Art History Short Answer 3

St. Peter’s

Which building’s dome was too small and hard to see? It had a fusion of architecture and sculpture, with organic lines, as well as straying away from perfect proportions and perfect shapes. Bernini also wanted to put bell towers on it, but they began to crack.

Bernini 

Who later took over the architecture of St. Peter’s after Maderno’s death, assuming the title of “architect of St. Peter’s.” It was challenging to add both architecture and sculpture since it was massive, how would it have emotional warmth?

He also altered perfect shapes and used curved lines

Bernini and Borromini

Who were rivals?

San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane

What building had a reliance on sculptural relief to adorn the interior, not fresco like usual. It was seen as a disregard for regular geometry.

Borromini

Who made San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane?

San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane

Which building had a more unique plan?

Sant’Ivo

Which piece had a kind of classical circular plan

Borromini

Who made Sant’Ivo?

Sant’Agnese

Which piece was a bit of a flex on Bernini? It was set on the Piazza Navona. Borromini was able to curve the façade inwards so you could see the dome, along with two tower structures that flank the dome. It is a central plan, and has Gothic and Renaissance features.

Borromini 

Who made Sant’Agnese?

Bernini

Who made the Four Rivers Fountain?

The Four Rivers Fountain

Which piece is across from Sant’Agnese, showing the artist’s rivalry with Borromini? It’s very expressive

Sensuality, emotion, tension, and movement

What are the four things Baroque art focuses on?

Baldacchino

Made by Bernini, this piece was made for St. Peter’s for the main altar, as he felt the interior needed a focal point. It was below Michelangelo’s dome and above the crypt. It was created in bronze coming from the Pantheon. He used leaves, fruit, and even lizards cast in bronze. There are angels in the corners holding crosses above a golden orb, a symbol of triumph of Christianity throughout the world.

It features the papal insigna, the coat of arms of the pope, and the Barberini bees of Urban VIII. It honors the power of God and the pope.

(Bernini also made the Cathedra Petri for St. Peter’s, but that isn’t worth a whole slide lol)

Sant’Ivo

Which piece was a church built for the University of Rome? It’s smaller, and based on a hexagonal star. It represents Sapienza (wisdom), but suggested to represent the Barberini Bee. Borromini may have been thinking of octogonal Gothic structures. It features sculptures

Bernini

Who had a good relationship with the pope, Urban VIII? However, the pope spent a lot on architecture, so people put blame on this artist after Urban VIII’s death.

St. Peter’s forecourt

A keyhole-shaped colonnade made St. Peter’s exterior unified, along with blocking off the nearby slums. Bernini likened to the motherly, all-embracing arms of the Church. It wasn’t an original idea though, but it was original that he used it as the entrance of a building, and it was massive — akin to the ancient Roman Sanctuary at Palestrina. It was special though, cause it was in the front of a building