Living Marble

My mythology professor likes to be called Dr. Jones, even though he hasn't quite gotten his PhD yet (he's working on it), so whenever we say it, it's in a very Irina Spalko voice. (Or at least an Eastern European accent.) Anyway, he's been showing us Berninis in his slides. They're all excellent. His Apollo and Daphne, which is the origin myth for why laurels are sacred to Apollo, is particularly excellent. Look closely—you can see her toes turning into roots. He's most famous for the Ecstasy of St. Teresa, mainly because of its undertones—I mean, look at the expression on Teresa's face. His best sculpture, though, is The Rape of Persephone, which depicts Hades kidnapping Persephone from Enna.

Now, to appreciate the sculpture, take a look at this closeup.

How amazing is that? Rock made flesh. Things were better back in the old days.