The Story Of Two Davids

A Story of Two Davids

There have been many great sculptures throughout the ages, but one of the most well known of all is Michelangelo’s David. Although this is probably the most well known depiction of King David, there was also a sculpture of David made by Donatello. There are many differences between these two great works of art. One shows a boy, small and insignificant, who will one day grow up to be a king. The other is a picturesque man, perfect in every way, and one who deserves respect. They have two different ways to tell the same story of a little shepherd boy overcoming his fears, and stood up to the great giant Goliath. One day becoming king and a leader of men.

Michelangelo Buonarroti was one of the greatest sculptors of the 15th and 16th century. He studied under one of Donatello’s students, Giovanni Bertoldo. Although Michelangelo was a true renaissance man, he always considered himself a sculptor. He once said, “In every block of marble I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me, shaped and perfect in attitude and action. I have only to hew away the rough walls that imprison the lovely apparition to reveal it to the eyes as mine see it.”(Michelangelo’s) His love for sculpting out of marble led to one of the greatest masterpieces of all time. Originally, Michelangelo had planned on his David being forty feet in the air on a buttress on Florence Cathedral. For this reason, He made it over thirteen feet tall. Once it was complete the city officials declared it as a masterpiece and did not want to put it so high up so it was less noticed. They decided that the best place to display it was in front of the Pelazzo Vecchio in the Piazza dells Signoria. Here it could be seen while the city officials had their meetings, and would come to symbolize all of Florence.

Donatello was another great sculptor during the 15th century. He believed that you should show things ass they actually are. This is evident in his sculpture of David and his victory over Goliath. He did not seem to exaggerate the features of these two men at all. It accurately depicts David as much smaller and inferior to Goliath. Although it is one of his lesser known pieces, his bronze David is a work of art that tells a great story. It displays David as a young man before he became the great king he was destined to be. It was sculpted out of bronze, and was the first freestanding nude since Roman times. It is approximately five foot two inches tall. The time period during which it was created has been disputed for many years. The date which it was created has been said to be anywhere from 1425 to 1460.

Michelangelo created the statue of David out of a single block of marble over thirteen feet tall. It shows David as a large muscular man, he looks almost god-like. The only thing that he has on his person is his sling, which he has slung over his shoulder. There also seems to be a tree trunk behind his leg to give him some added support He is standing in contrapposto position, which means that all of its weight is on one leg. In this position there is a straight line that goes from the foot all the way to the top of his head. This position makes it easier to pose the rest of the body however you want. The lack of clothing not only makes it impossible to put this statue in a given time period, but also it is reminiscent of the ancient nude statues of Roman art. When it was placed in the Piazza the city officials thought of it as a symbol of freedom of speech, also it symbolized the Republic of Florence and their freedom.

Donatello’s bronze David was a tribute to the great nudes of the past. In one piece he told the whole story of David and Goliath. It depicts David as a young boy holding Goliath’s sword in one hand, and his sling in the other hand. Donatello also chose to use the contrapposto posture, as once again this gave the most stability to the sculpture. He is not completely nude, as he is wearing a hat and also boots or possibly sandals. He has long flowing hair coming out of his hat, and seems to be in a feminine pose. There is a laurel on his hat, which was a sign of a conquering hero. At his feet, lies the head of Goliath still wearing his helmet. He is muscular in this piece, but it does not have the same definition as Michelangelo’s.

Michelangelo seemed to want his sculpture to talk for itself He seemed to depict David as nobility. It appears to me that he is not getting ready for battle, but has already conquered Goliath. He looks as if he has been exalted already, and is posing in such a manner. This seems to be a sculpture of a king not a small insignificant shepherd boy with high expectations. He holds his sling in a way that says, “Look at me, I am important”. This is one of the most well known sculptures of all time, and is one of the simplest in context. There is nothing extravagant in the sculpture, just a man and his sling. So, if there is no great story depicted, and it is not an extravagant sculpture, then the only reason that so many people come to see this statue is the precision with which it was cut.

Donatello had a different take with his sculpture of David. He tells the whole story from start to finish. David is depicted as a boy, because in the Biblical story of David and Goliath, David was just a young shepherd boy. He seems to be feminine in stature, which tells me that unless there was some kind of miracle there is no way that he could defeat Goliath. This miracle would be God intervening in this fight. Another reason that he could be nude is that the armor was too heavy for him to properly aim with his sling, so he took it off. This would explain why he still had his hat and sandals on, because they would not really affect his aim. The hat is the next thing that draws my attention. It seems to be just a common straw hat that a peasant would wear, which would make sense in the story. There is however a laurel around it that would signify that he conquered something. This also