Saint Teresa in Ecstasy by Bernini (Interpretation and Analysis)

Saint Teresa in Ecstasy
Source: Wikimedia Commons

I don’t often talk about sculptures on this blog because it’s not a topic I know much about. While most art can be interpreted through the same set of intellectual tools, there are obvious differences between sculpture and painting. That being said, I think that Saint Teresa in Ecstasy is too important a piece of art to be excluded from this blog.

There are few pieces of art that exemplify the Baroque movement better than Italian sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s masterpiece Saint Teresa in Ecstasy. Bernini was one of the finest sculptors of his (or any) age. During his life, his work was sought after by popes, bishops, and every wealthy family in Italy. Today, his work can be found in some of the greatest museums around the world. However, it is Saint Teresa in Ecstasy that usually accompanies Bernini’s name in textbooks.

As the title suggests, Saint Teresa in Ecstasy is a life size sculpture of Saint Teresa of Ávila in the midst of one of the many religious visions she experienced. At the age of twenty, the saint experienced an illness that almost killed her. During this time and after her recovery, she had several revelations about how to become close to God and had a series of religious visions. Bernini depicts one of these visions in the sculpture, a moment of profound spiritual exaltation. In this vision, the saint said that an angel plunged a golden lance into her heart, an experience she described in the following words:

“I saw in his hand a long spear of gold, and at the point there seemed to be a little fire. He appeared to me to be thrusting it at times into my heart, and to pierce my very entrails; when he drew it out, he seemed to draw them out also, and to leave me all on fire with a great love of God. The pain was so great, that it made me moan; and yet so surpassing was the sweetness of this excessive pain, that I could not wish to be rid of it…”

This heightened spiritual state was a perfect subject for Baroque art. In fact, the Baroque style sought to capture the emotion and energy through extreme visual drama. This is because the Baroque movement is closely linked to the Catholic counter-reformation, a response against the Protestant reformation. Leaders within the Catholic church felt that the vibrantly dramatic and emotional art of the Baroque movement would inspire greater religious devotion and spirituality. 

Detail of Saint Teresa in Ecstasy
Source: Wikimedia Commons

While I don’t know if Saint Teresa in Ecstasy would inspire religious feelings in everyone, it is certainly an awe-inspiring piece, encouraging viewers to reach new heights of emotional exaltation.

Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.