   gian lorenzo bernini (also spelled gianlorenzo or giovanni lorenzo) (naples, 7 december 1598 â rome, 28 november 1680) was an italian artist and a prominent architect who worked principally in rome. he was the leading sculptor of his age, credited with creating the baroque style of sculpture. in addition, he painted, wrote plays, and designed metalwork and stage sets. bernini possessed the ability to depict dramatic narratives with characters showing intense psychological states, but also organise large-scale sculptural works which convey a magnificent grandeur.wittkower, p. 13 his skill in manipulating marble ensured he was considered a worthy successor of michelangelo, far outshining other sculptors of his generation, including his rival, alessandro algardi. his talent extended beyond the confines of his sculpture to consideration of the setting in which it would be situated; his ability to synthesise sculpture, painting and architecture into a coherent conceptual and visual whole has been termed by the art historian irving lavin the "unity of the visual arts". a deeply religious man,for a more nuanced, cautious discussion of the traditional hagiographic view of bernini as "fervent catholic" and of his art as simply a direct manifestation of his personal faith, see mormando, "bernini's religion: myth and reality," pp. 60â66 of the introduction to his critical, annotated edition, domenico bernini, the life of gian lorenzo bernini, unive
1598_births 1680_deaths 17th-century_Italian_painters Architects_from_Naples Baroque_sculptors Italian_Baroque_architects Italian_Roman_Catholics Italian_sculptors