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"Art In Rome"

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Francesco Borromini

Born in 1599 in Bissone, Borromini stood apart from his contemporaries for being a purist, working exclusively in architecture throughout his lifetime. He was one of the leading figures in baroque architecture, generating a pool of influence that would reach far into the future. He was driven by the desire to create new spaces, marked by different forms and arousing strong emotions in those who stood within them. His flair for the dramatic was expressed flawlessly in his many imposing buildings, an effect that was particularly noticeable in the churches he designed.

His first significant commission was the design of the church San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane. It took Borromini almost thirty years to complete the church, dedicating an immense amount of time to the facade, which has come to exemplify his particular style. The facade ended up being taller than the church itself, adorned with sinuous, meandering forms that inspired his many disciples and legions of other baroque architects.

Other pieces that bear Borromini's signature are the Sant Ivo Della Sapienzia Church and the facade of the Sant'Agnese in Agone Church. Borromini was also commissioned to renovate the San Giovanni in Laterano Basilica, Rome's official cathedral. The Sant'Agnese in Agone Church on Piazza Navona faces Bernini's fountain, the Fontana dei Quattro Fuimi, which has led to a running joke about the work of the two great rivals. Romans claim that the horrified expression borne by the statues in the fountain are due to the fact that they have to spend their days looking at Borromini's church. Although the joke is more popular myth than fact, the rivalry it is based on did exist. It all began when Borromini was working under Bernini on the baldachin in the San Pietro Basilica. The incendiary combination of these two, strong, artistic egos led to a permanent rupture between the two who never managed to reconcile their very different views and approaches to baroque art.

Borromini committed suicide in 1667 at the age of 68, driven perhaps by personal mishap or the creative contradictions that plagued him throughout his lifetime. In what has been described as a psychotic episode, he ended his life by driving a sword through his body.