Michelangelo's vs. Bernini's “David”

For this week's assignment, I chose to compare/contrast Michelangelo and Bernini's sculptures of David. Both works were subtracted from marble, and both depict David just before defeating Goliath. Both are free-standing, three-dimensional figures. However, each of these sculptures were approached quite differently, and the end result is definitely something to be analyzed.

Michelangelo's larger-than-life version of David shows the figure responding to an oncoming Goliath. He is prepared for the fight and confident of a victory. The figure shows off Michelangelo's strong comprehension of contrapposto, in which the body's axes are adjusted to indicate weight shift and the potential for actual movement. The rigidity of his limbs, the sleekness of his muscles, let the viewer know that an exhibition of David's strength is soon to come. This is the work that gave Michelangelo his fame. While “David” is seemingly motionless, the figure is foreshadowing of those that Michelangelo will go on to paint for years to come. However, the artist will do much more in the way of portraying his figures in action later on.

Bernini approached this same moment in time in a very different way, opposing notions presented by predecessors Michelangelo, Donatello, and Verroccio. He chose to show David in split-second action, slinging a stone towards the impending Goliath. The figure shows off the artist's use of implied continuum, meaning that when you look at the sculpture, you can imagine the past, present, and future events surrounding the figure you're presented with. David, in this version, is actually moving through time and space. The sculpture commands space surrounding its placement, as well. Viewing the figure leaves one anticipating an unseen Goliath, and the space around the work helps it “breathe,” adding more life to the action at hand.