Baroque Sculpture and Architecture in Italy: Bernini, Borromini and Algardi in Counter Reformation Rome

Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s name is synonymous with Baroque sculpture in Italy. But Bernini’s reach went beyond sculpture into architecture, city planning and even theater displays. In this lecture we will trace his career from its early stages in the employ of the powerful collector Cardinal Scipione Borghese through to his final years. Included are such famous works as Apollo and Daphne, David, the Ecstasy of St. Theresa, and the Four Rivers Fountain in Piazza Navona. His work for St. Peter’s Cathedral, some portraits, and his tomb for Pope Clement VII will also be featured. Work from his contemporary in sculpture, Alessandro Algardi, and his rival in architecture, Francesco Borromini, will serve as foils in understanding the true genius of Bernini.