David by Donatello, Michelangelo, Bemini - Essay Example

‘David’ by Donatello, Michelangelo, & Bernini The ‘rebirth of learning’ during the Renaissanceperiod had truly shed light of regaining profound interests in several disciplines especially in the field of sculpture where the beauty of intellect flourished back to heights after the Dark Ages among the European nations. As the increasing pursuit for artistic excellence vividly reflects in the exquisite creations of Donatello and Michelangelo, their contemporaries were equivalently inspired to develop art forms according to the Greek and Roman concepts and this trend of innovative craftsmanship has carried on to influence even the works of Baroque sculptors like Bernini and those of the current modern artists alike. Religious themes had been immensely prevalent in the Renaissance art and David, a prominent biblical figure, became one of the famous subjects which distinguished the style and professional insights of one artist from the other as depicted in the masterpieces of Donatello, Michelangelo, and Bernini. Based on the momentous event marked by God’s will, the subject pertains to an Israelite shepherd boy who accepts the challenge and obtains triumph over the once was invincible Goliath of the Philistines. In each artist, there emerged a response of imagining how the image of David and the projection of his heroic character may be brought to a three-dimensional interpretation that highly captures a substantial depth of detailing his major act of faith. The marble statue of David which served Donatello his first commission of the subject is apparently one that radiates naturalism in part as David’s curious look in the face seems to scrutinize the enemy at the onset of the fight. After defeat of the enemy, however, such facial expression liberates a new meaning quite transcendental, which is of Gothic effect that dissolves the initial attitude into a degree of general unaware countenance. A view of David that occurs detached from struggling emotion of having fought the gigantic adversary entails perpetual sense of conquest. Certain scholars have assumed this to be a subtle if not a humble fashion of exposing the pride and any premeditated confidence of vanquishing the enemy. When Donatello proceeded to come up with the bronze case of David in ca. 1440s, the sculpture took on a significantly different approach from the marble pattern. Being the first freestanding nude male sculpture portraying an uncircumcised David bearing Goliath’s sword, the bronze statue wears an enigmatic smile besides the controversial effeminate positure. Commissioned by the Medici family for their palace in Florence, Donatello chose to sculpt David with a slight bend in his waist and one of his hands placed on his hip. The contrapposto pose was thought to be feminine; especially for a young man that just decapitated a giant like Goliath. David also had a look on his face that symbolized his youthful joy of his great accomplishment (Sayre 556). Both the laurelled top hat and boots add to the frail or fetish look that partly deprives it of the expected manly appearance which is rather plain to see in the crafts of Bernini and Michelangelo. Though it does not depart from the Greek idea of nakedness under contrapposto, the biblical essence is only slightly manifest in the bronze structure whereby the characteristic theme of the subject is less inclined to be prophetic than political. With the redundant appearance of a stone in David's sling and Goliath's forehead, Olszewski proposes that Donatello's use of the same stone twice indicates that David holds the loaded sling in the present tense while envisioning the stone's future placement in Goliath's head below. He further notes that this is in accordance to the scriptural account in which David responds to the Philistine giant in the future tense as he foretells what he is about to do to him (Olszewski, 1997). It was not until the 15th century, according to a review by L. Morelli, that idealized human figures captivated the public imagination and left people nostalgic for what they saw as a glorious and enlightened past. Michelangelo's David, which marked the first time since antiquity entails that colossal sculptures broke free from their architectural context and were presented for public viewing in a civic setting (Morelli, 2003). While in his first piece, Donatello did create a support bearing the slain Goliath’s head lying at the foot of David, Michelangelo opted to clear David’s feet of any product of victory in his rendition of the marble figure in 1501, though a hidden sling at his back is present to imply perhaps that David could be thoughtful about the potential schemes of taking down the enemy. He preserved the thought of classic nudity as well as maintained the significance of the principle behind ‘contrapposto’ where his self-contained figure was made to possess a tranquil composure or embody a state of courage from within which is the ground for securing much weight on one foot in order for a portion of the torso to twist at an angle countered by a raised shoulder. This way, Renaissance artists like Donatello and Michelangelo are continuously recognized for their applied influence of ancient Greek sculpture that characterizes valor with reference to the anatomical positioning of the figure. Furthermore, both Renaissance creations of David show no hint of movement or which could be implicitly minimal if any, such as in Michelangelo’s version of a David that poses without signs of interaction with the surrounding space even as the weapon gripped on ought to suggest a motion to follow. Despite this, Michelangelo ensured that the rest of the essential details of the supposed mobility exude in the physical attributes of the sculpture, as in those properties that enhance the Greek-derived notion of ‘god’ or immortality which is often associated to the purpose of using of marble. With genius strokes to achieve furrowed eyes, tight masculinity, and a consuming look of tension far beyond ease, Michelangelo managed to convey these features through his design of unusual enlargements for the head and the right hand to impress visibility of sentiments in the statue when viewed at a spot beneath it. In-depth analysis of sculptures by Michelangelo has revealed the extent of his anatomical knowledge and Italian doctors have examined the artist's sculptures to ascertain the anatomical accuracy of his work (Lombardi, 2005), exhibiting his broad technical knowledge and the means in which he utilized it to achieve interpretive effects of motion, gesture, and emotional expression (Lombardi). By the time the Baroque period realized the indispensable aspect of perceiving a human body in action, in the early 17th century Bernini took the challenge of reinventing the nude and static David of the Renaissance into a dressed entity filled with dynamism. Besides the traditional pose intended to be examined of mere external traits, Bernini’s work extends to be judged at spatial encounter outside of confines embedded on the surface of the structure alone. His carved marble piece rather communicates to the audience in a number of angles that attest to the story and truth of David’s heroic endeavor. Bernini's main concern was with surface and texture and with the conveyance of movement (Drohojowska-Philip, 2008). As it appears to have nearly stepped out of its platform, the way by which the artist rendered the contrapposto to be modelled with the sling seemingly rotated down 90 degrees from David’s front signifies a specific hurling motion which is less conspicuous in Michelangelo’s work. The fluidity of the robe, in addition, amplifies such condition which readily tells of the intensity of fierce eagerness and speed David has in the fateful moment of doom for Goliath. Thus, the critique of David in this evolved art of Bernini would surpass old particular inclination of describing the image as a single object or person and would instead expand to designating the viewer to acquire a better understanding of the acclaimed biblical occurrence as it actually takes place. Through the works of the three aforementioned artists who had imparted artistic intelligence of the Renaissance and the Baroque periods, one not only acquires discernment of the style and professional insights of Donatello, Michelangelo, and Bernini. The genius level of artistry handed down from them in history through David and other related works have by far increased learning of the subject with enthusiastic interest and sensible engagement in critical thinking for the appreciators of classic art. Works Cited Sayre, Henry M. The Humanities: Culture, Continuity & Change. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008. 556. Print Olszewski, Edward J. “Prophecy and prolepsis in Donatello's marble ‘David’.” Artibus et Historiae 18 (1997): 63-79. Print. Lombardi, Laura. “If the Muscles Aren't Right, It's Not By Michelangelo.” Art Newspaper 14 (2005): 28-9. Print. Drohojowska-Philip, Hunter. “Bernini and the Birth of Baroque Portrait Sculpture’: J. Paul Getty Museum. ARTnews 107 (2008): 174. Print. Morelli, Laura. “Marble, Painted and Pure: Renaissance Sculpture in Central Italy.” Sculpture Review 52.3 (2003): 16-19. Print. Read More