Art and David

One of the most recognized sculptures in Western art is this one.


Michelangelo's David 1504

This is truly a wonderful sculpture on a few levels. Michelangelo wanted to make the perfect man, he wanted this sculpture to encompass everything that is good about a man. And many would say he succeeded with flying colors. What is interesting about Michelangelo's David is that it is timeless in it's portrayal of male beauty. There has never been a time period (that I am aware of) when having a muscular virile looking male body was bad or unappealing. If you ask me I think David looks a little to young and girly for my taste, but that's me. I prefer an older, darker, and bigger and better looking ideal. But I can definitely see the appeal of this sculpture. The other levels of this sculpture are it's proportions. Michelangelo made this sculpture to go high up on a facade of a church (I think) and so he made the proportions all different so that when people looked up to it it would look in proportion. If you look closely at this picture you can see that David's hands and head are huge! Looking at the sculpture from way below his hands and head would look like they are in proportion. This play on proportion was very adventurous for a Renaissance artist. Another interesting thing about this sculpture is the story it represents. The tale being told is that of David and Goliath. The story is rather understated in Michelangelo's sculpture. The only reference to the story is that David is holding a rock in his left hand and a slingshot in his right hand. But it is very understated and easy to miss these minute details of the sculpture.


Bernini's David 1623-1624

Now here we have Bernini's Baroque version of David. And this David is much more real. Bernini's David is more real because we are seeing David as he is about to slingshot the rock at Goliath's head. The story is the subject of Bernini's David. In typical Baroque style there is a lot of movement, an off center focus, and we are seeing an action at the height of its excitement.



The differences between Michelangelo's David and Bernini's David perfectly illustrate the differences between Renaissance and Baroque art. Where Michelangelo's David is perfect, classic, and static. Bernini's David is passionate, dramatic, and dynamic. I prefer Baroque art and therefore Bernini's depiction of David. Both are stunning though!

Which David do you prefer?