The Abduction of Proserpina by Bernini #history #art

[lizzykayOT]

The sculpture looks soft, it's gorgeous. I think the first version of the myth I read was Roman, so I thought it was filled with cruelty, both from Pluto and Ceres, with Proserpina being a tragic figure. I much preferred the Grecian mythology since it made more sense. Demeter still went mad with grief, but she coped. Persephone seemed much happier. She also made Hades seem kinder.

[El-camino-espana]

The level of realism is insane... Artists of the past were so incredibly talented, and with almost nothing but a formless block of marble, some tools, and real models who had to pose for hours. No fancy digital tools, just bleeding emotion onto the bare stone. Incredible choice Mae ❤

[AnnaInWonderTube]

I think the most terrifying about this piece is Pluto's mocking giggle of the situation

[harryorangutan]

I'm a stonemason so I know. It starts with rough drawings of the finished piece. It's about feeling the emotions through the stone. You have to keep drawing the image you want to carve. So as you get deeper, you embark of a journey of the drawings growing. You have to carve out the story in the stone. You're not carving stone, you're carving stories. That feeling makes sure you do a good job.

[HikeLdy]

You simply cannot fathom how incredibly stunning this piece is until you see it in person

[Theaphilius_Mythology_Channel]

Luckily, I've this comment always ready to go:

I've talked about this already, but I am never getting bored of retelling stories of mythology:

First off: Proserpina is the Roman equivalent to Περσεφόνη [Persephóne]


In Greek mythology, the changing of the seasons is attributed to the story of Persephone, the daughter of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture and fertility. Persephone was abducted by Hades, the god of the underworld, to be his queen.

Demeter, heartbroken and enraged by her daughter’s disappearance, neglected her duties, causing the earth to become barren and lifeless—a mythological explanation for winter. Eventually, Zeus intervened, ordering Hades to release Persephone. However, before leaving the underworld, Persephone was tricked into eating a few pomegranate seeds, a fruit of the underworld.

Because she consumed the seeds, Persephone was bound to spend a portion of each year (typically interpreted as a third or half) in the underworld with Hades. During this time, Demeter grieves, and the earth experiences autumn and winter. When Persephone returns to the surface, Demeter rejoices, bringing spring and summer.

Thus, the eating of the pomegranate seeds links Persephone’s cyclical presence in the underworld to the natural cycle of the seasons.

[bluexwings]

This piece always makes me want to cry. The way he almost looks to be smugly smiling as she struggles and fights. The fear and desperation on her face. I find myself caught between marvelling at the beauty of the art and the overwhelming frustration and hopelessless for her.

[giulianatondini]

Il Bernini come altri scultori o pittori erano fantastici e con un talento eccezionale, vorrei avere la possibilità, almeno una volta, di poter tornare un attimo nel passato ed assistere alla nascita di un'opera come questa....pura poesia

[zkdzjs]

the fact that its marble makes it all the more mind blowing! How the artists made something so hard look so soft, so real💗 it's crazyyyy


edit : to all the people who are saying come to India you will find more beautiful sculptures here.. I just want to clarify one thing, that I'm literally an Indian😂 and have been living here my whole life...
But I don't find it right to compare the sculptures!! If other people compare their heritage with us we get angry, so why should we? The better thing about it all is to soak in the beauty of every place's own unique sculptures and architecture! Every country is unique in its way, every country has this ethereal and amazing history behind it all, and all we can do is just admire, and respect it, please 💗🌟💗

[Soapyspoon]

Without knowing the back story just the artwork can show you the pain it’s quite scary how depressing, astonishing, realistic, and terrifying one art work can be

[aerynsunx]

Mae--Please, please highlight Bernini's sculpture "Apollo and Daphne"! When I walked into that room and saw that sculpture, it literally took my breath away. In truth, all three of his sculptures in the Borghese gallery are stunning works of art. They all look like living beings suddenly turned into marble. Oh, and please highlight the Caravaggio paintings. You'd swear they glow with their own light. Love your art shorts! Peace. ✨️🕊✨️

[RNDRPS_CB]

Pluto=Hades, this is his Roman name, though. Hades is the god of the underworld. If anyone was wondering

[BlackSouixie]

This makes me cry. As humans we are capable of some of the most beautiful amazing things and some of the most horrid things as well.

[HarbingerOfRespite]

Art then:

Art now: A banana duct taped to a wall...

[ouji]

also known as The Rape of Persephone, it depicts the abduction of the goddess of spring by the lord of the underworld. i am particularly fond of how the artist makes explicit her struggle, how she pushes him away. it is a technically marvelous piece of art ❤

[mow]

Adagio for strings is such a good song.

[tattianasalles]

Bernini really was a genious. His best sculptures are intense bodily dramas: The Rape of Peserphone, Apollo and Daphne, The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, David...
All of his works have a theatrical air. In fact, the Baroque period had this characteristic.
The level of realism in his sculptures is high, but so is his ability to create the sensation of movement in marble.
Many Bernini's master pieces are in the Galleria Borghese in Rome. Cardinal Borguese also had a lot of Caravaggio's paintings.
The Borghese family was also Canova's patron. Pauline Bonaparte, Napoleon's sister, was married to Camilo Borghese.
She commissioned Canova to create a nude statue of herself as Venus Ventrix with the golden apple in her hand.
Pauline Bonaparte posed nude for the sculptor, which was considered a scandal at the time.

[barricadedpurifier]

I always interpreted the story of Hades and Persephone as how death can even take the lives of anybody no matter how young or old, ugly or beautiful you are.

[kat.d.clysmic]

THIS! Also some with veils over their faces, like HOW?! It's always so crazy to me how they could make such beautiful and intrinsic artwork!

[Simon-rslv]

Stonemason here. Ive been to rome last year and ive seen this sculpture along with a few other sculptures by bernini. To think that he basically used the same tools that modern sculpors use is just insane. There is one sculpture from bernini with small little marble leafes (maybe 1 or two centimeters thick) wich is still stuck in my mind. The amount of effort, pure skill and time is insane. Not to mention how many people probably had to help him. Btw the stone has to be selected perfectly for such a sculpture, because if it has too many imperfections it will crack halfway trough the process. Well anyways, i got really humble after visiting rome.