Gian Lorenzo Bernini

What if a block of stone could look like it was breathing? Gian Lorenzo Bernini could make marble feel alive — frozen mid-movement or full of gentle tears and windswept hair!

Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680) was an Italian artist of the Baroque era (the 1600s). He was a sculptor and architect who worked mainly in Rome. Today we'll focus on his superpower: making hard marble look alive and full of emotion.

He carved famous pieces like Apollo and Daphne, The Rape of Proserpina, and The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. He also created the Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona. In architecture, he made the towering bronze Baldachin inside St. Peter’s Basilica and designed the sweeping columns of St. Peter’s Square. He made lively portrait busts too.

Bernini changed art by making statues full of motion and feeling. He carved tiny details — fluttering hair, stretched muscles, tearful eyes — and arranged light and space like a theater director. His dramatic Baroque style spread across Europe and still inspires artists today.

When you next see a statue or a church, look for drama: movement, emotion, and fine details. You can see Bernini’s magic all over Rome. He helped marble tell stories for hundreds of years, making art that still surprises and moves us.