Gian Lorenzo Bernini was a sculptor and architect whose work fundamentally transformed the artistic landscape of 17th-century Baroque Europe. He created works that broke free from classical restraint, introducing unprecedented movement and theatrical drama into stone, and he was able to create moments of intense emotion and action in static marble. His masterpiece Apollo and Daphne (1622–1625) exemplifies this approach, depicting the moment when the nymph Daphne transforms into a laurel tree to escape Apollo’s pursuit. His same mastery appears in David (1623–1624), where he departed radically from the traditional contemplative version. Bernini’s David is shown mid-action, his body coiled with tension as he prepares to hurl the stone at Goliath. Another example is The Rape of Proserpina (1621–1622), in which the Underworld god Pluto abducts the spring goddess Proserpine.

Bernini’s architectural achievements were most notable in his work at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. His design of St. Peter’s Square (1656–1667) created a magnificent urban space with an elliptical colonnade comprising 284 columns arranged in four rows. Inside St. Peter’s, Bernini’s Baldachin (1623–1634) towers nearly 100 feet above the papal altar, its twisting bronze columns creating a sense of upward movement that draws the eye heavenward.

Central to Bernini’s artistic philosophy was the concept of unifying sculpture, architecture, painting, and decorative arts into single, overwhelming experiences. His Cornaro Chapel (1647–1652), housing The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, represents the pinnacle of this approach, her face expressing divine rapture as an angel pierces her heart with a golden arrow.

Bernini’s impact extended across Europe, notably through emphasis on emotional engagement, dramatic lighting effects, and the integration of multiple art forms. Royal courts from France to Russia sought to emulate the effects he achieved in Rome. He transformed art from static representation into a dynamic experience, and his legacy endures not only in his magnificent sculptures and buildings, but in the fundamental shift he brought to artistic expression.

Bernini himself suffered medical afflictions throughout his life. Historical accounts suggest he endured a bout of serious illness in his 70s, possibly related to heart disease. He was also involved in an incident in which, on discovering his mistress Costanza Bonarelli’s affair with his brother, he attacked him with an iron bar and later sent a servant to slash Costanza’s face, who survived but was scarred for life.

In his time, Rome was deeply entwined with theology and art, and Santo Spirito Hospital was the Vatican’s chief medical institution where dissections were performed publicly for education, the physicians dissecting to learn their craft, the artists like Bernini exploring the mysteries of the body for their art.