Bernini

Piazza of St. Peter's, at Vatican City, surrounded by Rome, Italy, 1656 to 1667.

Sant'Andrea al Quirinale, at Rome, Italy, 1658 to 1665.

      map of works

(b. Naples, Italy 1598; d. Rome, Italy 1680)

Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini was born in Naples in 1598, the son of a Florentine sculptor by whom he was trained. After settling in Rome, Bernini came to the attention of the future Pope Urban VIII. Under the patronage of Pope Urban VIII, Bernini spent his entire career in Rome where he gained his architectural fame under Alexander VII (1655-67).

Considered the creator of the Baroque style, Bernini created a fusion of architecture, painting, and sculpture that led to the generation of new, dynamic forms. His works used the drama of false perspective and trompe-l'oeil to create an impact that involved the spectator. He also created a much copied palace facade type which he articulated with massive pilasters above a rusticated base.

Although Bernini grafted completely new sculptural forms onto Renaissance buildings, he maintained a continuity with the original serenity of the Renaissance ideal.

Bernini died in Rome in 1680.

References
Dennis Sharp. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Architects and Architecture. New York: Quatro Publishing, 1991. NA 40.I45. ISBN 0-8230-2539-X. p22.

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