HSEM3031H: Art, Power, and Politics: Bernini and His Transformation of Baroque Rome

This seminar explores the transformation of Rome in the seventeenth century. Our lens for understanding the remaking of the Baroque city will be the works of Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), one of the most remarkable, influential, and powerful artists in the history of Western art. Our examination will focus on Bernini’s sculpture and architecture that he carried out on behalf of popes and cardinals, with special emphasis given to their political, religious, and social meanings. We will also explore Bernini’s biography and examine the style and iconography of his sculpture, architecture, and painting. We will view Simon Schama’s 2006 film, Bernini, and, during the Spring break, have the extraordinary opportunity to study Bernini’s works first-hand in Rome.

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