Florence and the David Statues

There have been many staues of David sculpted by famous artists like Donatello, Verrocchio, and Michelangelo. Bernini’s version of David and is about to begin his attack on Goliath, as he appears posing. The statue seems to be moving through space and the action suggests that the action of flinging the stone requires a lot of room around David. The statue forces the observer to look past the actual subject and focus more on the surroundings. He seems to have very muscular legs, and appears to be ready to turn and throw a stone from his sling. This is the most dramatic pose that Bernini could have picked and was chosen because it shows a sudden burst of energy and a moment of suspense as well. Bernini’s David is different from that of

Michelangelo’s creation is his interpretation of the biblical figure of David. “The brave David stands in a tense manner, with one leg relaxed while the other holds its total body weight. Hence, this causes his shoulders and hips to rest at an opposite angle. Moreover, David’s head turns towards his left, and he is carrying a sling at his back. With all these features, many people regard the sculpture as a symbol of youthful beauty and human strength (History).” “Michelangelo’s hero is at rest, in a moment of calm anticipation before confronting Goliath (Sayre, 327).” The lack of movement and straight posture shows balance and clarity within the sculpture, which is why most people would consider this piece of art work ethos. “In contrast, Bernini’s sculpture captures the young hero in the midst of action. David’s body twists in an elaborate spiral, creating dramatic contrasts of light and shadow. His teeth are clenched, and his muscles strain as he prepares to launch the fatal rock (Sayre, 327).” Bernini’s David uses the characteristic of emotion and motion to label his sculpture as pathos. “Bernini’s David uses the space around it – reaching out into the space of

Bernini's David represents the Baroque time shift in art. The shift towards the baroque art period seemed to have a change within the overall narrative of the sculptures. Prior to Bernini’s version of David there existed David’s sculpted by Donatello and Michelangelo. Donatello’s David was sculpted during the time of humanism, where a large influence came from the ancient Greco-Roman culture. The overall emotion of the sculpture is soft and youthful and creates the image of David after he had beaten Goliath. There really is no distinct emotion within David himself in this sculpture. In the high renaissance period Michelangelo sculpted his version of David. This sculpture began to form some energy which was seen in David’s tensed facial expression,

David, the heroic underdog in the story that is “David and Goliath.” David has become some kind of patron saint of Florence for his near impossible slaying of the giant Goliath. With the help of god, David became victorious, just like with the help of God, Florence has been the center of Renaissance Art and still stood strong despite their “Goliath,” the city of Milan. It's no surprise that Florence is filled with several statues of David. Florence embodied is “David,” and elite of Florence, including the Medici Family used their wealth to pay tribute to the personification of their city.

The Chansons de Geste are epic poetry from French literature around the time of Charlemagne that myth logically told the stories of paladins, knights, and lords. An illumination from this manuscript called Roland Fealty (attached) shows Roland, a well-known leader of the time pledging his allegiance, or fealty, to Charlemagne as a vassal pledging his allegiance to his lord. Roland and his men have one hand in the air and are depicted as knights with swords on their sides, as is customary of leaders during this time. Charlemagne’s face is full of strength and wisdom as he embodies the characteristics of an ideal leader. The piece is similar to other well-known works from the time such as the Ottonian Otto III enthroned. The transitional piece of the Limbourg brothers October from Les Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry depicts the vassals working in the fields while the castle in the background shows the prevalence of feudalism even in the early 15th century. The statue David by Donatello was patronized by the Medici family and depicts David from the Biblical David and Goliath story in which tiny David kills the giant with only a stone. David was a moral figure for Florence because he represented them earlier during this time in which they were living under threat of invasion by King Ladislaus. The Medici’s chose to patronize another statue of him, perhaps to revive humanism even more. During this time, the Medici family was coming to power in

The character of David has been the inspiration for many works of art throughout history. The young David, armed with only a sling, defeated the gigantic warrior, Goliath, and became the hero of the human people. This story became very popular during the Italian Renaissance, the period of 14th-16th centuries. During the Italian Renaissance, Florence was under constant change and turmoil however David remained the people with faith for the people. Many other artists have expressed their own depictions of the young boy but two stand out among all. Donatello and Michelangelo both created masterpieces on the biblical subject although the approaches of each artist were completely different in some ways this caused unique reactions.

The story of David and Goliath has escaped the biblical scriptures to become one of the most famous stories in the world. It is a story of an unlikely victory, where David, a young boy and the future king of Israel defeats Goliath, a mammoth sized Philistine warrior. The figure of David has become so influential that people have commissioned artists over the years to make sculptures David for them, in different time frames, such as David during the battle or after the battle, reveling in his victory. Three of the artists that were commissioned to create David sculptures were, Donatello, Michelangelo and Adrea del Verrocchio. In this essay, we’ll take a look at all the aspects of their creations from its depiction, similarities & differences, to the emotions and symbolism etc.

This David is seen as an ideal model of High Renaissance art. The veins in its arms and muscularity reflects Michelangelo's knowledge on human anatomy. Both Davids are situated in a contraposto pose and are nearly nude. Unlike Donatello's David, Michelangelo's depicts David before the fight due to the lack of a sword and Goliath's head, and was made public upfront where it would be instantly accepted. Originally, this David was to be put on top of the Duomo, but the Florentine's infatuation with it led it to be placed in the public square of the Palazzo Vecchio.

Donatello’s bronze sculpture of David is not to be confused with the much larger and more widely known statue of the same name, done by Michelangelo. Donatello’s statue of David can be found in the Bargello museum in Florence, Italy. The statue only stands about five feet tall, which when compared to the seventeen foot sculpture by Michelangelo, is relatively small. The statue is made of bronze using the lost wax technique. It depicts David as having a very effeminate contrapposto stance, (the standing figure is posed so the weight rests on one leg, while the other leg is bent at the knee in a very relaxed position), despite standing upon Goliath’s severed head. One could almost view David as a girl, provided he was not nude, due to the soft looking expression on his face, and the way his hair flows. The floral arrangement upon his head is very distinct. The statue exudes epicenism, as David is clearly a soldier holding a sword and wearing boots standing upon his vanquished foe’s head.

The statue of David, completed by Michelangelo in 1504, is an easily recognizable symbol to people not only in Florence, but from all around the world. The David has a special meaning for Florentines, and is a symbol of what the city strives to be; strong, courageous, and youthful. The sculpture tells the tale of the battle between David and Goliath. David, a young boy at the time, was angered at the way Goliath was treating the Israelis and stood up to the giant feat of taking on Goliath. With a simple slingshot and stone, he defeated the angry giant, and became a symbol of liberty. The story shows that anything can be done with the help of God. David is not only the most well-known sculpture in the world, but is housed in one of the

Likewise, Donatello's marble sculpture of David also possesses a religious theme, as it depicts the biblical figure David and portrays his youthful courage and triumph over his enemies. This in itself aided in the projection of Florentine beliefs and dreams, both religious and secular, as Florence was often in conflict with other cities. Additionally, this pieces clearly exhibits Donatello's profound understanding of sculptural adornment and classic form through his use of naturalism, which gives the sculpture a sense of liveliness and emotion. Furthermore, the fresco displaying Saint. Peter healing the sick with his shadow, painted inside the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine by Masaccio, shares much of the same theme and reveals similar form as the two previously discussed artworks. Naturally, Masaccio's fresco revolves around the same central theme, religion, as it portrays a portion of the distinguished St. Peter's life and details a specific scene from the Book of Matthew. However, most notable is Masaccio's use of realism, which is most evident through the representation of life-like

David represents the Renaissance’s respect for the human; although many religious paintings were commissioned by the Church, there was a breakaway during this artistic movement that focused very much on the individual. In addition to the exaltation of the human form, the art of the Italian Renaissance ushered in the use of oil and fresco paintings. Techniques like sfumato were developed, which added dimension to paintings unlike anything previously seen (Shearman,

When thinking of sculptures, one of the first that comes to mind is David. This statue was created of marble between 1501 and 1504 and stands over 14 feet high. David is a symbol that represents strength and anger. The statue had intended political connotations for the ruling of the Medici family. Michelangelo used David as model of "heroic courage" to demonstrate that "spiritual strength can be more effective than arms". Michelangelo insisted that David should stand as a symbol of the republic and act as a warning that Florence shall be governed justly and bravely". This was the first time since antiquity that a large nude statue be exhibited in a public place.

That year, he completed the life-sized marble sculpture, David. The figure follows a Gothic style, popular at the time, with long graceful lines and an expressionless face. The work reflects the influences of sculptors of the time. Technically, it's very well executed, but it lacks the emotional style and innovative technique that would mark Donatello’s later work. Originally, the sculpture was intended for placement in the cathedral. Instead, however, it was set up in the Palazzo Vecchio (the town hall) as an inspiring symbol of defiance of authority to Florentines, who were engaged in a struggle with the king of Naples at the

Starting in the 1400s during the Renaissance era., we can see how the Classical tradition of appreciating the human body and form carried over into Donatello’s sculpture of David.