Essay Sample - David by Michelangelo

The sculpture was designed by a Renaissance man known as Michelangelo Buonarroti. He designed the portrait between 1501 and 1504 and later restored it between 2003 and 2004. The artist is believed to have started working on the portrait at the age of 26 years. The portrait is located in a museum known as the Academia Gallery in Florence, Italy. The sculptor is estimated to be 5.15 meters which is 18 feet, a shy short at 17 feet, and 11.12 inches. The portrait is believed to be made using a single block of marble extracted from the mines of Carrara in Tuscany. The portrait is estimated to weigh 5,650 kg equivalent to 12,470.10 lbs because of the solid marble element CITATION Arn14 \l 1033 (Coonin, 2014). Also, it is believed that the sling on the left shoulder and tree trunk located behind his right leg was covered with gold leaf. The statue symbolizes the story of David and Goliath, as narrated in 1st Samuel. The Israelites and Saul were at war with the Philistines near the Valley of Elah. The war is believed to have taken more than 40 days in the valley. During this time, Goliath, who was leading the frontline war of the Philistines, requested the Israelites to send their best man to challenge him. David, at that time, was a shepherd and decided to volunteer on the battlefield. At this time, David had carried a sling and five stones to face Goliath, who had armor and shield. David believed in God that he would challenge Goliath and win the war. David decided to hurl a stone using his sling and hits Goliath at the center of his forehead and falls and cuts his head.

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David by Bernini

The statue was made by a re-known Italian artist known as Bernini within seven months. He uses the statue to symbolize the story of David and Goliath, as narrated in the book of 1st Samuel. The artist created three different marble dimensions of David in explaining his feelings to the audience. The statue is designed in a unique way where Davis is seen standing alert with his brow creased with concentration. Also, his mouth is frown in a grimacing posture as he tries to reach for his stones. The deep lines on the statue symbolize the level of alertness of David while preparing to fight Goliath (Mangone, 2020). The statue was between 1623 and 1624 after Bernini was commissioned to design the portrait by Cardinal Scipione Borghese. The portrait was used as a symbol of decoration at the patron's villa. The statue is made of marble sculpture and is located in Galleria Borghese, Rome.

Contrast

The two artists used a marble sculpture in designing the statue of David. The two statues symbolize the story of David and Goliath, as narrated in the book of 1st Samuel. The story is based on a young shepherd known as David, who volunteered to fight against the Philistines. During this time, he was going to face Goliath, who was leading the Philistine army on the battlefield. David used a slingshot to kill Goliath and cut off his head.

Reference

Coonin, A. V. (2014). From Marble to Flesh: The Biography of Michelangelo's David. B'Gruppo.

Mangone, C. (2020). Bernini's Michelangelo. Yale University Press.