The Discourse of Failure in Seventeenth-Century Rome: Prospero Bresciano's Moses
2006; College Art Association; Volume: 88; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/00043079.2006.10786290
ISSN1559-6478
Autores Tópico(s)Historical Art and Architecture Studies
ResumoAbstractSince the moment of its unveiling in 1588, Prospero Bresciano's Moses, which adorns the center of the Fontana dell'Acqua Felice in Rome, was ridiculed as a “monster” and the work of a “sculptor who had lost his mind.” One of its earliest critics, Giovanni Baglione, similarly denigrated the statue, framing his critique in terms of art theory and fabricating a moral tale around the work's failure. What emerges from an examination of the early responses to the Moses is both a tragicomic fable in the history of art and a lesson in reading and interpreting early modern art criticism. Additional informationNotes on contributorsSteven F. OstrowSteven F. Ostrow is the author of Art and Spirituality in Counter-Reformation Rome: The Sistine and Pauline Chapels in S. Maria Maggiore (1996) and co-editor of Dosso's Fate (1998) and Bernini's Biographies: Critical Essays (forthcoming). His current book project focuses on the art theory and biographical construction of Gianlorenzo Bernini [Department of the History of Art, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, Calif. 92521, steven.ostrow@ucr.edu].
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