Bernini’s S. Andrea al Quirinale and Early Modern Architectural Representation

My research project focuses on Gianlorenzo Bernini’s S. Andrea al Quirinale (1658-71), Rome, church of the Jesuit novitiate and largely underwritten by Prince Camillo Pamphili. This is not, however, a monographic study. S. Andrea is a vehicle for assessing fundamental and influential themes in early modern architectural representation as well as challenging several longstanding assumptions in current methodological approaches. The church is a milestone in any history of early modern architecture and a staple on most survey courses of western art. Over the last thirty years scholars have demonstrated that it was not built to an initial, unitary design but is instead the residue of protracted adaptation and revision (Connors, Frommel, Marder, Terhalle); elucidated the mechanisms of patronage; and explained its iconography (Cather, Careri, Levine). Yet, a full and coherent analysis of the intellectual priorities behind its formal choices, general and particular, is lacking. Indeed, as things stand, it is difficult to understand why Bernini himself considered S. Andrea his best work