Literary Analysis Of Apollo And Daphne By Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini

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This beautiful sculpture was made by the Italian artist, Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini. The title of his piece called Apollo and Daphne, is a life sized sculpture with the dimensions of 96 inches, made strictly out of marble. Bernini used the technique of carving to create his masterpiece, which is the most unforgiving style to use because it is a one way process. Bernini was born in Naples and later moved to Rome where he started his sculpture in 1622 and finished in 1625.
When I first glanced at the title, my first thoughts went straight to Greek culture and how the people of that time period dressed. As I glanced at the sculpture itself, my attention went right to the detail of both figures and how their bodies are godlike, which is a goal …show more content…

I can deduce that they are possibly running through the forest. A notable part of the female is how her figure makes a tree. Her body forms the trunk and leaves sprout from her fingers while Apollo embraces her. Daphne’s face looks terrified about the transformation that occurring while Apollo is shocked that his true love is being taken away from his …show more content…

Due to the soft polished marble, the texture of the sculpture is smooth on Apollo and Daphne. The lower part of the sculpture and Daphne’s body have a rough texture showing how intense and dramatic the scene is. Daphne’s hair appears rugged as she is being transformed, while the god Apollo’s hair appears smooth and wavy like the soft fabric of the luxurious robe. Another texture found within the sculpture are the leaves, which are a close textural resemblance to real leaves.
The focal point of this sculpture is Daphne because there is more detail going on with her compared to Apollo. Apollo is just as detailed as Daphne, but even though Daphne is not in the center of the photograph or the sculpture itself, she tells the whole story through her body language and transformation.
Apollo and Daphne stand at a life-like scale and proportion, showing the beautiful yet tragic mishap between the two lovers. Even Though the situation that occurs between the both Apollo and Daphne is obscure, the scale of the couple represents a deeper meaning. The scale tells us to appreciate the ones that you love because they could be gone in an instant, showing that you never know what you have until it is gone.
There are multiple implied line on this sculpture. From Apollo’s hand to Daphne’s hand,there is an implied line that forms. Apollo’s legs form a triangle while Apollo’s robe forms an implied line to Daphne’s hand.

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