Visual arts and film studies IP5 - Essay Example

These three art works have been taken from the Baroque, Renaissance and Enlightenment period – three different movements in history that greatly influenced the art and artists of their time. Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Ecstasy of St. Teresa The Ecstasy of St. Teresa is one of the greatest masterpieces that have been sculpted by the baroque artist, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Bernini created this life-sized sculpture in white marble for the Cornaro Chapel in Rome under the commission of Venetian Cardinal Federico Cornaro.

This sculpture depicts the scene from the autobiography of Teresa of Avila, a nun and reformer, when she was under the throes of religion ecstasy when the Angel sent by God pierced her heart with a pointed arrow. Done entirely in white marble, Bernini in this detailed sculpture has managed to achieve a variety of textures such as the fold of the Angel’s cloth, the texture of the clouds and the sculpted body of the Angel. Bernini has also added drama to the sculpture through the strategic placement of the art piece within the Chapel.

The sculpture is placed in a niche where the sculpture is overcast with light falling from above in such a way that the sculpture appears private and secluded. The use of light and dark is typical of the Baroque technique of chiaroscuro (Strickland and Boswell, 2007). Bernini, himself was a devout Catholic and was the favored artist of Pope Barberini but following his accession of Innocent X, Bernini soon fell out of the favor of the new Pope. It was during this time that Bernini was approached by Cornaro and created this sculpture.

However, the theme of religion is apparent in this sculpture also since Bernini attended mass regularly and was part of the movement known as Counter Reformation. Counter Reformation was a movement where the church and devout Catholics wants to bring back the passion for the Christ that Protestants had managed to attack furiously in their Reformation movement. This sculpture is typical of the Baroque period when most of the artwork was based on the theme of reviving the religious theme and their passion for the people.

Baroque tended to favor the elaborate and the dramatic while also emphasizing on detail. The sculpture of St. Teresa is a perfect example of the Baroque period. Michelangelo and the Creation of Adam The Creation of Adam is a fresco created by Renaissance artist, Michelangelo. This fresco is located on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican, Rome and was commissioned by Pope Julius II. This fresco uses symbolic imagery as Michelangelo makes the pointing of the two fingers the focus of the fresco to depict the creation of Adam by God.

The pointing of fingers illustrates God giving the breath of life to Adam. This fresco along with the rest of the frescos painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is adapted from the Book of Genesis and thus represents a religious theme. The use of bright colors and outlines make the ceiling more eye-catching and clearly visible. Michelangelo was reluctant to work on these frescos since his expertise was sculpture rather than frescos but these frescos marked Michelangelo as one of the best artists in the history of art.

While fresco was not the forte of the great artist, elements within the fresco brand these fresco as the work of Michelangelo, such as the use of nude males that were characteristic of the great artis