Villa Borghese and Santa Maria del Popolo

So many wonderful things already but today was my favorite ... today we visited the gallery at the Villa Borghese. By far the most awe-inspiring experience of my life. To stand in front of paintings by Raphael, Rubens, Caravaggio ... a dream come true. I can't quite process the overwhelming beauty of these works or the idea that I am close enough to touch them (not that I ever would). As an artist, I am inspired and deflated ... how could any work of my hands ever come near to the ethereal majesty of Raphael or Rubens? How could my brush capture the raw reality of a Caravaggio? The infinitesimal detail somehow coaxed from a slab of marble by Bernini leaves me breathless. How can one place hold such beauty?

It is ironic to critique the works in such a place, to question the proportion or foreshortening of a long dead master, yet I could not help but dissect some of the works.

Bernini's mastery of marble was immense ... every detail considered. The way Persephone's skin dimpled in under the tight grip of Hades as she struggles to escape hi, the rippling muscles, the hair on Cerberus you can imagine petting ... words do not suffice. I wish that I could use my own picture here, but photos were not allowed. 

After our time in the gallery was through, a small group headed through the lovely grounds to find our way to the Piazza del Popolo and Santa Maria, where we could view more works of Caravaggio. Again, no photos were allowed of these pieces, although I took some of the church itself.