Into the Baroque period we go with another David. This marble sculpture of the biblical warrior and the hero of the Israelites was done Gian Lornozo Bernini in Rome in the early 1600’s. Cardinal Scipione Borghese commissioned Bernini whom was in his twenties at the time. This was a time of change for the people of Rome, the Protestant Reformation was ended and the Counter Reformation was in full swing. Ideas and policies were changing on a daily bases. The Catholic Church was trying to push the views of the church back onto the people, after a number of years of more protestant movements the Pope was forced to organize the Council of Trent. In relation to the arts the council decided that artwork of the time should have religious undertones and show an action or movement that would invoke an emotional response based on that religious depiction. Bernini being a good friend of Pope Urban VIII was the perfect man to help the church advance their new idea to the people. As for the idea that Dan Brown poses as Bernini being a key member of the Illuminati during the Counter Reformation is wrong, the Illuminati were founded in 1776 by a Barbarian and it was known as an Enlightenment era secret society used to control government.
This statue of David is not like the other three that had come before it. It was fluid; it was exciting; it was full of emotion. Bernini’s David fit the mold of what the Catholic Church was searching for when they laid their doctrine for artwork down during the Council of Trent. Showing a biblical character in an emotional and action packed situation. There are some obvious differences to the prior statues and this one. All three during the Italian and Northern Renaissance are defiantly a view from a humanist perspective. The idea of nudity especially of the male figure was of some important to humanists. Bernini’s David is clothed and is actually engaged in the act of trying to defeat Goliath, rather then a per or post battle stance. This was again a way to elicit an emotional response toward the sculpture. There is also another big difference between the sculptures being the masculinity of David. In the story of David and Goliath, David is considered too weak for battle; this is why he stays behind when his brothers go to war. In the Renaissance sculptures David is viewed, as being more feminine as the Bible portrays him, seen here are two, Donatello’s is in the blog below. Bernini on the other hand chose to make David as masculine as possible, this was a direct example that humanism was over.
Michelangelo's David
Verrocchio's David
Bernini’s David in my opinion was the best of all four depictions of the Biblical hero of the Israelites. Even though the physical portrayal of David is Biblically incorrect it still gets and emotional response form me. It shows me the physical anguish and determination of a person to rise up above the impossible and conquer the world. Bernini is now because of this class and this research my favorite sculpture of any period. His work is truly amazing beyond any point of imagination. He truly was a master of his skill and I am glad that his incredible work is still here for us all to enjoy today.
“Baroque.” Wikipedia. 2 Mar. 2010. Web. 8 Mar. 2010
Bernini, Gianlorenzo. David. Web. www.artchive.com/artchive/B/bernini/bernini_david.jpg.html. 9 Mar. 2010
“Gian Lornozo Bernini.” Wikipedia. 9 Mar. 2010. Web. 9 Mar. 2010
Hooker, Richard. The Counter-Reformation. Richard Hooker, 1996. Web. 9 Mar. 2010
“Illuminati.” Wikipedia. 7 Mar. 2010. Web. 8 Mar. 2010
Michelangelo. David. Web.
www.artchive.com/artchive/M/michelangelo/david.jpg.html. 9 Mar. 2010
Verrocchio. David. Web.
www.aiwaz.net/uploads/gallery/david-4637-mid.jpg. 9 Mar. 2010
