Habakkuk and the Angel 1661

Editor: This is Bernini's *Habakkuk and the Angel*, carved in marble around 1661. It's just... so dynamic, so Baroque! It really grabs your attention. The way the angel seems to be pulling Habakkuk along feels urgent. What strikes you most about it? Curator: Ah, yes! What I love most about Bernini is that he seems to be conducting the marble. In *Habakkuk and the Angel*, look at the very tangible anxiety and bewilderment in Habakkuk’s face, like a deer caught in headlights! Imagine: summoned by an angel for an emergency food delivery... it does rather mess with one's afternoon, doesn't it? Editor: A food delivery? I didn’t realize. So, this is a Biblical story, then? Curator: Indeed. It’s from the Book of Daniel. The angel is whisking Habakkuk off to feed Daniel, who is stuck in a lion's den, poor fellow. It raises such compelling thoughts on divine intervention and human agency. Bernini even conveys a sense of the miraculous mid-air travel in the work. It is quite special. What do you think of that aspect? Editor: I didn’t think about it like that. Now I’m thinking about the composition in relation to a sense of motion! This might be simplistic but the story almost seems less about Habakkuk and more about God’s grand plan, you know? Curator: That's an astute reading! By emphasizing the action, Bernini points to something bigger. The grand, almost frantic composition emphasizes this idea: these aren't isolated figures; they're part of a divine narrative! Food delivery as grand, religious theater, who knew? Editor: Wow, thanks! That's a perspective I hadn't considered before. Curator: My pleasure! The piece has definitely stirred up my need for some religious theatre.