Bernini
Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680) was an Italian sculptor and architect whose dramatic, dynamic works epitomize the Baroque style.
His sculptures—*Apollo and Daphne*, *The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa*—capture figures in moments of intense transformation or emotion, with marble rendered to suggest flowing fabric, yielding flesh, and windswept hair.
He shaped Rome's appearance through fountains, churches, and the colonnade of St.
Peter's Square.
Row supporting a roof
- St Peter'sVatican's principal church
- PiazzaFamily name or brand
- baldachinOrnate canopy over altar
- VaticanPapal city-state
facade · fountain · palazzo · oval · dome · altar · chapel · tabernacle
Recrystallized limestone rock
- baroqueExcessively ornate or elaborate
- ApolloSun deity, moonshot namesake
- DaphneNymph turned laurel
- Saint TeresaCanonized holy woman
David · bust · chisel · drapery · flesh · carving · masterpiece · virtuoso
Change in position
- dynamismActive, energetic quality
- emotionComplex psychological state
- theatricalityExaggerated, showy manner
- dramaTheatrical art or turmoil
illusionism · Counter-Reformation · grandeur · spectacle · Catholic · pathos · ecstasy · rapture
Sea deity with conch
- NeptuneEighth planet or sea deity
- riversFlowing bodies of water
- obeliskTapering stone monument
- travertineLimestone from thermal springs
water · basin · aquatic · mythological · dolphins · conch · Ganges · Danube
of the pontiff
- cardinalOf foremost importance
- commissionPayment for services rendered
- favorKind act or preference
- rivalryOngoing contest between opponents
court · Vatican · pontificate · benefactor · collector · aristocratic · wealth · prestige
colonnade
Row supporting a roof
- St Peter'sVatican's principal church
- PiazzaFamily name or brand
- baldachinOrnate canopy over altar
Vatican · facade · fountain · palazzo · oval · dome · altar · chapel · tabernacle · portico
marble
Recrystallized limestone rock
Saint Teresa · David · bust · chisel · drapery · flesh · carving · masterpiece · virtuoso · portrait
movement
Change in position
- dynamismActive, energetic quality
- emotionComplex psychological state
- theatricalityExaggerated, showy manner
drama · illusionism · Counter-Reformation · grandeur · spectacle · Catholic · pathos · ecstasy · rapture · swirling
Triton
Sea deity with conch
travertine · water · basin · aquatic · mythological · dolphins · conch · Ganges · Danube · Nile
papal
of the pontiff
- cardinalOf foremost importance
- commissionPayment for services rendered
- favorKind act or preference
rivalry · court · Vatican · pontificate · benefactor · collector · aristocratic · wealth · prestige · Rome
Berniniminimalism
Aesthetic of reduction
Bauhaus · Piet Mondrian · Kazimir Malevich · International Style
BerniniRodin
French bronze sculptor
Michelangelo · Auguste Rodin · unfinished · rough-hewn · primitivism