Bernini's David
The Baroque was a dramatic period in Europe: the religious unity the continent had enjoyed for centuries had come to a crashing halt with the Protestant Reformation. King was turned against King, prince against pontiff. Persecution and war were dominant themes, especially following the excommunication of Henry VIII from the Church. Bernini's David, sculpted between 1623 and 1624, represents the swirling, dramatic, grim activity of the times (Avery). It is indeed a strong manifestation of the Baroque principles and themes: David is reared back, depicted in mid-action, like a lock ready to be sprung on his foe. He is full of conviction, bent on striking, Unlike Michelangelo's Renaissance Era David, which aimed mainly for a frontal view to show off the human form and which conveyed a sense of the confidence, leisure, pride and grandeur of the Renaissance Age, Bernini's David is a figure of determination -- a sculpture designed to give a 360-degree effect of engaging with its surroundings, just as many works of Baroque art meant to push the boundaries and convey the world in its entirety, with great care for detail, action, and dramatic effect. This paper will interpret Bernini's David to show how it is a perfect representation of the Baroque for both its religious connotations and its action-oriented depiction of a hero engaged in one a tremendously lopsided conflict.
The chiseled face of Bernini's David is stern, grim, and full of life and fury. He is a character who is bent on slaying the opposition -- Goliath from the Old Testament narrative -- the foes of Catholicism in the Baroque Era narrative. His teeth are set: his eyes narrowed in extreme focus. His brow lowered...
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