Bernini, Bacchanal: A Faun Teased by Children
Painterly- Everything flows together. It's not simplistic enough to be called linear.
Recessional- The figures are in layers. The faun, the tree, then the children. There is depth.
Open- The figures are a part of something bigger. The ground and the faun's feet draw your attention to the openness of the scene itself.
Unity-The figures would not be able to exist without each other. They are all supporting one another.
Relative Clarity- You can't be too sure what is going on. Sure, a faun is being teased-- but why?
I agree with almost everything.
ReplyDeleteLook at the closed vs. open again. Don't look at it conceptually, look at the lines. The arms of the faun encircle the composition. The children show no venture outside of the actions that are taking place between them and the faun. Yes, you can imagine the forest that goes beyond where they are but when you look at this piece structurally it is closed.
Nice tackle of a sculpture, they are always more tricky and less by the rules!