Classical Inspiration

My trip to Rome included an awful lot of statuary, most of which was ancient, often damaged by the ravages of time although sometimes outright vandalism. There's no city more permeated with history than Rome. The ancient and the modern (and all times in between) exist cozily side by side — and sometimes literally in the same place. Ancient temples lie under Christian churches and classical columns get incorporated into the mortar of modern office buildings.

This particular sculpture is from the 17th century by the Baroque artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini. While I had known of Bernini before this (he was also a painter) this trip really made me fall in love with his work which is everywhere in Rome. Several of his pieces rest in the Borghese Gallery, which takes up a good part of that wealthy family's ancestral home. It is a wonderland of extravagant beauty, not least of which for my beloved Caravaggio's paintings and Bernini's paintings and sculpture.

The story of Apollo and Daphne has been told and retold many times. The basic elements include Apollo sneering at Eros' little bow and arrow, arrogant about his own might. Eros, however, takes umbrage and this and selects two arrows, one lead and one gold. He shoots Apollo with the golden one and he falls instantly in love with the nymph Daphne. Eros shoots her with the leaden arrow and she instantly loathes the warrior god. Daphne had already lived in admiration of the goddess Artemis and wanted to follow in her independent mode, but her father laughed at the idea that her beauty could withstand the force of lovers.

Maddened by his overwhelming love for Daphne, Apollo pursued her endlessly and she ran from him just as assiduously. When Eros helps Apollo in his chase, she cries out in despair to her father for help and suddenly transforms into the laurel tree. Distressed by her desperate escape, Apollo vows to steadfastly tend the tree. His immortality fed the branches and thus the laurel is ever green. To honor her, Apollo has the leaves of Daphne crown leaders and decorate weapons.

I love how Bernini's sculpture captures the moment of transformation, arrested action. It's absolutely breathtaking to see this. I stared at it from all angles, mouth agape. A pity you can't touch it; I wanted to run my hands all over it and feel every detail. My friend Alessandra and I were talking about the uncanny ability of a sculptor to see inside a blog of marble something as magnificent as this — I can't imagine having that power! These are idealised figures, sure, but how much more human they are than the sexless sticks and plastic excesses of our time. Daphne is not emaciated, but strong. You can believe her giving Apollo a good run. The hair! It's so astounding in its liveliness. The roughness of the bark contrasts so wonderfully with the polished marble of their skin. I can see how stories like that of Pygmalion and Galatea get started: you'd swear they were breathing.

Ah, Rome!

Filed under: C. Margery Kempe, erotic romance, historical romance, inspiration, Kit Marlowe, mythology romance, paranormal, romance, What inspires you?, Writer's Life