Gianlorenzo Bernini : new aspects of his art and thought : a commemorative volume

This book grew out of a series of events organized by Irving Lavin in Princeton to commemorate the three-hundredth anniversary of Bernini's death. It follows a multidisciplinary path in exploring some little-studied aspects of Bernini's work and its context. The first two investigations extend our perception of Bernini the sculptor into the realms of art theory and studio practice. Next are two contributions concerning Bernini's activity in the theater, followed by an essay which looks at some of the major scientific achievements of the modern age happening within Bernini's milieu, with a focus on the great heliocentricity controversy and its visual depiction in scientific literature. Irving Lavin offers a tentative speculation on a work by Bernini that may embody his view of the matter. Frontmatter List of Illustrations (page vii) Preface (page xi) Themes from Art Theory in the Early Works of Bernini (Rudolf Preimesberger, University of Zurich, page 1) Bernini Sculptures Not by Bernini (Jennifer Montagu, The Warburg Institute, London, page 25) A Comedy by Bernini (Donald Beecher and Massimo Ciavolella, Carleton University, Ottawa, page 63) Bernini and the "Fiera di Farfa" (Frederick Hammond, University of California, Los Angeles, page 115) Divine Reflections and Profane Refractions: Images of a Scientific Impasse in Seventeenth-Century Italy (William Ashworth, Jr., University of Missouri, Kansas City, page 179) Bernini's Cosmic Eagle (Irving Lavin, The Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, page 209) Index (page 221) This volume of the College Art Association Monograph series presents a study of the baroque art and theory of Bernini.