The Rape of Proserpina - Essay Example

Keri A. Miller, an art professor, makes such an observation upon referencing the minute attention that Bernini gave to the depiction of fear on Proserpina's face, the anatomical accuracy of the sculpted forms, the ferocity of Pluto's expression and the dimpling of Proserpina's skin. The overall effect is one of such complete realism that the viewer tends to lose sight of the fact that the sculpture is in hard, lifeless, white marble. The artistry, in other words, is such that the figures in this sculpture appear to be infused with the vitality of struggle, whether in the rippling of the muscles, the positioning of the limbs, or the expression on the face of either (Miller).

As stated in the Wikipedia article on Bernini, his artistic talent was such that it lent "glamorous dynamism to once stony stillness," and brought marble to life ("Gian Lorenzo Bernini"). Possibly due to the realism characterizing this particular work, art critics and observers have, over the centuries, interpreted it as something more than an artistic rendition of a particular Greek myth. As briefly mentioned by Emil Kren and Daniel Marx, some have interpreted the sculpture as highlighting the fusion between life and death.

Upon consideration of the sculpture, this interpretation emerges as perfectly valid. In the first place, the figures depicted are Pluto/Hades, who represents death, and Proserpina, the goddess of earth's daughter, representing life (Miller). On the basis of figural representation, therefore, the sculpture depicts life and death. In the second place, were one to closely examine pictures of the sculpture, one would find that the two figures are fused, with Hades/Pluto, forcefully pulling Proserpina towards him but, seemingly pushing her within him.

In other words, the way in which Pluto's upper abdomen and Proserpina's right thigh cling together as if they were one, gives one the impression that death is swallowing life. It is within this context that this sculpture has been interpreted as testifying to the unity between life and death.The sculpture has also been interpreted as a commentary upon the inextricable link between youth and age, as briefly alluded to by Kren and Marx. Should one consider this interpretation, one finds that not only is it valid but it allows for a fuller appreciation of the sculpture.

The sculpted image of an aged Pluto, struggling to embrace, and draw within him the youthful Proserpina, who tries, with all her might to push him away, is a clear portrayal of the innate human resistance to the concept of aging and the futile struggle to hold onto youth. To interpret the sculpture as a figurative representation of the age-old struggle against aging and the search for eternal youth is to understand "The Rape of Proserpina" as an eternally valid commentary on human nature.As the above analysis has attempted to illustrate, Bernini's sculpture cannot be fully appreciated if one insists on interpreting it solely as a masterfully artistic representation of a Greek myth.

That it does represent a myth is undeniable but that is hardly the limits of this particular work. Instead, one might very well contend that it exploits this myth as an allegorical representation of the link between life and death and age and youth.