Last visit : November 2024
My opinion : MUST SEE
Visit duration : 1 to 2 hours
Here we are in the Olympus of art history, among the immense and most astonishing works produced in the history of humanity. Rome is an infinite heritage of treasures, like probably no other city in the world, but among the works that even the visitor who stops a few days in Rome must absolutely see there is this: the Rape of Proserpina by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. A work capable of competing with the greatest masterpieces of Michelangelo or with the Laocoon, for technical virtuosity, expressive power, sublime beauty; one of the most widely reproduced works in the world, in that astonishing detail of Pluto's hand sinking into the soft flesh of the nymph, or in the detail of the tear that flows from her eye.
The Rape of Proserpina is located in Rome, in that enchanting museum that is the Galleria Borghese, together with other youthful masterpieces by Bernini, the portrait of Paolina Borghese by Antonio Canova, and Caravaggio, and passing through Rome without paying homage to such a marvel is a mortal sin.
1. Introduction to Bernini's Pluto and Proserpina: a pivotal work of Baroque sculpture
The Rape of Proserpina by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, created between 1621 and 1622 and now preserved in the Galleria Borghese in Rome, represents one of the highest expressions of Baroque sculpture and sculpture in general, both for its technical virtuosity and its narrative power. Commissioned by Cardinal Scipione Borghese , the work was subsequently donated in 1623 to Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi , nephew of Pope Gregory XV , probably to consolidate power relations between the two families. Only in 1908 , the sculpture was purchased by the Italian State and returned to its original location, after a long period of dispersion.
Bernini, although very young , demonstrates in this sculpture an extraordinary mastery of the marble material , creating a work that exalts the aesthetic principles of the Baroque: dynamism, pathos, theatricality and the search for an immediate and engaging narration. His genius is manifested not only in the ability to make the tension between the characters palpable, but also in his ability to transform the marble into a vibrant and almost organic element, capable of simulating the softness of human skin, the elasticity of the flesh and the fluid movement of the surfaces.
2. Compositional structure and baroque dynamism
The work depicts the dramatic moment in which Pluto , the god of the Underworld, kidnaps Proserpina , daughter of the goddess Ceres, to take her to his underground kingdom. The composition develops along an ascending diagonal line , a device that amplifies the sensation of movement and contrasts with the static nature of Renaissance representations.
The work is distinguished by a helical setting, which forces the viewer to turn around the sculpture to fully grasp its expressive power. The rotation of Proserpina's body, which writhes in a vain attempt to free itself, and the force with which Pluto holds her create an effect of plastic torsion , accentuated by the clever play of light and shadow that shapes the surfaces.
Bernini manages to transform a block of marble into a visual story , in which every detail contributes to the construction of a growing pathos. Pluto's hand sinking into Proserpina's thigh represents one of the greatest examples of sculptural illusionism in the history of art: the marble, treated with extraordinary skill, seems to change consistency, giving the tactile sensation of skin yielding under the pressure of the fingers. This illusionistic effect is amplified by the contrast between the muscular tension of the god and the delicacy of the girl's flesh, evoking a visual and emotional contrast that constitutes the heart of the work.
3. Execution technique and material illusion
One of the most revolutionary aspects of the Rape of Proserpina (a work created in just over a year, between 19 June 1621 and the summer of 1622) lies in the refined rendering of the surfaces . Bernini developed a sculptural language that went beyond Renaissance naturalism to arrive at a more dynamic and vibrant conception of the material. The smoothing of the marble here reaches an unprecedented level of excellence: the transparency of the skin, the reflection of light on the smooth surfaces, the contrast between the shiny areas and the rougher ones (such as Pluto's beard or Cerberus' fur) contribute to an illusionistic effect that captures the viewer's gaze and solicits a direct sensorial response.
Another distinctive element of the work is the presence of Cerberus , the monstrous three-headed dog placed at Pluto's feet. This figure, in addition to reinforcing the infernal characterization of the god, acts as an element of balance in the composition, balancing the ascending diagonal with a solid visual base. The sculptural treatment of the dog reflects the same attention to detail that characterizes the entire work: the heads are arranged in a configuration that suggests further movement, while the treatment of the fur and the open jaws increases the drama of the scene.
Contemplating this work gives me shivers when I think of the young Bernini, little more than a boy but already in full control of his irrepressible talent, throwing himself with his tools onto the marble, gradually giving it shape in continuous expressions of virtuosity, from the god's beard created with widespread use of the drill, to the gradina whose use is evident in the hairiness of Cerberus.
Bernini's virtuosity, which already here succeeds in his aim of surpassing the unsurpassable Michelangelo, at least in pure virtuosity, is expressed not only in the most obvious aspects, such as the most evident, astonishing detail of Pluto's hand sinking into Prosperpina's flesh, creating expressive forms previously unknown to the material of marble, but also in less evident details such as the protrusion of Proserpina's arm into the void; this expedient was not only innovative from the point of view of spatial rendering (also because it involved a huge waste of very precious material), but also required full control of the material by the artist, who was able to push himself to the limits of the structural strength of the stone, demonstrating his absolute mastery of it.
4. Mythological and allegorical interpretation
The myth of Proserpina , narrated in Ovid 's Metamorphoses , takes on a highly dramatic meaning in Bernini's masterpiece. The legend of the girl kidnapped and dragged to the Underworld by Pluto has often been interpreted as a metaphor for the cyclical nature of life and nature: Proserpina, forced to live six months a year in the realm of the dead, symbolizes the alternation of the seasons , the passage from winter to spring.
In addition to the mythological reading, the work can be interpreted in the light of Baroque aesthetic theories, which emphasize the contrast between passion and constraint, desire and rejection, movement and immobility . Bernini does not limit himself to representing a mythological episode, but captures its dramatic essence, leading the viewer to identify with the suffering and struggle of Proserpina. The theatricality of the whole is enhanced by the expressions on the faces: the girl's desperation is opposed to Pluto's implacable determination, creating a silent dialogue but full of emotional tension.
In a historical period in which artists such as Lanfranco, the Carracci and Rubens were revolutionising the expressive language of art, overcoming the canons imposed first by the Renaissance and then by Mannerism, Bernini imposed himself by synthesising the aesthetics of contemporary painters and creating works of unrivalled eros and pathos.
5. The comparison with the classical and Renaissance tradition
Bernini compares himself with ancient statuary, but he distances himself with his ability to animate stone , infusing it with a dynamism that surpasses the composure of Hellenistic sculpture. An often cited comparison is with the Laocoön , a masterpiece from the 1st century BC, which shares with the Rape of Proserpina the element of torsion and exaggerated expressiveness. However, while the Laocoön group adheres to a contained theatricality, Bernini accentuates the involvement of the spectator through a more sensual and immediate language.
Even compared to Michelangelo's sculpture, Bernini introduces a more fluid conception of form: if Michelangelo exalted the monumentality and physical power of his figures, Bernini favours narration and pathos, transforming sculpture into a visual experience that seems to overcome the limits of the material.
Of course, there was no shortage of works in the Renaissance, especially in mythological representations, that combined pathos and sensuality with extraordinary effects (my thoughts run for example to Correggio's Jupiter and Io that I have already commented on), but Bernini with this work raises all the expressive levels to heights never reached before; what I find sensational in this work is the naturalism of the gestures, which is so effective and mimetic that it induces a complete suspension of disbelief; in front of the Rape of Proserpina one stops thinking that what is in front of oneself is cold marble and one participates emotionally and empathetically in the scene; the way in which the nymph throws her head back trying to escape from the attacker, the gesture of the palm of her hand that tries to press on Pluto's face, who in turn retracts his face by sliding the palm of his hand; the virile tension that pulsates from the muscles of the God; we are experiencing first-hand an assault to which it is impossible to remain indifferent.
Further contributing to the spectacular nature of the representation is the richness of the room, a riot of Raphaelesque grotesques, polychrome marble inlays, marble pilasters, Roman busts, antique-style metopes that will make any art lover shudder in the most classic of displays of wealth in the eternal city.
The Rape of Proserpina is not simply a work of art, but a perfect synthesis of the principles of the Baroque, a pinnacle of human production and intellect, an unrivaled prodigy. With its ability to express tension and movement, with its incredible material illusionism and its expressive power, the work remains an absolute point of reference in the history of sculpture. Bernini, with this youthful creation, not only demonstrates a precocious talent but defines a new aesthetic canon, destined to influence Western sculpture for centuries to come and to establish an unsurpassed and unsurpassable parameter.
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