Member Dismemberment - Apollo and Daphne
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Member Dismemberment
A Look at Limbs
Curated by Kate Sims
"Yet what he sung in his immortal strain,
All but the nymph that should redress his wrong,
Though unsuccessful, was not sung in vain.
Attend his passion and approve his song.
Like Phoebus thus, acquiring unsought praise,
He caught at love and filled his arms with bays."
- Waller, The Story of Phoebus and Daphne
Apollo, god of light and unmarried men, was found irresistible by most for his charm and bravery. After Eros shot him with an arrow of love, Apollo fell for a nymph, Daphne, who uncharacteristically rejected him. Bernini, the master of marble, depicts the moment where Apollo reaches to grab Daphne and she turns into a Laurel tree.
Apollo’s arms illustrate his impatience and desire to reach Daphne with his right arm stretched back and fingers widespread. His left hand reaches out and caresses Daphne’s fragile frame. It is from that touch that Daphne roots her feet in the ground as the trunk wraps around her knees and legs. Her arms reach upward and widespread fingers transform into leaves. The limbs create movement within the sculpture. It begins with Apollo’s foot and creates a diagonal line up through Daphne’s arms. Bernini succeeded in capturing the delicate moment in time as Daphne transforms into a tree, running away from Apollo’s love.
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| Bernini, Apollo and Daphne, 1622-25 |
All but the nymph that should redress his wrong,
Though unsuccessful, was not sung in vain.
Attend his passion and approve his song.
Like Phoebus thus, acquiring unsought praise,
He caught at love and filled his arms with bays."
- Waller, The Story of Phoebus and Daphne
Apollo, god of light and unmarried men, was found irresistible by most for his charm and bravery. After Eros shot him with an arrow of love, Apollo fell for a nymph, Daphne, who uncharacteristically rejected him. Bernini, the master of marble, depicts the moment where Apollo reaches to grab Daphne and she turns into a Laurel tree.
Apollo’s arms illustrate his impatience and desire to reach Daphne with his right arm stretched back and fingers widespread. His left hand reaches out and caresses Daphne’s fragile frame. It is from that touch that Daphne roots her feet in the ground as the trunk wraps around her knees and legs. Her arms reach upward and widespread fingers transform into leaves. The limbs create movement within the sculpture. It begins with Apollo’s foot and creates a diagonal line up through Daphne’s arms. Bernini succeeded in capturing the delicate moment in time as Daphne transforms into a tree, running away from Apollo’s love.
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