Overview

Unique among early modern artists, the Baroque painter, sculptor, and architect Gianlorenzo Bernini was the subject of two monographic biographies published shortly after his death in 1680: one by the Florentine connoisseur and writer Filippo Baldinucci (1682), and the second by Bernini’s son, Domenico (1713). This interdisciplinary collection of essays by historians of art and literature marks the first sustained examination of the two biographies, first and foremost as texts. A substantial introductory essay considers each biography’s author, genesis, and foundational role in the study of Bernini. Nine essays combining art-historical research with insights from philology, literary history, and art and literary theory offer major new insights into the multifarious connections between biography, art history, and aesthetics, inviting readers to rethink Bernini’s life, art, and milieu. Contributors are Eraldo Bellini, Heiko Damm, John D. Lyons, Sarah McPhee, Tomaso Montanari, Rudolf Preimesberger, Robert Williams, and the editors.

Full Product Details

Author:   Maarten Delbeke (Ghent University) ,  Evonne Levy ,  Steven F. Ostrow (University of Minnesota) ,  Eraldo Bellini
Publisher:   Pennsylvania State University Press
Imprint:   Pennsylvania State University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.60cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.594kg
ISBN:  

9780271029023

ISBN 10:   0271029021
Pages:   440
Publication Date:   15 November 2007
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Out of stock  
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Table of Contents

Contents List of Illustrations Preface Prolegomena to the Interdisciplinary Study of Bernini’s Biographies Maarten Delbeke, Evonne Levy, and Steven F. Ostrow 1 At the Margins of the Historiography of Art: The Vite of Bernini Between Autobiography and Apologia Tomaso Montanari 2 Bernini’s Voice: From Chantelou’s Journal to the Vite Steven F. Ostrow 3 Plotting Bernini: A Triumph over Time John D. Lyons 4 Chapter 2 of Domenico Bernini’s Vita of His Father: Mimeses Evonne Levy 5 “Always Like Himself”: Character and Genius in Bernini’s Biographies Robert Williams 6 Bernini Portraits, Stolen and Nonstolen, in Chantelou’s Journal and the Bernini Vite Rudolf Preimesberger 7 Gianlorenzo on the Grill: The Birth of the Artist in His “Primo Parto di Divozione” Heiko Damm 8 Gianlorenzo Bernini’s Bel Composto: The Unification of Life and Work in Biography and Historiography Maarten Delbeke 9 From Mascardi to Pallavicino: The Biographies of Bernini and Seventeenth-Century Roman Culture Eraldo Bellini 10 Costanza Bonarelli: Biography Versus Archive Sarah McPhee Bibliography List of Contributors Index

Reviews

Although there is more biographical writing on the incomparable Gian Lorenzo Bernini than on any other early modern artist, including Michelangelo, the investigation of these writings remains surprisingly incomplete. This fascinating and highly original book is therefore a welcome addition to the literature, for it both consolidates our present understanding of these biographies, which can be traced to Bernini himself, and raises important questions about these writings for future consideration. Bernini's Biographies will therefore be of great interest to scholars of art history, literature, and the social history of art alike. - Paul Barolsky, University of Virginia

Author Information

Maarten Delbeke is Assistant Professor of Architectural History and Theory at the universities of Ghent and Leiden. Evonne Levy is Associate Professor of the History of Art at the University of Toronto. Steven F. Ostrow is Professor and Chair of Art History at the University of Minnesota.

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