He blows his shell as a horn to announce that the king of the earth and oceans is approaching. Triton grasps Neptune's leg and ducks his left shoulder between the thighs of Neptune. Bernini's Triton is double-tailed, simulating the two-legged human, both in this sculpture group and in his later work, the Triton Fountain in Rome. Naturalism The naturalism of the figures suggests the artist's intention to elicit an immediate emotional response to the viewer. Neptune's furrowed brow gives a sense of his fierce strength. His stance is set in stone, solidifying his divine power. In contrast, Triton looks somewhat submissive while he is grabbing Neptune's thigh. His face looks to be full of anxiety as if he knows that he should obey whatever Neptune commands him to do. His timid nature and Neptune's dominate presence display the reality of human emotion and brings back the point of Bernini's plan to convey myths coming to life. Bernini gave the audience the chance to "see" these gods in person; in movement. This was Bernini's first sculpture to " …work where the silhouette is broken, where the climax of a transitory action is given and where the action extends beyond the physical limits". The point of the sculpture is to bring the viewer to face a myth or story to be true and real by its dramatic tension in the body positions and subtle hints at natural life. He was making the myths, rumours and stories an opportunity to be true and demand its viewer to believe in its truth. Gallery See also List of works by Gian Lorenzo Bernini Explanatory notes References Notes Bibliography External links Web Gallery of Art 1620s sculptures Sculptures of the Victoria and Albert Museum Fountains in Rome Marble sculptures in the United Kingdom Sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini Sculptures of Neptune Sculptures of Triton (mythology) Seashells in art Sculptures based on Metamorphoses Works based on the Aeneid