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AP®︎/College Art History
Course: AP®︎/College Art History > Unit 5
Lesson 4: Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation- Cranach, Law and Gospel (Law and Grace)
- Il Gesù, including Triumph of the Name of Jesus ceiling fresco
- Bruegel, Hunters in the Snow (Winter)
- Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Hunters in the Snow (Winter)
- Caravaggio, Calling of Saint Matthew and Inspiration of St. Matthew
- Rubens, The Presentation of the Portrait of Marie de' Medici
- Rubens, The Presentation of the Portrait of Marie de' Medici
- Rembrandt, Self-Portrait with Saskia
- Geometry and motion in Borromini's San Carlo
- Bernini, Ecstasy of Saint Teresa
- Velázquez, Las Meninas
- Johannes Vermeer, Woman Holding a Balance
- Château de Versailles
- Rachel Ruysch, Fruit and Insects
- William Hogarth, Marriage A-la-Mode (including Tête à Tête)
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Bernini, Ecstasy of Saint Teresa
This video is about Bernini's sculpture "Ecstasy of St. Theresa." It shows St. Theresa's vision of an angel piercing her heart with a golden arrow. The sculpture is in the Cornaro Chapel in Rome. Bernini used marble and light to create a dramatic and emotional scene. It's a great example of Baroque art! Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, 1647–52 (Cornaro Chapel, Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome). Speakers: Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker
. Created by Smarthistory.Want to join the conversation?
- What is installation art, mentioned at? 0:17(22 votes)
- Installation art is intended to interact with the space it is presented in. I think that in this case they are referring to the fact that Bernini designed the sculpture along with gold rays specifically for this alcove in the Cornaro chapel. Additionally if you remove the sculpture from the alcove and the gold rays, the piece losses much of it's meaning and impact.(27 votes)
- OK, I get the sexual metaphor; but what reason did Bernini have to think the angel would stab Teresa in the heart with the arrow?(9 votes)
- Artists interpret. Teresa describes her ecstasy and Bernini ran with the imagery that he perceived and depicted her in a way that that made sense to him and in a way that he could communicate that message to the viewer. In her autobiography she states "I saw in his hand a long spear of gold, and at the iron's point there seemed to be a little fire. He appeared to me to be thrusting it at times into my heart, and to pierce my very entrails; when he drew it out, he seemed to draw them out also, and to leave me all on fire with a great love of God. "(19 votes)
- how long did it take him to complete this work?(6 votes)
- wow that's amazing how did Kushp1866 find that out?(1 vote)
- How is the marble he used colored marble as mentioned in- 0:47? The marble looks fairly white. 0:49(7 votes)
- About whispering voices: Why didn't they record the video and comment later? You could easily do that with a video editing software, right?(5 votes)
- I agree; since they add the music later, why not the commentary? The music is quite loud compared to the voices and I wish they would turn it down a bit.
I made a complaint about the whispering a couple of days ago and said that transcripts would help; later I discovered that there are "interactive transcripts" under the Options button.(2 votes)
- How old was he when he created the sculpture ? :)(2 votes)
- This is seven years late, but still... Bernini was born in 1598 so he would have been 49 years old when he started work on this sculpture in 1647. So not all that young really.(3 votes)
- is this counter reformation or reformation(2 votes)
- reformation is what was happening in Germany with people such as Martin Luther(1 vote)
- The title of this video says "Teresa", but the caption says "Theresa". Which is the correct spelling?(0 votes)
- Teresa is the Italian spelling. Theresa is English. Both are correct.(6 votes)
- I am fully aware that the question I am going to ask is not a real "Khan Academy" question, but can someone please tell me why they are whispering? At some points it is hard to understand. No offense, but art can be enjoyed on a higher sound level too. Thank you. :)(2 votes)
- Many of the pieces of art that Steve and Beth are commenting on are located in places where normal conversation volumes would interfere with the use of the building by others. In the case of a church, patrons expect to use it for quiet contemplation and prayer - imagine someone talking on a cell phone in a library or in a courtroom during a trial and you'll get the idea.(5 votes)
- Since there are no photographs of St. Theresa or of an angel, of whom did Bernini use as a model for these depictions?(2 votes)