David, Commons |
Bernini’s David
1623-1624
170 cm
Galleria Borghese, Rome
Gian
Lorenzo Bernini was in the forefront of the Baroque movement, rejecting the
strictly frontal statues of the Renaissance, which dictated that, the spectator
view it from one side, and one side only. Commissioned by Cardinal Scipione
Borghese, the statue resides in the Borghese Gallery to this day among the
works of other great Baroque artists.
Bernini’s David
is an entirely new representation of the mythical figure that defeated Goliath
using only a slingshot. The
sculpture relates to an unseen entity in the form of Goliath, the object of
David's aggression, as well as to the spectator, caught in the middle of the
conflict. The skill of Bernini
is exhibited in the pose itself. The
contortion of the figure itself is something to be marveled at, something that
is meant to be experienced from all vantage points. Unlike earlier
representations by Renaissance artists such as Michelangelo and Verrocchio, David is not self-contained and interacts
with the space around it. This causes the viewer to go around the figure
entirely, slowly examining the details and coiled muscles, carved with skill
and finesse that is entirely Bernini.