This sculpture of David, created by Donatello in Florence, Italy was only one of many that are to follow in this period. The story of David and Goliath is a story of triumph in the eyes of those who felt that victory was impossible. This idea of impossibility resulted in no one willing to stand up and fight Goliath. David’s faith leads him onto the battlefield to fight Goliath even though much larger and better fighter cowered behind him in the army camp. David beat Goliath because he knew that he could because of his faith. This sculpture also embodies the same idea of stepping out into the unknown and taking a risk.
Not only is the sculpture posed nude but also there is an unusual amount of detail placed on the gentile. The posing of the statue with the touching of the inner thigh of David may indicate some sort of homosexual tension. Even though homosexuality was illegal in this time, in Florence, oddly enough it was practiced regularly and a great number of people were charged with sodomy. Even Da Vinci was arrested for such an act. This idea that the statue was either showing David or Donatello as being gay made the creation of the statue a risky undertaking. The Medici embraced the sculpture for Medici himself was the one who commissioned it. He placed it in his courtyard and Savonarola, an Italian priest at the time, openly objected him for it and his humanist ideas.
I enjoyed this sculpture especially because like the story of David and Goliath it is a leap into the unknown. They Medici and Donatello did not know how the world was going react to such a piece of art. Without a second thought to the matter they both took a blind leap of faith and went forward with the sculpture. Today David is one of four sculptures that exist in history today, which spanned into the Baroque period.
“David (Donatello).” Wikipedia. 25 Feb. 2010. Web. 05 Mar. 2010
