Question

Many artists use the physical properties of light as a metaphor to convey spiritual meaning in art and architecture. Describe the spiritual content within Bernini’s Ecstasy of Saint Theresa and focus on his use of light art history

Answer 1

Answer:

One of the greatest sculptures from the era of Baroque art, the marble ensemble known as The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa (L'Estasi di Santa Teresa), located in the Cornaro Chapel of the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria, was carved by Bernini (1598-1680), one of the leading Baroque sculptors of the Roman school. A deliberately intense work of Christian art, it is regarded as one of the most important examples of the Counter-Reformation style of Baroque sculpture, designed to convey spiritual aspects of the Catholic faith. The work depicts an episode of "religious ecstasy" in the life of the cloistered Spanish mystic and Carmelite nun - Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) - as described in her autobiography "The Life of Teresa of Jesus".

Where the angel has descended to Teresa."The response continues to explain how "these metal beams of light also symbolize an electric moment, a sort of instant of enlightenment causing Saint Teresa's ecstasy." In this way, the response goes beyond just describing the metal beams of light to explain how they function using light to convey spiritual meaning.