TRAGIC LOVE MONTH #3: Apollo and Daphne, by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1625)

Type of Work: Statue

Nearly everyone understands the pain of unrequited love, but people can't agree over whether it's a good feeling or not. Some argue that it's a fiery passion that is better than feeling nothing, while others say it's too easily turned to hatred to be useful. What people don't argue about is the pain of being pursued by someone you have no interest in. You tell the unrequited lover no, and they don't listen. You run, and they chase you. Eventually you have no choice but to pray to your river god father and transform into a laurel tree cause the dudes are just all up ons.

At least, that's what happens if you're a nymph named Daphne and you live in a Greek myth. While it's unlikely that anyone has managed to escape a relentless suitor via arboreal transformation in real life, I'm sure people have wished they could. Sometimes it's scary being pursued by someone who just won't take no for an answer. That persistence means they may try to do something to you that you don't want them to do. Some of you may think that's ridiculous. "Oh, how difficult it must be to be so desirable you have people nipping at your heels to give you their hearts." Well if you can't imagine how that might be frightening, look no further than Gian Lorenzo Bernini's statue Apollo and Daphne. 

The statue depicts Apollo, the young Greek god of music, divination, and healing, grabbing the nymph Daphne as she turns into a laurel tree. Just studying their faces tells you the dynamic between them, with Apollo looking pleased that he's caught his beloved and Daphne looking frightened. Her fear is directed entirely at Apollo, though, not at her transformation. The nymph isn't concerned that she's losing herself, in fact it's something she welcomes. The bark that envelopes her legs also blocks Apollo's grasp, imprisoning her but protecting her.

The full story behind the scene is that Apollo was making fun of Cupid, so Cupid decided to get revenge. He used a golden arrow to make Apollo fall in love with Daphne, then used a lead arrow to make Daphne hate Apollo. When Apollo pursued Daphne, the lead arrow's hate combined with a vow she made to remain a virgin made her turn to her father, the river god Ladon, for help. Ladon turned her into a laurel tree, but Apollo still loved her so he adopted the laurel leaf as one of his symbols.

Bernini was the originator of the Baroque style of sculpture, which emphasized motion and tons of detail. Bernini's statues often capture a specific moment in time, and his extremely high level of skill allowed him to make his statues incredibly lifelike. Looking at Apollo and Daphne, Apollo's cloth flows behind him and Daphne's back arches in naturalistic arcs. Combine that with the delicate details, like the thin leaves on Daphne's branches, and it's easy to forget you're seeing something that was chiseled out of marble.

All of Bernini's works are pretty awe-inspiring, but Apollo and Daphne is probably the best he's done at conveying not just a concept, but an entire story with just a single statue. If you have a friend complaining about someone who's obsessed with them and you're finding it hard to work up sympathy, just remember the look on poor Daphne's face as petrified into wood.