"The Summer," 1658-59, Oil on canvas, Palazzo Chigi, Ariccia by Carlo Maratti, called Il Maratta, and Mario Nuzzi, called Mario de' Fiori.
“Bernini and the Roman Baroque: Masterpieces from Palazzo Chigi in Ariccia,” opens Oct. 14 and runs through Jan. 16 at William King Museum of Art, Abingdon, Virginia. This exhibition comprehensively maps the rich spectrum of genres and pictorial styles that characterize Baroque aesthetics and illuminates the influence of Gian Lorenzo Bernini across the Baroque movement.
The term Baroque connotes an abundance of detail, a sense of irregularity and a sort of eccentric redundancy — all hallmarks of an extraordinary generation of artists who converged in Rome at the dawn of the 17th century.
This artistic style became a cultural phenomenon, spreading from Naples to Venice, Vienna to Prague, and Bohemia to St. Petersburg, finally assuming its full global dimensions when it reached the Americas. “Bernini and the Roman Baroque: Masterpieces from Palazzo Chigi in Ariccia” explores the genesis of this one-of-a-kind artistic movement through a selection of 55 works from 40 artists, including 10 works by Bernini.
The exhibit is organized by Glocal Project Consulting and is toured by International Arts & Artists. The exhibition was curated by Francesco Petrucci, director of Palazzo Chigi and Dominique Lora, art historian and curator. Petrucci is an international authority on 17th and 18th-century art and architecture whose specialties also include archaeology, classical music, the decorative arts and the restoration of monumental architecture. International Arts & Artists in Washington, D.C, is a non-profit arts service organization dedicated to increasing cross-cultural understanding and exposure to the arts internationally, through exhibitions, programs and services to artists, arts institutions and the public.
William King Museum of Art is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to the museum is free. For information on exhibitions or events at William King Museum of Art visit williamkingmuseum.org or call 276-628-5005.
Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, William King Museum of Art is a partner of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, a member of the Virginia Association of Museums, and is funded in part by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
