Simon Schama's Power of Art

Bernini

Season 1, Episode 2 of 8

The Ecstasy of St Theresa (1652) - Gian Lorenzo Bernini, boy wonder, then adult prodigy - sculptor, architect, composer, as well as a dashing Cavalier, and the personal friend of Pope Urban VIII. His sculptures have the breath of life flowing through them; in his hands stone seems to move and ripple. Then, in the late 1640s, Bernini's star falls; cracks appear in the bell-tower he has built for St. Peter's. Bernini needs a miracle to restore his fortune. So he makes one: The Ecstasy of St Theresa. His marble saint levitates and quivers, hovering on the border between mystery and indecency. Devotees flock to see this holy peepshow, flesh dissolving into spirit, a mystery exuding pain and pleasure, carnal consummation and disembodied bliss. No wonder people watch.

Previously Aired

Day
Time
Channel
9/25/2023
10 p.m.
9/26/2023
3 a.m.
9/26/2023
2 p.m.
9/30/2023
3 p.m.
6/30/2024
11 p.m.
7/1/2024
3 p.m.
7/7/2024
2 p.m.
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona