Following Genevieve Warwick's innovative study Bernini: Art as Theatre (2012), this important new contribution by Carolina Mangone proves that there is still much to be said about Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680), his working process, and, particularly, his relationship to the artistic principles of the Renaissance as represented in the work of Michelangelo (1475–1564). Mangone's study sheds new light on the artistic and historiographic relationship of the two artists by closely examining Bernini's imitatio Buonarroti across his career as a sculptor and architect, arguing that “by imitating Michelangelo's art and its principles, Bernini constructed a theoretical foundation and vocabulary for his own art” (1). This calls for a return to the basics: close comparative visual analysis of selected works of Bernini and Michelangelo, situated within a comprehensive discussion of the art theory of the period, which Mangone provides in subsequent chapters. The choice of case studies, particularly the sculptures, is both unusual and significant, granting long-overdue attention to works that have been all but eclipsed by the highly studied multimedial works and urban monuments. Moreover, Mangone sets aside the laudatory and often mythologizing biographies of Bernini to craft a more nuanced account of his practice and reception, incorporating an impressive range of well-known as well as lesser-known documents, texts, and critical voices of the period.
Focusing on the theme of figural poses—specifically, the twisting of the Figura Serpentina (serpentine figure) that characterizes a number of Bernini's early works—the first chapter situates him artistically and philosophically in relation to Michelangelo from the beginning of his career. Mangone demonstrates how this evolving relationship must be considered work by work, raising not only questions of style, technique, and the paragone of the visual arts but also questions of poetry, metaphor, and polemics.
Chapter 2 takes us to St. Peter's and the tomb of Urban VIII, engaging with the challenging concept of color and coloristic effects in sculpture, as well as the theme of morbidezza (softness) and the question of flesh and nudity in the discourse on decorum of the period. In addition to analyzing Bernini's work in relation to the Roman sculptural tradition and to the figures of Michelangelo, the chapter brings attention to the influences of painting—notably, Raphael's frescoes in the Sala di Constantino in the Apostolic Palace.
Chapters 3 and 4 turn to architecture, beginning with Bernini's activity within the complex of St. Peter's. This chapter highlights an important phenomenon of the seventeenth century, and Bernini's position in relation to it: the rise of the professional architect, a shift in understanding regarding the nature of the architectural profession and the paragone (comparison of the arts). Mangone attributes Bernini's success as a sculptor-architect to his giudizio dell'occhio (judgment of the eye), something for which Michelangelo was known, and to his understanding and judicious use of contrapposti, “the perception of objects in visual juxtaposition” (6).
Notable in this chapter, and not previously emphasized in the scholarship on Bernini's architectural practice, is the importance and extensive use of full-scale models in his design process. As she works through the reception of Bernini's architectural works, his triumphs and perceived failures, Mangone steps back from the narrative of professional crisis brought about by the failed belltowers of St. Peter's to effectively leave open the question of Bernini's success and qualification as an architect in his day. As she addresses the question of licenzia (license) in relation to other architectural projects in the fourth chapter, Mangone continues to consider the issue of innovation versus tradition and decorum. She illustrates the precedent set by Michelangelo in departing from the classical architectural canon of Vitruvius to produce new architectural languages, and she discusses the implications of this license for Bernini and succeeding generations of architects.
Mangone's study closes with the theme of giudizio as allegorized in portraits of Bernini and Michelangelo, concluding that Bernini demonstrated his own ingegno (genius) through the application of his own judgment to the ideas, precepts, and practice of Michelangelo, which allowed him to “imitate with historical consciousness”; thus, he “became his own Michelangelo” (229). Richly illustrated and featuring rigorous examination eloquently presented, this volume is certain to take an important place in Bernini studies, as well as studies of early modern sculpture, architecture, and art theory.
