Averno

In which time period is Louise Gluck’s Averno set? What is the tone of this book? Describe the narrator(s) and what is of value to them? What kind of relationship does the Persephone narrator have with the earth in Gluck’s work? Cite at least one passage to back up your argument. To what does the final verse on page 16 refer? Cite a passage in the text where the narrator second guesses her own voice by reconsidering the way in which to describe something. Why would an author show such a thing? What are some key differences between Part I and II of the book; how is Persephone the Wander figured differently in each? How do you understand the ancient myth differently after reading Gluck’s interpretation? (DUE Mon, March 5)

Averno seems to be set in the present mind of the narrator, which is to say that it focuses on past memories or past stories. She focuses a lot on her childhood, and her parents obsession with marriage, as well as the Rape of Persephone; all from the past. As the title alludes, she also makes short reference to the Lake of Averno which the Ancient Roman believed was the entrance into the underworld. I would best describe the tone of this book as solemn. She usually focuses on seemingly negative stories, but there are a few short point of fleeting light. We can see this when the farmer whose fields are burnt down is not taking care of his grandchildren instead of his fields. I found that independence is the most valuable theme to the narrator. She despises the days when her parents told her she needed a man, as well as when her sister made her the man as she did all the wife’s deeds herself, such as having babies. Persephone is nature, just as her mother is. This is why she is entitled Persephone the Wanderer. For Example, on page 17 the narrator says, “Is earth “home” to Persephone? Is she at home, conveivably, in the bed of the god? Is she at home nowhere?” I don’t want to be going to far on a limb here, but the final passage on page 16 may deal with Persephone no being a virgin anymore, and therefore “stained with red juice.” On page 31, the Narrator claims that she was the man because she was taller, but further into the book she refutes that she wasn’t even that tall. Gluck uses this contradiction to show her own changing perceptions from her youth to her adulthood. In part one of the book, Gluck focuses on the contrast between dark and light, winter and summer, whereas in part two of the book she focuses on blossoming landscapes. In the first part, Persephone is innocent, but in the second the narrator questions this innocence. She even eliminates the sex in the second part, just to further progress her point. As for changing my perceptions, Gluck has played Devil’s advocate for the Persephone story, but it’s a story all the same. However we analyze or critique it, it’s still just a myth. I apologize for being so concise in my answers, but I am horribly sick with what I think is the flu. I just want to get home, back to bed.

Disaster Story and Writing Journal

Too Young to Die
By Ethan Jones

What does it mean to die?
The heart ceases to pump,
The mind ceases to think,
The soul separates from its mortal form.

Or rather, is death a state of being?
When all possessions are lost,
When truth can’t be distinguished from lies,
When liberty falters.

For when a boy becomes a man,
His family growing before him,
He must define truth and liberty,
And in doing so he defines not death,
But rather life.

Omar ran home from school to show his parents his grades. All of his friends said that he had the ‘Luck of the freshman’, but he assured himself that it wasn’t luck. Large pine trees lined his street, and their reflections could be seen in the various Mercedes and Lexus’ as he ran by. He grabbed the branch of one of the trees and used it to swing his body from the sidewalk into his driveway. He stumbled, but regained his balance and sprinted up the long driveway, bursting through the front door. “Mother! Mother!” he called. His Mom appeared from their living room and walked to the fireplace, wearing a long silk skirt with a baby blue wrap around her head. He gave her his report card, and her face immediately lost its sunken lines.
“This calls for some ice cream,” she exclaimed. She put on her shoes and pulled the baby blue silk across her face. They piled into the car and were about to leave when Omar’s father pulled into the driveway behind them. A large red maple leaf on a white and red flag was prominently displayed on the dashboard of his Mustang. Omar jumped out of the car and ran to show his Dad his grades, but he was stopped short by his glare. His father was pulling new tan suitcases from the trunk of his Mustang, and dark circles leaked from the bottom of his eyes.
“What’s wrong Dad?” Omar asked.
“He called today. It’s time.”
Omar helped his father with the suitcases, and in a few hours they had cleaned out their home. Omar had packed clothes and his Ipod, but nothing else. His father had only given him one suitcase, which meant he had to decide between bringing pants or his new laptop. Needless to say, his survival instincts got the better of him as he shoved his jeans into the suitcase. He walked through the colonnade to the driveway and dropped his suitcase amongst his younger brothers who had already situated themselves in the leather seats. They drove to the airport, checked their luggage and boarded the plane. The green forests and ice capped mountains that Omar fell asleep to became vast expanses of lifeless desert when he awoke.
Omar crouched behind a rusty oil barrel. His father was in the house, and he could see the barrel of his gun pointing out of their window. A loud speaker echoed throughout the compound in perfect English. “Give yourselves up and no one has to die today. We will use all necessary force Bin Laden.” Omar gave a quick translation to Akmed, who began to cry. Akmed couldn’t understand why they wanted his father so badly, and Omar tried to console him. He heard glass shattering, and the barrel of his fathers gun pointed into the air and then it was gone. Suddenly bullets began to ricochet off of his oil can. Something bit him in the leg, or at least that’s what it felt like. He tried to shake it off, but blood soaked his pants and shoes. He hear the crunch of footsteps coming closer, so he pulled the pin on his only grenade and threw it over the can. It exploded and men began to scream, but it pleased him. Allah would have no mercy on them, those Christians, those Americans. He let out a scream and jumped from his hiding place wielding an old pipe, but was knocked down in a hale of bullets.
Omar woke up on a shiny table that wreaked of disinfectant. His vision was blurry and he felt a large cotton pad over his left eye. His eyes scanned the room around him, which was composed of cinderblock, painted white, and a few other shiny trays. He tried to make noise, which came out as more of a moan, and a man in a white lab coat appeared from around the corner. He shined a bright light into his eyes, and everything went black. Omar called for his mother, his father. He pictured wrestling matches with his brothers on the trampoline in the backyard. He always won when it was one on one, but his brothers tended to gang up on him, considering he was the oldest. His mother always had fresh squeezed lemonade ready for them when they were done playing in the yard. Omar wondered what happened to Skip, their Afghan.
“Can you see me?” a voice asked.
“No,” Omar replied.
People began mumbling, and Omar felt something pinch his left arm. When he woke up again he wasn’t strapped to the table anymore. He found himself in a small cell, made of the same white cinderblocks. His jeans had been replaced by an orange jumpsuit, and his hand was emblazoned with a tattoo stating GTMO 766. He walked to the door of his cell, peering through the plastic and wire mesh. A guard stood down the hallway, wearing full camouflage with an M16 at his side. Unmistakably sewn on his shoulder was an American Flag. A phone rang, and the guard answered. Omar was dragged from his cell to another small room. His hands and feet were put into handcuffs, which were then connected to ‘I’ bolts in the floor. He couldn’t stand up, or stretch out. He was left on the floor, stuck in a fetal position for hours before he was taken back to his cell. There were no questions asked, just pain.
Days went by, and nothing changed. He would stretch in the morning after eating a plate of green gruel. Then the phone would ring, and he would be taken into the small room where he would be handcuffed to the floor. One day the yelling began. A soldier would come in and yell at him about Bin Laden, but he didn’t know anything. He was sure that he had been forced into hell. The lights would be turned off at night, and the next morning it would all begin again. The life that Omar once knew was now only a memory.
He couldn’t understand why they did this to him? He didn’t want to leave his home. He didn’t want to kill anyone, but when being shot at, what is there to do but shoot back. He was defending himself, his family, and his friends. He was defending everything that he calls home. What is home? Who was he in the grand scheme of things anyways? These thoughts rattled GTMO 766’s mind while he lay in that horrid position every day. He no longer understood his life. He had lost everything, and now he was losing himself.


Writing Journal

Joining the imaginary with the real is a very volatile means of writing. When the real history is not portrayed as it actually happened, many people can become deeply offended. I don’t remember the author, but there was a series of books written on a French Soldier named Sharpe. He fought all over the world in battles that actually occurred, although he was a fictional character himself. The author did a very good job of portraying history through his story though, and given the setting was 200 years ago… there aren’t many people who know the absolute truth about what happened. To make an autobiographical piece seem believable, I find that small details really help. When an author can tell the reader about the loose thread on the right arm of his coat, I tend to believe him. Why would anyone care about the small things besides the actual person writing the autobiography. The writings on the walls of the museum were very moving, but I felt that I wasn’t able to fully enjoy the museum because it was entirely in Italian. I would be very interested to see all of the exhibits and documents in English. I chose to write about a young kid that is being held in Guantanamo because I searched ‘disaster’ on Wikipedia and Guantanamo bay came up. Somewhere in the article it mentioned that there were three kids being held there under the age of eighteen, so I researched it and sure enough it was true. One of the kids, Omar Khadr, is a Canadian who comes from a rich background, but his father takes the entire family to Afghanistan. I felt it was the perfect example of the have/ have not story.

Reading Journal Holocaust

How does the poem opening the work affect how you read the main body of
the text?

The poem sets the tone for the entire piece. It tells the reader that while reading, he or she should keep in mind that they are sitting in safety and comfort. It is meant to help separate the reader from their daily lives and truly feel the horrors that people went through during the Holocaust. The poem helped me understand.

Sum up what the poem is saying in one sentence.

Be thankful for the gifts that have been given to you, for at any moment they may dissolve into the lowest beast of humanity.

What are the key characteristics of the narrator which Levi chooses to present in this work; how would you describe the narrator?

The narrator is an optimist. He is always asking how the women are doing, or how he can get water. He never accepts death, although many around him have. He gets into the rhythm of the camp, and he maintains the rhythm for his own survival. He cares for his comrades, but he puts himself first. This is why he is a survivor.

Does this add to or take away from your ability to sympathize with the narrator?

This absolutely adds to my ability to sympathize with him. He is a fighter against insurmountable odds. He is David in the face of Goliath. How can any human being not sympathize with the poor souls who were forced to experience the worst conditions to ever be experienced by man. I have nothing but sympathy for him.

Which moment(s) in the text stand out or make the strongest impact on you? Why?

“Sooner or later in life everyone discovers that perfect happiness is unrealizable, but there are few who pause to consider the antithesis: that perfect unhappiness is equally unattainable.” Pg. 23 This quote really stood out to me, because it can give hope to anyone who seeks it. We all spend so much time seeking happiness and dealing with the crushing defeats of life, but no one ever stops to consider the good things. In other words, no one gives thanks for the strength of their legs unless they have lost that strength. If we could all just realize how lucky we really are, life seems a whole lot greener, even in the worst of times.

Art History Final Paper

Bernini: Politics and Propaganda in St. Peter’s Basilica
Bernini's contributions to St. Peter's under Urban VIII
By Ethan Jones
February 14, 2007

The Pontificate of Urban VIII saw the rise of the most influential Baroque artist ever to live, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Born in Naples during 1598, Bernini first traveled to Rome with his father in 1608. Pietro Bernini, Gian’s father and a personal favorite sculptor of Pope Paul V, introduced the Pope to his son, who managed to succeed in impressing the Paul V with one of his drawings, for which he received as much gold as his little hands could carry. He received something much more important than gold though, for he was recognized as an art prodigy. He began to sculpt for the influential aristocrat Scipione Borghese shortly after his run in with Paul V, as well as the young cardinal Maffeo Barberini. Maffeo grew very close to Bernini, and looked after him as he would his own son. He urged Bernini to learn architecture and painting, almost as if he knew that someday he would test Bernini’s skills in ways that Bernini could never imagine.

Maffeo Barberini was born in 1568 to a Florentine noble family. He was sent to Rome to study the humanities and law under the Jesuits, and his Uncle, Francesco Barberini, helped ensure that he would be well placed within the social structure. At the age of 24 he was made a Governor, and in the span of his 31-year career he held the positions of papal nuncio for Paris, Cardinal, and finally Pope. On August 6, 1623, after much debate and a split between the college of Cardinals, a compromise between the two factions was met and Maffeo Barberini was elected Pope, taking the name of Urban VIII. No doubts were ever raised about the piety or chastity of Urban VIII, but he became well known for his hot temper. It is said that on a warm summer morning, Urban had all of the songbirds in the papal gardens killed because he couldn’t stand their songs. He was a true patron of the arts though, and a poet himself. This explains why he adopted the signs of the Greek God Apollo as his own, namely the sun and the laurel. His first action as Pope was to begin the re-armament of the Papal states, for Urban was determined to show the strength of his new papacy.

When Urban VIII came to power, Catholicism was in a period of triumph due to the successes of the Counter Reformation. Rome had become a center of the arts again, and the extravagant Baroque period was being born. Urban was extremely well connected throughout Europe and having been the Papal Nuncio with France, not to mention the Barberini family’s ties with France, Urban was in the perfect position with the necessary support to assert the authority of his new powers. Considering that Urban was the Pope to consecrate the new St. Peter’s (Nov. 18, 1626), he was given the perfect blank canvas within the Basilica to legitimize his papacy too. Urban was planning to redefine the face of Catholicism for the glory of the papacy and his family through paint, bronze, and stucco. His artist was Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

In June of 1624, Pope Urban VIII and the Fabbrica di San Pietro called for the architects and artisans of Rome to submit plans for the baldachin that was to be placed over the tomb of St. Peter. It’s believed that this was merely a formality, for the Barberini Pope had already chosen Bernini to execute the baldachin, but he submitted his designs like the rest and was chosen. He planned to mix the grace of a baldachin, an impermanent cloth canopy used as an altar cover, with the architecture of a ciborium, a permanent structure with 4 columns and a domed roof. To his contemporaries it was as if he was mixing oil with water, and Bernini was quick to take notice.

The original design called for the angels that we now see on top of each column to hold a vine that supported the seemingly cloth canopy, but Bernini promptly changed it so that the angels are now supporting the ribbed superstructure. This had the effect of combining the two design ideas into one without any separation, which is what Bernini’s critics had taken offense to. The bronze canopy now rests directly on the four columns, which had the effect of combining the two structures into a new structure called ‘The Baldacchino’. This quelled his opposition, but Bernini was also later forced to change his design for the top of the Baldacchino from a bronze sculpture of the risen Christ to a globe with a cross above it. For hundreds of years it was believed that the switch was necessary because the risen Christ would have simply been too heavy for the structure. However, it has been recently proposed that the switch was actually made because Bernini wanted to present a more political message rather than a Eucharistic message, with the cross over the globe representing the universality of Christianity. It seems that both proposals can be combined into the right answer, for the risen Christ would have been far too heavy and Bernini is definitely trying to get a political message across with this work. It was just that Christ being too heavy led to Bernini’s change from a Eucharistic to a political piece. Since the design was established, construction began.

The construction of the Baldacchino was no small task for the inexperienced Bernini. It stands 95 feet 2 inches tall and weighs just over 93 tons. Its total cost to Urban VIII was 200,000 ducats, or roughly 1/10 of the Catholic Church’s income during 1624. It was Bernini’s first true architectural undertaking, but if he was nervous, we can find no account of it in history books. Perhaps this lack of experience explains why he was not given a formal commission from Urban VIII until long after he began casting and assembling his monolithic Baldacchino. Bernini’s first action was to name Francesco Borromini as his assistant, and Borromini has been given credit for the architectural stability of the structure.

Together with Borromini, Bernini began to cast the four columns of the Baldacchino in five parts (base, three column pieces, capital). The problem was that he didn’t have enough bronze. Paul V had removed the bronze supports for Michelangelo’s dome during his pontificate and replaced them with a lighter metal, but it still wasn’t enough. Urban went directly to the Pantheon and removed the bronze supports from the porch, resulting in the famous phrase, “what the Barbarians did not do, the Barberini did.” Urban actually took so much bronze from the Pantheon that after Bernini was done, he used the remaining metal to cast 80 canons for the Castel St. Angleo. In casting the columns, Bernini employed the ‘Lost Wax Process’. Wax was applied to the outside of a heat resistant core, which was then carved by Bernini and his myriad of workers before finally being covered with an outer heat resistant coating. Molten bronze was poured onto the wax which melted, leaving the bronze in its place. The method was ingenious, but it has also led critics to accuse him of crossing the line between art and mere imitation.

Bernini’s casting of the four columns has also been referred to as the “lost lizard process” because Bernini would often press laurel boughs, bees, and even a lizard into the wax to obtain the most realistic forms. Many critics found this to be some sort of cheating, found that it detracts from the entire ambiance of the piece, but according to modern research, this is simply not true. Bernini captured, literally, the perfect form of everything that he was trying to embody in his columns, whether they were carved or real. This fits perfectly with the principle theme of naturalism in Baroque art. Borromini then carved the marble bases with the Barberini crest and the columns were erected and filled with concrete for support during 1627.

Urban VIII and the Fabbrica di San Pietro asked Bernini to erect a wood model of the rest of the Baldacchino before moving on to its casting, and he obliged. It was a good thing that he did, because he ran into his biggest problem yet. The crossbeams that comprised of the ribbed superstructure were already too heavy in wood, and were therefore entirely unfeasible in bronze. Bernini fixed this by encasing the wood in bronze for the final piece. This is also when he replaced the risen Christ with the globe and cross. Having worked out the problems with the wood structure, Bernini forged ahead by casting and assembling all of the remaining pieces, which was completed in 1633.

After 9 years of hard labor and changed designs, the Baldacchino was finally complete and no one was happier with Bernini’s work than Urban VIII. The columns’ marble bases each sport a large Barberini crest with the three bees as well as the face of a young woman. As one circumambulates the structure, the woman’s face seems to portray more and more pain until the final crest where her face has become that of a peaceful cherub. The explanation for this symbolism is not certain, but scholars have proposed that it represents the promise Urban VIII made to his favorite niece that if she safely delivered her baby, he would build an altar for her. Other explanations range from the struggles and final triumph of the Counter Reformation or the struggles of Christ and his final resurrection, but all have the effect of moving the viewer around the Baldacchino.

It was long believed that Bernini’s art was meant to be viewed from one spot, portraying all of its intricacies best from one viewpoint. This assertion seems hard to follow, for in his early works, such as the Rape of Persephone, he intentionally moves the viewer around the statue, just as he does with the Baldacchino. The four columns spiral towards the heavens, reminiscent of the columns at the Temple of Solomon as well as those in the first St. Peter’s. They draw the viewers eyes up to the angels, through the cross and into the depiction of God above. This hierarchy was a very important element in moving the viewer as well, for Bernini draws your eyes from his Baldacchino up to God which accentuates the point of the Baldacchino during mass. It’s the place where God and man meet in holy communion. The spiraling columns are covered in the Barberini symbols of laurel, as opposed to Christian vines, bees, which are attracted to the scent of piety, and small Putti who play amongst the leaves. The bronze flaps that hang from the canopy are embossed with bees and suns, which are references to piety and Urban’s adoption of the signs of Apollo. The Angels stand in support of the crossed rib superstructure, and the two large Putti on each side of the Baldacchino hold the Papal Keys, the gospels, the tiara, and Paul’s sword. All of these symbols were very important in portraying the legitimacy of Papal authority, because they represent the very foundations of the Papacy.

After the completion of the Baldacchino, Bernini was asked to design a reliquary for four of the holy relics at St. Peter’s. Bernini designed a lower niche to hold a sculpted depiction of the Saint and his/her relic, and a balcony above where the relics could be displayed during the Holy Week. Bernini is only responsible for carving the figure of St. Longinus, who is expertly sculpted at the exact point where he is converted to Christianity. He has just pierced the side of Christ with the tip of his lance, which they still have as a relic, and is looking up to God with his arms spread. His face is depicted at a moment of pure elation, and Bernini’s attention to detail is evident in his muscular arms and perfectly sculpted face.

Bernini also employed different textures within the sculpture to give a more realistic feeling, which he has accomplished. On St. Longinus’ robes, Bernini carved small grooves which from a distance make his robe seem like velvet. His skin is smooth and shiny while the base is deeply carved in much the same texture as his robe. His robe flows to his left as he embraces God. Bernini has captured the emotions of a man in marble, making it an amazing piece of artwork. The other three Saints and relics are St. Helen and the piece of the true cross, St. Andrew and his head, and St. Veronica with the cloth that she wiped Jesus’ face with on the way to his crucifixion. Although they were designed by Bernini, they were executed by Andrea Bolgi, Francesco Duquesnoy, and Francesco Mochi respectively. The four reliquaries surround the Baldacchino, and the statues engage the structure with their actions. In doing so, they acknowledge the temporal and spiritual authority of the Pope by gesturing towards the tomb of St. Peter, the first Pope.

Urban also commissioned Bernini to design and execute a reliquary for St. Peter’s chair. This reliquary no longer remains because Pope Alexander VII had Bernini redesign it, but the new reliquary is awe inspiring. Four doctors of the Church, two Latin and two Greek, lightly hold the large bronze case that contains St. Peter’s chair. Each corner gently rests on the very tip of the Saints fingers, which symbolizes the strength of the church when Christendom is united beneath the Pope. Stucco clouds surround the chair making it seem as if it were floating in heaven, and little Putti and angels play above it. This scene is reminiscent of Raphael’s contemporary works, which were a huge inspiration to Bernini. Above the chair and encompassed by all of the Putti and Angels is a yellow stained glass window with the form of a dove in the center. There are twelve main parts to the circular window, symbolizing the 12 apostles around God, represented by the dove. When first entering St. Peter’s, the window is perfectly framed by the Baldacchino, a careful and intentional decision by Bernini. Just as he had done with the Baldacchino and the Reliquaries, Bernini brings many different aspects of his piece together to portray one message, the legitimacy of the Papacy. Bernini unites heaven and Christendom around St. Peter’s chair, which is then framed by the Baldacchino, another piece legitimizing Urban and his power. It literally means that the seat of the Papacy presides over the temporal and spiritual worlds, which was a powerful message considering that the Papacy was only in control of a small portion of Italy.

Bernini’s final large contribution to St. Peter’s was commissioned by Pope Alexander VII at the end of Bernini’s life, namely Pope Alexander VII tomb. It would be one of the final large projects undertaken at St. Peter’s. Bernini was 80 years old at the time and only carved the head and hands of Alexander’s figure, but he oversaw the project which was completed by his assistants. The only spot remaining to build a tomb was less than desirable because it had a large door in the middle of it, but Bernini incorporated the door into the tomb. Here again is evidence of Bernini’s true genius. He made the door seem as though it lead into the crypt, or perhaps even the afterlife.

Alexander is portrayed kneeling with a decorative cloak, praying for the triumph of his own soul over death. Above him is half of a dome that is very reminiscent of the Pantheon, appropriate because Alexander was so interested in redecorating the Pantheon. He is surrounded by the four cardinal virtues, Prudence, Justice, Charity, and Truth, who are themselves enveloped in a Sicilian marble drapery. Behind them is the Chigi family crest, seeing as Alexander is a member of the Chigi family. Above the door and below the Pope’s figure is that of death, holding an hourglass that represents time as he pulls the cloak away from the Alexander and the Virtues. As a matter of fact, Bernini only personally carved the head and hands of Alexander since he was 80 years old himself.
Truth is by far the most interesting figure in the entire tomb.

She is portrayed nude, holding a sun as she usually does since light uncovers the truth. Her foot gently rests on the globe, and more specifically upon England. Death, representing time, pulls the large drapery away from truth, representing the idea that in time the truth will be revealed. The reference to England directly references the Anglican church that gave Alexander so many problems during his lifetime. Bernini sends the message that in time, the truth will be revealed for Anglican England. Every piece of artwork that Bernini was ever involved with has a deeper meaning than that which is evident upon first examination.

In conclusion, all of the art that Bernini contributed to St. Peter’s Basilica had one message in that it was meant to legitimize the authority of the Pope on earth and in heaven. Historically, Rome had been a place of great decadence until the turn of the 17th century, and Urban was determined to bring back the extravagance of the arts. Pope Urban VIII seized the opportunity to use Baroake artwork to portray a message of Papal legitimacy, therefore returning the Papacy to a position of prestige. This is why he chose the Baroake master, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, as his artist. Bernini portrayed the political agenda of the Papacy throughout St. Peter’s, and in a way that inspires the viewer. He was a master of art, defining the artistic styles of the Baroque, and a master of politics and propaganda.

Bibliography

Scotti, R.A. “Basilica: The Splendor and the Scandal: Building St. Peter’s”. Viking

Publishing, New York, 2006

Morrisey, Jake. “The Genius in the Design: Bernini, Borromini, and the Rivalry that

Transformed Rome”. William Morrow Publishing, New York, 2005

Scribner, Charles. “Masters of Art: Bernini”. MacMillan Publishing Company, New
York, 1991

Blunt, Anthony. “Roman Baroake”. Pallas Athene Arts, London, 2001

Marder, Tod. “Bernini and the Art of Architecture.” Abbeville Press, New York, 1998

Avery, Charles. “Bernini: Genius of the Baroake”. Little, Brown and Company, Boston,
1997

Kirwin, William Chandler. “Powers Matchless: The Pontificate of Urban VIII, the
Baldachin, and Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Magnuson, Torgil. “Rome in the Age of Bernini”. Humanities Press, New Jersey, 1982

Hollander, Joel. “Bernini and the Baroake in St. Peter’s Chapel.”
http://newton.uor.edu/facultyfolder/rebecca_brown/old/arth100/empire/Papal/Ber
nini.htm, July 29, 1998

Juvenal Review

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Artemisia and Writing Journal

Artemisia stood next to Veronica, gazing deeply into the white sheet before them.
“You’re not allowed to laugh,” said Artemisia, quickly glancing at the door before taking the white cloth in her hands.
“I won’t,” promised Veronica. A cool breeze fluttered the curtains through an open window on their left. Dark wood glistened in the sunlight. Artemisia gave a slight tug on the drapery and deep colors jumped out from the canvas before them.
“What do you think?” asked Artemisia.
“Well it certainly is beautiful, but…”
“But what? Oh, I knew you wouldn’t like it!”
“No, No, I love it… it just seems a little out of proportion.”
Artemisia raised one of her eyebrows and crossed her arms, looking into the painting again. “What do you mean ‘It’s out of proportion’?” she asked.
Veronica sighed and approached the painting.
“This big guy with the funny hat is about 10 times bigger than these little fellows in the windows above. Why didn’t you make them all the same size? That would have made sense.”
“Haven’t you ever seen a painting before!” she exclaimed. “The men in the window are smaller because they are supposed to be further back than the guy with the ‘funny hat’.”
“Well why didn’t you make them seem further back then?”
“I did. Can’t you see that they are a little fuzzy and off in the distance? Look at how the wall is behind all of the main figures.”
“I just think that it would make more sense if they were all the same size, that’s all. You made the big guy in the middle much bigger than the men around him too.”
“I was trying to get across his status with the hierarchy of the figures.” Artemisia exclaimed.
“Well I don’t rightly know what all those big words mean, but it looks funny. Let’s just forget about it. So who is this guy anyways?” Veronica gestured towards the man in the center.
“He’s Saint Januaris, the Patron Saint of Naples. He is sentenced to death by a fiery furnace, but he survives so they throw him into a coliseum with lions and bears, but they lick his feet. Finally they just decapitate him.”
“Well why does he still have a head then?”
“He is still in the coliseum!”
“Oh, I get it. So why are you painting the Patron Saint of Naples? We’re in Rome. Shouldn’t you paint the Patron Saint of Rome? That looks like the Coliseum behind him. And why is that dog licking his foot?”
“It isn’t a dog!” claimed Artemisia. “It doesn’t even remotely look like a dog. Look at his whiskers and ears; haven’t you read about Saint Januaris before? And if you must know, I’m painting St. Januaris because the Archbishop of Pozzuoli asked me to.”
“Don’t you feel special?” Veronica replied. “Archbishop of Pozzuoli… you must have done a lot of ‘work’ to get his attention.”
“How dare you! You know I have never done anything of the sort. He’s a man of God for Christ’s sake! Can we just focus on my painting for one moment! You’re mind wanders like that of a child.” Silence overtook them for a few moments as they gazed at the painting.
“I still say it looks like a dog,” Veronica stated.
“It does not look like a dog! I don’t know what kind of dogs you have seen, but they must resemble giant ferocious African cats. And I suppose you think that the bear is a mongoose.”
“No, it’s much too large to be a mongoose.”
“So the mongoose is too large, but the little people are too small.”Veronica gave her a funny look.
“So it is supposed to be a mongoose?”
“NO! It isn’t a Mongoose. I was saying that to be funny. You never answered my question… have you read the story of St. Januaris or not.”
“You know I can’t read. Oh don’t give me that look. You can’t read either, remember?”
“I have been learning, thank you very much. You need learn when to hold you tongue.”
“Since when did you start speaking so proper-like? Trying to move up in the world ‘eh?” and with that Veronica gave a short giggle.
“Do you have any other questions about the painting or not? I wanted you to give me feedback, which is why I showed you.”
“Well, other than the little people and the dog, it seems to be pretty good. I take it he is a Saint from the way he is dressed?”
“I already told you he was a saint Veronica.”
“Well, the manner in which you apostocritate the characters of the scene…”
“Are you mocking me? You’re just jealous that I am actually learning and making a living while you can’t even find a man who will take you!”
“Well if you are going to get pushy about it, I believe that I will leave you and the Archbishop of Pozzuoli to your ‘studying’.” Artemisia looked at the sky as if searching within her brain.
“What does that even mean?” Veronica turned and left without giving her reply, leaving Artemisia alone in the sunlit room. She stared at her painting and sighed, getting out her paints and brushes in the same way that she had done so for years.
“I am going to make sure that no one ever calls my lion a dog again,” she muttered under her breath as she lit into the painting for one last time.

Writing Assignment
I chose to write according to style A because I felt that a conversation between two characters outside of the painting was more realistic than those within the painting. I also felt that it was easier to use the voice of Artemisia and her friend because they are standing in front of her painting, just as we were standing in front of the painting. I also felt that it would be much more of a flow if my characters were not within the painting. The most challenging part of writing dialogue is keeping it interesting. I have found that if you don’t let your mind wander, your dialogue tends to be very boring. I was glad to have a visual work to base my writing off of because whenever I felt that my dialogue was going off track, I merely brought the focus back to the painting. I felt like the biggest difference between Rome and Naples is that in Rome everything is covered with a façade. There are ugly buildings of brick and mildew, but in front there is a huge façade of marble that was created by some famous architect. In Naples, there aren’t any facades. It seemed like the nitty gritty of Italy. I feel that this affected my writing only in that it changed my perceptions. In what way it changed my perceptions, I am not quite sure. I feel that every experience that I have ever had is molding my personality and my perceptions, but I am not always sure how.

Satire Writing Journal

I chose to satirize George Bush using Umbiba because he fit the story so well. He only cares about his own interests to the detriment of his own people. He fits Bush so well! The challenging part of this assignment was to make it funny. To tell the truth, the most challenging part of this assignment was the fact that I have my big presentation today at St. Peter’s and this assignment had to take a backseat. Sorry… I really do enjoy these writing assignments, and I always put a good deal of time into them, but the big presentation is worth more. Anyways, I would describe my character as flat, but then again I would describe George Bush as flat so oh well! I did return to Twain’s excerpt while writing this piece, but it tended to degrade my confidence. Satire is difficult to write, especially when walking in the footsteps of the best satirist in the history of mankind.