Question

Gianlorenzo bernini's ecstasy of st. theresa, a centerpiece of a chapel in rome, exemplifies what characteristic of the baroque style?

Answer 1

Tries to draw the viewer in to participate in the scene. Depictions feel physically and psychologically real. Emotionally intense. Extravagant settings and ornamentation. Dramatic contrasts between light and dark, light and shadow. Common themes: grandiose visions, ecstasies and conversions, martyrdom and death, intense light, intense psychological moments.

Answer 2

In the O Ecstasy of Santa Tereza, 1646-52 by Gianlorenzo Bernini, Santa Teresa has a vision of an angel who stabs a golden sword in her heart. Disappeared, in physical and spiritual abandonment, symbolizing her love for God, she expresses the intensity of her mystical experience.

This marble group is a perfect example of the spirit of the Baroque, full of drama, emotion and movement.