Contrast The Different Sculptures Of David

628 Words3 Pages
Contrast the different sculptures of David and how they reflect on the Art style prevalent in that period Characteristics of Baroque art are highly evident in Bernini's David. The face of David is filled with determination, emotion and drama. He has vitality and awe inspiring physical presence. He is coiled and ready to unleash his slingshot. This is theatre, we are swept into the scene, our emotions caught up in what is about to happen. That is why Bernini's David so typifies the Baroque style. It has all the elements which are the hallmarks of the Baroque, movement, drama, emotional response, vigor and physical presence. Its theatricality is climactic as Bernini's 'figures are caught in a transient moment from a single viewpoint, bursting into the spectator's space'.1 The other sculptures of David from Donatello, Verricchio and Michelangelo hark from the Renaissance period. Donatello's David was inspired by his study of Greek and Roman sculpture. David's pose appears to be contrapposto and I see more humanistic qualities in this work. David's build and appearance seem more closely aligned with the biblical story about a young and perhaps vulnerable shepherd boy. He gazes downward in retrospect. Verrocchio's David is similar to Donatello's in that both are of David after he has defeated Goliath and both show a slender male figure in a relaxed pose. Like Donatello's, Verrocchio's David also has a humanistic quality to it, as both David's seem to be pleased with themselves and their triumph over Goliath. There seems to be a similar message, i.e. that we should celebrate the individual and their accomplishments within God's grace and support. Michelangelo's David differs from Donatello and Verrocchio in that David appears more idealized with a more muscular and perfectly chiseled body, also found in classic Greek and Roman statues. This is

More about Contrast The Different Sculptures Of David

Open Document