biblical story of Goliath and David
Everyone is likely familiar with the biblical story of Goliath and David; a youthful David armed with nothing but a sling was able to defeat the giant Goliath. It is this story from the bible, which later turns out to be popular throughout the Italian Renaissance, especially within Florence. In fact, this was the period that witnessed a massive artistic and social modernization. Fiero (197) notes how early Renaissance sculptures were never a mere piece of art “Rather, it was an original effort to reinterpret Greco-Roman themes and principles.” This was the period Donato Bardi better known as Donatello, gave us one of the arts, which came to be a benchmark for technical proficiency (Fiero, 197). In the preceding paragraphs, I will discuss Donatello‘s bronze David which no doubt represents an immense history of art. Standing in a contrapposto is a beautiful bronze of David; it is the five-foot-tall free-standing sculpture of nude David with a hat and boot while holding a sword. Donatello chose to depict his sculpture as a youthful boy wearing nothing other than boots and hat; the garlanded hat with laurels painted a picture of a theme of victory. To make the sculpture even more coquettish and effeminate Donatello decorated with plenty of long hair strands, elusive features, and seamless thin figure. This unique piece was composed in the midst of the1430’s and 1450’s. At the moment the sculpture was created, the city of Florence reckoned itself as an insignificant, mercantile city with no King. Florence is the city that had long been known to defend its boundaries alongside dominant adversaries.
In an exemplary way, Donatello art does tell the magnificent story of how David was able to downfall Goliath despite being just a shepherded; this is showcased by his preteen physique (Fiero, 197). In a birthday suit safe for boots and shin protectors, David’s hermaphrodite body is smooth with no macules. Tactically, he holds his entire body weight in a single foot in a representational contrapposto instead of a usual idealized heroic pose. A close look at the sculpture from behind you would not be able to realize the sex of it; the other notable feature where he holds a rock from his sling in one hand and, on the other hand, is the enormous sword of Goliath. Indeed, Donato di Bardi reformed art not only in Florence but the entire world during the epitome of early Renaissance- A notable artist; Michelangelo’s later did the same sculpture with only minor changes. Donatello’s groundbreaking pieces abetted to transform the acuity of the intermediate from a benighted craft to a manifestation of distinct intellect. The sculpture of David exemplifies a unification of conventional and humanist theories in line with Christian and Jewish iconography. Considering this piece of art today, you would get the idea that there might be a bond above violence amongst the victorious and conquered.