This contributed to the artist's ability to synthesize sculpture, painting, and architecture into a coherent conceptual and visual whole. This flair for drama not only influenced his architecture and sculpture, but also led to his designing of stage sets and theatrical machinery, as well as a wide variety of decorative art objects including lamps, tables, mirrors, and even horse-drawn coaches epitomizing the Baroque love of detail and the ornate. Heavily inspired by the theatrical, Bernini wrote, directed, and acted in plays, especially carnival satires.He oftentimes created them 'in the round,' meaning works that stood alone in grand spaces, meant to be seen on all sides from different perspectives by the viewer, enhancing the overall experience and intimacy with a piece.

Bernini changed the way sculptures were presented.In his hands, they became an art form to present informal portraits of the living, a practice that hadn't been widely used since Ancient Rome. Bernini transformed the purpose of sculptural busts, which in the past were limited to serving as formal portraits for tombs.He felt that capturing a person in mid-conversation, or just at the moment of uttering a word was the truest way to capture the authentic personality of his subjects. Bernini popularized the concept of 'speaking likeness' in his work.His dramatic depiction of the flesh was also new in art, introducing a technical expertise that continues to be studied. His progressive focus on human emotion and sensuality became important to later artists all the way up to the modernist period. Bernini's insistence that beauty should be found in observing humans and nature instead of studying Classical statues or Renaissance paintings was a move away from the traditional ways of creating work.

Bernini's Beloved by Sarah McPhee