Faun Teased by Children is a technical tour de force by 18-year-old Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), whose career spanned seven decades. I’m a sucker for virtuosity; and besides, this makes me laugh.
Bernini, Faun Teased by Children, ca. 1616-1617. Photo: MetMuseum.org
Michelangelo’s figures (Moses or the Dying Slave, for example) were twisting and energetic. Bernini’s make Michelangelo’s look almost … sedate. And every angle offers new and fascinating details – an amazing feat of composition.
Young Bernini was already an expert at using the tiniest details to make his sculptures more vivid. When you’ve explored all the angles of this piece, you can get absorbed in the sharp differences in the surface of skin, hair, leaves, and branches.
Bernini, Faun Teased by Children, ca. 1616-1617. Photo: MetMuseum.org
The mouths of all four figures are marvelously expressive. One of Bernini’s contributions to the progress of sculpture was showing figures open-mouthed, as if they’re drawing breath.
Bernini, Faun Teased by Children, ca. 1616-1617. Photo: MetMuseum.org
Read about major innovations gave the sculptors who created them—and all those who followed—greater power to make viewers stop, look, and think about sculptures. Bernini is Chapter 10 in my Kindle book Innovators in Sculpture. I also offer a walking tour of innovators in sculpture at the Metropolitan Museum.
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In Getting More Enjoyment from Sculpture You Love, I demonstrate a method for looking at sculptures in detail, in depth, and on your own. Learn to enjoy your favorite sculptures more, and find new favorites. Available on Amazon in print and Kindle formats. More here.
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