Bernini's David Michelangelo Analysis

David, a young Israelite teenager, is a character from a Biblical story who defeats and kills Goliath, a giant Philistine warrior, with a stone. The story shows how a young man overcomes oppositions and is a popular subject among various artists. David was famously depicted by Michelangelo and Bernini, who both used marble to create their statues. Both Michelangelo’s David and Bernini’s David statues are positioned in contrapposto, the asymmetrical positioning of the human form where all the weight of the form is positioned on one foot resulting in a curving of the torso and no alignment in the shoulders. Each figure also shows emotion and tension in their faces and body. Although they both chose David as the subject matter, the way they portray David differs stylistically, when they were made and the purpose of the works.

The first difference between Michelangelo’s David and Bernini’s David is the stylistic characteristics. Michelangelo created David from 1501-1504 during the High Renaissance period.

Because he created David during the Renaissance period, he used a lot of characteristics exercised during the time. For instance, the proportions of the figure are highly idealized and followed typical Greek proportions, which resulted in David appearing like a God. At 17 feet, even the size of the statue is large and non-human like. David’s posture is also relaxed and he is shown in a calm setting with an unperturbed gaze. He is also displayed in the nude, another stylistic characteristic of the Renaissance period. Unlike Michelangelo, Bernini created David during 1623-1624 during the Baroque period. He created David with more naturalistic physical proportions. Even his height is more realistic; the statue is 5 feet and 7 inches tall. As well as having more realistic human proportions, Bernini’s David also has a piece of cloth covering his genitals. Bernini also uses the serpentine line, twisting the figure like a snake, to display David in action and with a high level of emotion. His face is displayed with a theatrical facial expression which contributed to a high level of sentiment. Showing emotion and dramatizing a sculpture, to the point it looked like it was going to come alive any second, was also a characteristic style of the Baroque. While Michelangelo’s David is shown as more god-like and he uses characteristics from the Renaissance period to depict him, Bernini’s David is shown as more human-like and he uses characteristics from the Baroque period.
The second difference between Michelangelo’s David and Bernini’s David is the scene that the figure is re-enacted from and captured during. Michelangelo’s David takes place the moment before he defeated Goliath. His right hand is not proportional and is slightly enlarged, emphasizing and drawing attention to the rock in his hand. This indicates he still hasn’t thrown the rock and that this moment takes place before he threw it. His eyes also contain a firm and assertive gaze indicating he just made the decision to throw the rock. The moment displayed is a time where the energy is still gaining momentum and is still sustained in the figure. On the other hand, Bernini’s David takes place the moment he is going to throw the rock at Goliath. His body is positioned at an angle, as if it were capturing a second in time, where he is in the process of throwing the rock at Goliath. He also bites his lip which indicates he is really pushing his strength to the extremes to throw the rock. The moment displayed during this time captures a burst of energy happening. Whereas Michelangelo’s David captures the time before David is going to defeat Goliath, Bernini’s David captures the time where David is in the process of defeating Goliath.
The third difference between Michelangelo’s David and Bernini’s David is the purpose of the pieces.

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

statue.
Michelangelo and Bernini were artists from two different time periods who created art differently because of the influences during that time. While Michelangelo was an artist that was influenced by the Renaissance period, Bernini was an artist influenced by the Baroque period. Through their sculptures of David, one can see how they were influenced by the art period they produced art in, in the way they depicted and portrayed the Biblical hero. Although Michelangelo’s David and Bernini’s David differ in stylistic characteristics, the time in which the scene is presented, and the reason they were made, both pieces depict the Biblical hero David with strength and self-assurance.