Interview with Franco A. Mormando on The life of Gian Lorenzo Bernini by Domenico Bernini, by Franco Mormando

Abstract

It would be nearly impossible to overstate the importance and influence of Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680). One of the creators of the Roman Baroque style, Bernini was a leading force in sculpture, architecture, painting and drama for most of the 17th century in Rome. The earliest biography of Bernini was long thought to be that published in Florence in 1682, written by Filippo Baldinucci and supposedly commissioned by Queen Christina of Sweden. Franco Mormando reveals that this biography was actually commissioned by Bernini's sons in the 1670s, and was largely based on a biography written by his youngest son, Domenico (1657-1723) which remained unpublished until 1713. Mormando has translated this invaluable primary source into English for the first time, and presents it here in a critical edition supported by unprecedented linguistic, historical, and cultural research on the artist, his works, his milieu, and his enduring influence.Title supplied by cataloger