Gianlorenzo Bernini is the artist from the Baroque century that created Bernini’s David. The work of Gianlorenzo Bernini is known worldwide and he has astonished the world of art; he is a respected artist amongst his peers. Bernini is well known for his David, a piece of art that is sophisticated, yet very meaningful and biblical. David was Bernini’s fourth and final life- size sculpture for Cardinal Borghese. Gianlorenzo Bernini created three statues for Cardinal Scipione Borghese. The sculptures were meant to be placed in front of Borghese’s villa outside of Porta Pinciana in Rome, and soon after the completion, two of the statues were placed in rooms on the villa’s ground floor, the David and the Apollo and Daphne. Joy Kenseth stated in her article Bernini’s Borghese Sculptures, “Bernini’s Borghese statues show many interesting views and are richly worked on nearly every angle, they have also claimed that each sculpture has a meaning to them, dominant face and was meant to be seen from, one main aspect,”(Kenseth 192).
What Kenseth conveyed to the readers was that Bernini’s David had movement because of his stance, and his facial expression showed strength, so that the subject matter had one meaning, dominance. Bernini had used the style of Renaissance, but still revealing to the viewer that he is from the Baroque era. Originally the source was biblical as stated by Scribner, “not Greco-Roman, a vital injection of Old Testament virtue into the cardinal’s pagan pantheon,” (Scribner 66). The first payment Bernini received for his David was 1623, and by 1624 the phenomenal artist was paid for his pedestal. Kenseth states in her article, “According to Baldinucci, it was finished in seven months” (Kenseth). According to Scribner’s book “Bernini’s David originates from the Renaissance forebears” (Scribner 66).But Bernini did not copy the work of Donatello’s David, or
Anticipated similarities exist between the Roman copy of Doryphorus and Donatello’s David, for the former replicates a product of Classical Greece while the latter is reminiscent of this artistic epoch (The Renaissance was a “re-birth” of this classical form). However, though formal qualities of Classical Greece may be present in David, they are uncharacteristically fashioned; therefore, major degrees of difference are established in terms of characterization. While Doryphorus is a typical example of reconciling idealism and naturalism, Polykleitos does not provide a depth of narrative subtext to this figure. On the other hand, Donatello overtly characterizes David through his effeminate if not androgynous form to deliver a powerful narrative (Duro). From the stance and posture of each sculpture to the use of nudity, Polykleitos’s Doryphorus and Donatello’s David present similarities accountable for in a historical context; however, the obvious structural differences must be
A little over 6 feet of marble, Donatello’s first version of David was one of his earliest known commisions that mark the beginning of his artistic career. He was commissioned by the Operai of the cathedral of Florence to create a David statue to decorate one of the buttresses. The statue ended up looking too small when placed high up, so it was taken down and later requested to be displayed in Palazzo Vecchio, the town hall. Many historians dismiss his first version of David, calling this piece unoriginal and nothing to praise.
...he production of religious works. He never ceased to produced works which pleased with each project more splendid than the previous one. Hibbard even says that Bernini was one of the "rare prodigies who continued to grow in artistic stature after he reached maturity." His ability to convey the story of the sculpture as well as the religious meaning helped him become the most talented artist of his time. From the time he was a teenager, he charged forward on a path of unrivaled skill and talent. Furthermore, his dedication to the Church and the rules set forth by the Council of Trent gave him the status of the most popular artist, especially within the church. Sadly, the fact that Bernini was not a rebellious as previous great artists such as Leonardo and Michelangelo have prevented him from becoming as famous as those artists today.
The sculptures La Pieta and The David are both different and revolutionary. They have beautiful techniques which demonstrate Michelangelo’s
Bernini’s “David” is 5 foot, 7 inches tall and was made in the year 1623. It is from the Baroque period, a time of discovery, exploration and increased trade. Bernini’s “David” is a three-dimensional sculpture that gives the viewer the ability to relate the image with one’s body and not only in one’s mind. Bernini wanted to show the intensity and dramatic tension in the hero David as he prepares to cast the stone from the sling. In contrast to the intensity of Bernini’s David, Michelangelo’s “David” looks much more contemplative, statuesque and less “life-like” than Bernini’s. This marble sculpture, unlike Michelang...
Michelangelo was commissioned to build the statue for the establishment of a new republic in Florence, Italy. Michelangelo’s David shows the ideals of the male nude. His statue was meant to be looked at, and admired. The physical proportions of David are highly idealized and sought after. He isn’t fazed by Goliath and is so calm even when he knows he is going to fight him. Unlike Michelangelo, Bernini’s David is more about showing the action of the figure. Specifically, he is shown in action with his dramatized physical arrangement and exaggerated facial expressions. His muscles are shown as working really hard and there is so much tension in the sculpture, the viewer is more focused on what is happening than what David really looks like. While Michelangelo’s David focuses on the statue’s physical form, Bernini’s David focuses on the action of the
The early Renaissance, which had begun in Quattrocento Italy, was sparked by the beginnings of the Humanist movement. Considered a return to classical ideals, harkening to an early time when art, philosophy and architecture focused more on men’s achievements rather than entirely concern with his salvation, which dominated the Middle Ages. Although piety was still a predominant part of everyday life, the nostalgia, which became inspiration during this period, initiated a rediscovery of the ideals from the classical Roman and Greek eras. Whose art and architecture could be seen throughout Italy and Sicily. Thus, higher education became the predominant theme among influential families. From this an immergence of forgotten manuscripts and treatise
A good deal is known about Donatello's life and career, but little is known about his character. Donatello was born in Florence, Italy in 1386 and died in 1466; he was never married and had no children. He was a master of sculpture in bronze and marble and is considered to be one of the greatest Italian Renaissance artists of his time. The first sculpture is of Donatello?s David, 1425-1430. Its material is bronze and stands 5? 2 ¼? and is currently located at Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence. The sculpture is a nude and is contrapposto. The scene being depicted is after the clash with Goliath. Donatello?s statue of David was the first large scale, free-standing nude statue of the Renaissance. The sculpture helps to strike a balance between classicism and the realism by presenting a very real image of a boy in the form of a classical nude figure. Although Donatello was inspir...
Donatello was the son of Niccolo di Betto Bardi, a Florentine wool carder. It is not known how he started his career but probably learned stone carving from one of the sculptors working for the cathedral of Florence about 1400. Sometime between 1404 and 1407 he became a member of the workshop of Lorenzo Ghiberti who was a sculptor in bronze. Donatello’s earliest work was a marble statue of David. The “David” was originally made for the cathedral but was moved in 1416 to the Palazzo Vecchio which is a city hall where it long stood as a civic patriotic symbol. From the sixteenth century on it was eclipsed by the gigantic “David” of Michelangelo which served the same purpose. Other of Donatello’s early works which were still partly gothic are the impressive seated marble figure of St. John the Evangelist for the cathedral and a wooden crucifix in the church of Sta. Croce.
These sculptures presented the body in a way no had ever seen before. Most of the sculptures were very detailed, had Greek and Roman classical influences, and were free standing with the often use of bronze to construct them. A few examples of sculptures are Michelangelo’s David, Moses, and Pieta. His David marble sculpture glorifies the human body and is standing in a contrapposto stance, with more weight on one leg. Contrapposto is very humanistic as it was used a lot by ancient Greek and Roman sculptures. The facial expressions as well were very individualistic and emotional. Michelangelo’s Pieta was the most “perfect” block of marble he had ever used. This sculpture is Mary holding the dead body of Christ before he was placed in the tomb. The proportions of the body are not entirely natural in relation to the other as Mary’s body appears much larger than Christ’s. Michelangelo’s Moses was another example of a sculpture in the Renaissance. This sculpture is very large and shows the power of the man which gave people even more ideas about the
Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi better known as, Donatello, was an artist during the Renaissance art movement. He
David is a life-size marble statue which is 1.7 meters high. Bernini’s David shows the moment when David was about to kill Goliath. David is virtually nude. He hold his stone on the sling with his left hand, and his right hand hold the
Michelangelo’s David does not react with the surroundings but it stands alone with the little movements disguised behind it. The sculpture brings out David as a soldier preparing for war and not a person engaged in a battle (Miller, Vandome, & McBrewster, 2010). The hands are larger than normal and the arms are longer than his body. This is meant to illustrate the renaissance period. In contrast, the Bernini’s David has aspects of motion, showing that he was already engaged in the battle with Goliath. The idea of movement is enhanced by the loosely flowing robes. In addition, the sculpture demonstrates that unlike Michelangelo’s David that has longer hands, Bernini’s David has contracted muscles. The Michelangelo’s sculpture was created during Renascence period while the Bernini’s sculpture was done during the Baroque period.
The David’s that we are going to compare are all within the Renaissance time period and by comparing them you can see the shifts in thought and viewpoint within that period. The three statues of David by Donatello, Verrocchio, and Michelangelo all are great depictions of this story while portraying values of the Italian Renaissance period. They have many things in common while also having their own
Michelangelo was so outstanding in his craft that he was called Divine. However, his father believed his son would not amount to anything more than a stone-cutter. This remark was constantly on Michelangelo’s mind and as a result he often signed his work “Michelangelo the stone cutter.” His most famous work is the painting of the Sistine Chapel in St. Peter’s Church in Rome. The Ceiling depicts nine scenes from the book of Genesis and took 4 years to paint under the most difficult of conditions. He was fascinated with the problems of representing the human body and dedicated himself completely to mastering it which lends itself to his most famous sculptor of the statue of David. (“High Renaissance”) Other works include The Last Judgment and