies at his feet. They thought he should use a sword, but instead he picks the weapon he is most familiar with – the slingshot that he uses to chase the wolves away from the sheep he looks after. 1. Who do you imagine David is looking at here? (Goliath.) 2. If you were standing next to David at this moment, what do you think you would be thinking or doing? (Ducking or running!)

AESTHETICS

DAVID BY MICHELANGELO, 1501-04, MARBLE DAVID BY BERNINI, 1623-24, MARBLE, LIFE-SIZE

Note to volunteers These questions are meant to be open-ended; there is no right or wrong answer.

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Think back to the two David sculptures at the beginning of our lesson. One was quiet, still and beautiful, and Bernini’s was full of movement and action. Do you think one is better than the other? Why or why not?

HISTORY (cont.)

BALDACCHINO OVER HIGH ALTAR OF ST. PETER’S ROME This is a view inside of the famous church in Rome called St. Peter’s Cathedral. Bernini designed this structure over the altar. It stands 95 feet high. This is the largest church in the world where 20,000 people can worship at one time.

Unlike most artists, Bernini didn’t mind being watched while he worked. When he got older, he sometimes concentrated so hard on his creating his large sculptures while standing on high scaffolding that an assistant had to keep an eye on him to make sure he didn’t accidentally fall off!

BUST OF LOUIS XIV 1665, MARBLE Bernini also changed the way portraits were done. Often a famous and powerful person would want a sculpture of themselves made (remember, there were no cameras back then) so they would have their “bust” done. Busts only showed people’s shoulders and head, and often looked awkward and lifeless like the stone it was carved out of. In this bust of the famous French King Louis XIV (14th), Bernini cleverly twists the head and shoulders of the king in different directions, while his flowing clothing adds movement and life to the portrait. This is definitely a Baroque style bust.

After Bernini died at the age of 82, people started thinking the Baroque style of art went too far to try to tell a good story. It was too dramatic and emotional. It took 200 years for art historians to realize how important Bernini’s artwork was and recognize his genius once again. He is now thought to be one of the best sculptors who ever lived and since he worked in marble, almost all of his artwork has survived for us to appreciate to this day.

FYI Bernini’s most famous portrait bust is that of an Italian woman named Costanza Bonarelli. She was not royalty or even an aristocrat, but the wife of one of his assistants. Bernini had an affair with her and shows her in a moment of “disheveled privacy.” When Bernini suspected Costanza to be involved with his brother as well, he went into a jealous rage, badly beating his brother and ordering a servant to slash Costanza’s beautiful face with a razor. Although he could have been imprisoned, his patron, Pope Urban VIII intervened on his behalf and he was only fined.

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PRODUCTION

Criteria: Students create a self-portrait that is a sculptural form.

Materials: 1 wet ball of white air-dry clay (such as Stonex brand) larger than golf ball size, 1 per student 1 gallon-size Ziploc bag per classroom Various clay tools to use for carving such as plastic knives, toothpicks, wooden skewers, popsicle sticks or tongue depressors, garlic press for hair, etc. 1 bowl, cup of water per 4 students 1 disposable plastic lunch-size plate per student (reusable) Area in classroom to let clay dry for 24+ hours

Volunteer Preparation: 1. Before the classroom presentation (this can be several days in advance), divide clay into balls slightly larger than a gold ball (1 per student). Store the balls of clay in a gallon Ziploc bag. Close the bag tightly so the clay does not dry out.

Instructions: 1. Hand out disposable plastic plates, balls of clay, clay tools and bowls of water to students. 2. Remind students that Baroque sculptors, like Bernini, carved very realistically, life-sized human figures. They often sculpted models of clay before carving from stone. 3. Have the students form a cylinder from their ball of clay. Flatten the top and bottom of the cylinder. 4. Poke a hole into the center of one end of the cylinder to keep it from cracking when it dries. 5. Pinch the cylinder in the center to form a separation between the head and shoulders. 6. Using their hands, have students shape the bottom half of the cylinder into shoulders. 7. Using their hands and/or tools, have students carve and model the features of the face and head from the top half of the cylinder. * Talk about the position of the features on your face. a. Your eyes are halfway between the top of your head and chin. b. The tip of your nose is halfway between your eyes and chin. c. Your lips are halfway between the tip of your nose and your chin. 8. It is best if students do not add features to the clay but rather “push and pull” the features from the clay. Pieces added to the clay fall off more easily. If it is

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necessary to add features, lightly score the area where the piece is to be added, moisten a finger with water and apply the water to the scored area and then attach the added piece. With a finger, blend any edges of clay that may be formed when adding pieces. A little water goes a long way. The water acts like glue and without it the pieces will fall off later when the bust is dry. Too much water turns the clay into a puddle. 9. Have students inscribe their name on the bottom of their clay bust with a toothpick or nail. 10. Make sure the hole poked into the bottom has not collapsed. If the hole has collapsed, reform it. 11. Place the clay bust on a small plastic plate while drying.

Page Clothier, Jill Bogle, Melody Ball - 2010

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