Collectively, they represent four major rivers of the four continents through which papal authority had spread: the Nile representing Africa, the Danube representing Europe, the Ganges representing Asia, and the Río de la Plata representing the Americas. Bernini's design was selected in competition.
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Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers) is a fountain in the Piazza Navona in Rome, Italy.It was designed in 1651 by Gian Lorenzo Bernini for Pope Innocent X whose family palace, the Palazzo Pamphili, faced onto the piazza as did the church of Sant'Agnese in Agone of which Innocent was the sponsor.
The Four Rivers Fountains sits right in the middle of Piazza Navona, in the Centro Storico of Rome, work of Bernini’s genius.The impressive fountain faces the church of Sant’Agnese in Agone, which was constructed by Borromini, Bernini’s eternal rival!
The fountain personifies the Baroque in its depiction of life and movement. Bernini is able to create the impression of pulsating life and real movement through the illusory movement of the carvings and the rushing, murmuring water. The limbs of the gods project into their surrounding space and their intense facial expressions and tousled locks give them the impression of impassioned movement. There are also elements of contrast, a device characteristic of the Baroque sculpture: the tons of marble of the obelisk versus its impression of apparent weightlessness; and the expansive variance of the bottom versus the hard, uniform, and thin apex.
Here, one can see the Danube supporting the papal crest and that, in contrast to the Ganges, the Danube is directly looking towards the symbolic light of the obelisk.
Bernini 's design was influenced by the design of the Monument of the Four Moors ( Monumento dei Quattro mori) and it may have also been influenced by a fountain in Marino, Lazio which was constructed to commemorate the defeat of the Ottomans at Lepanto in 1571.
Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi ( Fountain of the Four Rivers) is a fountain in the Piazza Navona in Rome, Italy. It was designed in 1651 by Gian Lorenzo Bernini for Pope Innocent X whose family palace, the Palazzo Pamphili, faced onto the piazza as did the church of Sant'Agnese in Agone of which Innocent was the sponsor.
According to a report from the time, an event was organised to draw people to the Piazza Navona. Beforehand, wooden scaffolding, overlaid with curtains, had hidden the fountain, though probably not the obelisk, which would have given people an idea that something was being built, but the precise details were unknown. Once unveiled, the full majesty of the fountain would be apparent, which the celebrations were designed to advertise. The festival was paid for by the Pamphili family, to be specific, Innocent X, who had sponsored the erection of the fountain. The most conspicuous item on the Pamphili crest, an olive branch, was brandished by the performers who took part in the event.
Public fountains in Rome served multiple purposes: first, they were highly needed sources of water for neighbors in the centuries prior to home plumbing. Second, they were monuments to the papal patrons. Earlier Bernini fountains had been the Fountain of the Triton in Piazza Barberini, the Fountain of the Moor in the southern end of Piazza Navona erected during the Barberini papacy, and the Neptune and Triton for Villa Peretti Montalto, whose statuary now resides at Victoria and Albert Museum in London .
Pasquinade writers protested the construction of the fountain in September 1648 by attaching hand-written invectives on the stone blocks used to make the obelisk. These pasquinades read, "We do not want Obelisks and Fountains, it is bread that we want. Bread, Bread, Bread!".
This fountain was the inspiration to Francesco Robba (1698–1757) for the Robba fountain, which stands (since 2006 as a replica) at Town Square in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is one of the city's most recognisable symbols.
The Ganges carries a long oar, representing the river's navigability. The Nile's head is draped with a loose piece of cloth, meaning that no one at that time knew exactly where the Nile's source was. The Danube touches the Pope's personal coat of arms, since it is the large river closest to Rome.
Bernini's sculptures are recognizable for their theatrical, engaging drama, dynamism, tension, texture, and naturalism. The last two criteria (texture and naturalism) are perhaps the most particular to Bernini: no one can make stone convey soft skin, curling hair, or crinkling fabrics the way Bernini can.
Naturally Bernini had his fair share of devoted followers, such as Tadao Ando. From contemporaries who worked directly under him or competed with him for commissions, up to modern artists who looked to his use of emotional multimedia design for inspiration, a multitude of artists can thank Bernini for the development of their own styles.
Fountain of the Four Rivers Story / Theme. Part of the fountain is made from travertine, a hard white rock from Tivoli, Italy. The Coliseum and the Sacre-Coeur in Paris are also made of travertine. Although Bernini gets all the credit, the majority of the actual construction of the fountain was carried out by his assistants;
Theatricality: The fountain is the epitome of Baroque theatricality.
The fountain was an important source of potable water for the locals before the days of indoor plumbing , but even more importantly it was a grandiose monument to the power and glory of the pope and his family.
Seven animals are positioned around the fountain and include; a horse, a sea monster, a serpent, a dolphin, a crocodile, a lion and a dragon.
Bernini's career spans the height of the Italian Baroque. Baroque art is profoundly tied to the religious and political context of 16th and 17th century Italy: after the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Church launched its own Counter-Reformation to reaffirm its power and attract more followers to the faith.
The fountain personifies the Baroque in its depiction of life and movement. Bernini is able to create the impression of pulsating life and real movement through the illusory movement of the carvings and the rushing, murmuring water. The limbs of the gods project into their surrounding space and their intense facial expressions and tousled locks give them the impression of impassioned movement. There are also elements of contrast, a device characteristic of the Baroque sculpture: the tons of marble of the obelisk versus its impression of apparent weightlessness; and the expansive variance of the bottom versus the hard, uniform, and thin apex.
Here, one can see the Danube supporting the papal crest and that, in contrast to the Ganges, the Danube is directly looking towards the symbolic light of the obelisk.