Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Hello! My name is Gian Lorenzo Bernini. A long, long time ago, in the year 1598, I was born in a sunny city called Naples. My dad was an artist, and I loved to watch him work with big, heavy blocks of stone. It looked like so much fun. I would pick up my own little tools and chip, chip, chip away at the stone. I loved turning a boring old rock into something amazing and new.

My favorite thing to do was make my stone statues look like they were real people. I wanted them to look like they could move and dance right in front of you. I made their hair look like it was blowing in the wind. I made their clothes look soft and wavy, just like real clothes. It was my special secret, like magic. I wanted everyone who saw my art to feel happy or surprised. I loved making hard stone look so soft and alive.

When I grew up, I got to help make a very important city even more beautiful. That city was called Rome. It was a very big job. I designed big, open squares where people could walk and play. I put splashing fountains in the middle of them. I also helped decorate the inside of the biggest church, called St. Peter's Basilica. It was so much fun to create giant, wonderful things for everyone to see and enjoy.

I lived to be 81 years old, and I spent my whole life making art until the year 1680. Today, if you visit the city of Rome, you can still see the statues I carved with my own hands. You can also see the amazing buildings I helped design. I am so happy that my art still makes people smile and say 'Wow!' all these years later.