From Renaissance to Baroque

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.