The Davids

 Michelangelo's David out of Marble in Renaissance style in 1501-04

"Michelangelo, David," in Smarthistory, Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris, Last Modified December 6, 2020 ,https://smarthistory.org/michelangelo-david/. 

  Bernini's David out of Marble in Baroque style in 1623-24

"Gian Lorenzo Bernini, David," in Smarthistory,Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker, Last Motified July 12, 2015, https://smarthistory.org/bernini-david-2/. 

The David by Michelangelo was a classic example of the Italian Renaissance as it shows David in the moment before his battle with Goliath and is very Greek in style. Michelangelo exemplifies David as nearly god like with very strong features and strong flexed muscles and you can even see the concentration in his face with his furrowed brows as he is preparing for his fight with Goliath which is what makes it very much in the High Renaissance style as artists of this time were known for their shadows and highlights when it came to muscles and they made them distorted to the point of making them almost godly and allowed us to see and practically feel the tenseness in the air as the scene plays out. This sculpture of David was originally meant to be on a cathedral 40 feet above the street level which explains its massive size but since David meant so much to the people of Florence, he was moved in front of a government building. I believe that David was such an important biblical character to the Florentines as they had been the underdog as David was when it came to the Medici family and figures like Savonarola as they had all tried to take over Florence and make it into what they wanted instead of what the people wanted. When the Florentines were able to overthrow both of these figures they were just like David in his fight as the odds were against them and they most likely believe that God was on their side as He was with David and He had helped them break free from their overbearing politicians. 

As for Bernini's David, he is depicted in the actual moment of his battle with Goliath. This piece is a great example of the Italian Baroque as he is shown as more of a commoner rather than nearly god like with Michelangelo's David. You can see the difference between the art styles especially with the stance in which David is shown, in Bernini's David, he is contorted and you can see the focus and concentration in his face as he hurls the stone, you feel like you're watching him in action as you can see how much strength David is putting into his throw. This depiction of David is more focused on the action and the features and the struggle that goes into a certain moment. This David is also again more of a figure you'd pass on the street rather than a Greek god of a person, his hair is disheveled and you can see his muscles flex as he prepares to release the stone. This moment that is being captured is supposed to show the struggle that comes with the battle, it's supposed to show that even though David had God on his side, he still had to give it his all as well. Bernini's David was originally meant to go in the villa of Borghese, since he wanted to add to his extensive collection and Borghese commissioned Bernini to create this piece specifically for that reason.


Comments

  1. UnknownFebruary 1, 2021 at 5:32 PM

    I as well did the comparison of these two pieces for my blog and I think you did a great job of explaining the traits that each of them had. You did a great job of explaining the history as well as telling who they were also social and political figures.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Brance AndersonFebruary 3, 2021 at 6:26 PM

    great job explaining what each of these statues meant to the people in the regions and times that they were created. One thing that I will suggest editing would be in your last statement about Bernini's statue of David. This statue was actually constructed to go inside the villa of Borghese to go along with his extensive collection of statues and art. Borghese actually commissioned Bernini to make this piece specifically for his villa. Other than that, great job.

    ReplyDelete
  3. ChloFebruary 4, 2021 at 7:27 PM

    Comparing these 2 pieces was very unique. Its fascinating that they are so similar but so different. I think you did a great job of explaining the background as well as the comparison.

    ReplyDelete

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