David: Symbol of Hope for the Florentines - Essay Sample

Introduction

David is a biblical character, described in the book of I Samuel 17:28-51 as a young shepherded who killed the philistines' giant Goliath using a sling and a stone. The people of Florence identified with David's story since they viewed themselves as a hopeless nation, vulnerable to their enemies. Florentines depended on God to give them victory over superior states like Rome, leading to the creation of David's sculptures as a means of regaining their lost hope and as a sign that they will defend Florence.

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There exist two of David's sculptures carved by two different renowned sculptors: Donatello and Michelangelo. The two statues made use of the contrapposto concept, implying that the statues were designed to stand freely while carefully distributing most of their weight on one foot. Thus, the shoulders and arms can twist freely from the legs' and hips' axial plane.

A notable variation in the physical nature of the two sculptures is that Donatello's David is relatively small and boyish hence thought to be feminine. According to Wilkins, this was done to depict the real physique of the Biblical David, Who overcame the mighty Goliath by just a sling and a stone. On the other hand, Michelangelo's David is older and one of the gigantic human statues ever curved in history, standing at 4.34 meters tall and weighing approximately 25 tons. This was intentionally done to warn the enemies of Florence that with God, the people of Florence were courageous, bold, and ready to fight back.

The two sculptures are very significant since, during their time of creation, Florence was undergoing threatening political times caused by their more powerful neighboring states. Therefore, the statues spoke and shaded some ray of hope to the frustrated Florentines, David's situation was hopeless too, but his strong belief in God made him a victor.

Nonetheless, the two statues posed different metaphorical issues. Donatello's David was a symbol of superiority and victory, While Michelangelo's statue embodied the Florentines' anxiety during that time and gave hope for the near future (Coonin 255). The two sculptures were in nude states to provide them with human identities, and also offered a way for the artist to show the beauty of the human body. Today, Donatello's David is located in the Bargello Museum in Florence, while Michelangelo's David is located in Florence's gallery art museum.

Conclusion

In conclusion, both Donatello's David and Michelangelo's David embodied the resilience Florentines were expected to possess if they were to withstand the trying times of defending their state. Moreover, the statues played a critical role in reaffirming the peoples' faith in God.

Works Cited

Coonin, A. Victor. "Bellotto's Blunder and Michelangelo's David." source: notes in the history of art 35.3 (2016): 250-257, https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/686711?journalCode=sou,accessed 24 March 2020.

Wilkins, David G. "Donatello, and his Patrons." Patronage and Italian Renaissance Sculpture. Routledge, 2017. 135-166. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781315090030/chapters/10.4324%2F9781315090030-15, accessed 24 March 2020.