"The rivalry between the brilliant seventeenth-century Italian architects Gianlorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini is the stuff of legend. Possessed of enormous talent and ambition, these two artists - one trained as a sculptor, the other as a stonecutter - met as contemporaries in the building yards of St. Peter's in Rome and ended their lives as bitter enemies. Over the course of their careers they became the most celebrated architects of their era, designing some of the most beautiful buildings in the world and transforming the city of Rome." "The Genius in the Design is a tale of how these two men plotted, schemed, and intrigued to get the better of each other. Jake Morrissey's account also shows that this legendary rivalry defined the Baroque style that immediately succeeded the Renaissance and created the spectacular Roman cityscape of today." "Almost exactly the same age - Bernini was born at the end of 1598, Borromini nine months later - they were as alike and as different as any two men could be, each a potent combination of passion and enterprise, energy and imperfection. Bernini was a precocious talent who as a youth caught the attention of Pope Paul V and became Rome's most celebrated artist, whose patrons included the wealthiest families in Europe.
The city's greatest sculptor - the creator of such masterpieces as Apollo and Daphne and the Ecstasy of St. Teresa - Bernini would also have been Rome's preeminent architect had it not been for Francesco Borromini, the one man whose talent and virtuosity rivaled his own. In contrast to Bernini's easy grace, Borromini was an introvert with a fiery temper who bristled when anyone interfered with his vision; his temperament alienated him from prospective patrons and precipitated his tragic end." "Like Mozart and Salieri, these two masters were inextricably linked, their dazzling work prodding the other to greater achievement while taking merciless advantage of each other's missteps. The Genius in the Design is their story."--BOOK JACKET. Also includes information on Pope Alexander VII, Filippo Baldinucci, Barberini family, Borghese family, Christianity symbols, Fountains of the Four Rivers, Pope Innocent X, Jesuits, Carlo Maderno, Michelangelo, Oratorio di Saint Filippo Neri, Cardinal Camillo Pamphili, Pamphili family, Piazza Navona, Carlo Rainaldi, Girolamo Rainaldi, Roman Catholic Church, St. Peter's, St. Peter's basilica, St. Peter's Square, San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, San Giovanni dei Fiorentini, San Giovanni in Laterano, Sant'Agnese in Agone, Sant'Andrea al Quirinale, Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza, Cardinal Virgilio Spada, Trinitarii Scalzi del Riscatto di Spagna (Discalced, Barefoot Trinitarians), Pope Urban VII, Vatican, Vatican Palace, etc.
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