Bernini’s DAVID

In the 17^th century, the religious and political climate in Rome was being shaken. The Protestant Reformation, described by Michael W. Cothren and Marylin Stokstad in Art History, Vol. II as an “outgrowth of Renaissance Humanism” (713), caused a backlash in the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church adopted an “authoritarian position” (Cothren 713), determined to show their power, and began to use art as a propaganda piece to elicit an emotional response out spectators and lead them to a “reinvigorated Christian practice and belief” (Cothren 713). The period of art that this Counter Reformation by the Catholic Church induces is known as the Baroque, and there is no one who perfected the theatrical style of the Baroque in Italy better than Gianlorenzo Bernini. Bernini’s sculptures invoke heart-wrenching scenes with the ability to captivate viewers to the point where they themselves felt one within the piece – exactly the goal of the Counter Reformation. No piece of work does this better than Bernini’s David. Commissioned in 1623 for a nephew of Pope Paul V and standing at 5′ 7”, Bernini’s David is an excellent tool to examine the style propagated by the Catholic Church. Both Donatello and Michelangelo created famous sculptures of the biblical figure David, and Bernini’s stands in contrast to both of them. Bernini’s David in indicative of the features associated with Italian Baroque art, such as emotional tension and movement, the desire for an emotional response from the viewer, and incorporating the viewer into the space. When compared with Michelangelo and Donatello’s David statues, it perfectly represents the change out of the High Renaissance and into Baroque.

There is tension in Bernini’s David that is not present in earlier Renaissance portrayals of David. In both Michelangelo’s David and Donatello’s David, the attitudes are serene. The database OAlster in their explication “David” states that Donatello’s David “illustrates Renaissance grace” (1), and in “David (Bernini)” they state that “Michelangelo’s David . . . is serene and peaceful” (1). This is in stark contrast to the “action and tension” (David (Bernini) 1) in Bernini’s David. Bernini’s David, rather than looking off into the distance like Michelangelo’s or staring complacently forward like Donatello’s, is scowling out at the viewer, a look of pure concentration upon his face. His toes are clenched and his sling is drawn. He is ready to take down the monster Goliath, not posing in victory or contemplation. Rather than focusing on the ideal and grace as in the Renaissance, the Baroque focuses on action.

According to “Baroque Art and Architecture” by Encyclopedia Britannica, Baroque artists had the “desire to evoke emotional states by appealing to the senses, often in dramatic ways” (1). Bernini’s David does this and creates a sense of tension by showing David in motion as he undertakes his difficult task. The viewer sees David poised to strike and is transported into the moment itself. Evoking emotions is key to Italian Baroque art. As a by-product of the Counter Reformation, Italian Baroque art has the goal of telling you how to feel and how to be a better Christian. Michelangelo and Donatello sought to show the beauty in their David. Michelangelo’s David is a muscular adult and the very image of calming power, and Donatello’s David is a young, sensual boy who has just completed a task beyond someone like himself. Bernini’s David does not show beauty. It shows anger. The way that he is standing, his attitude, “the clenched toes, muscular tension, bitten lips and repeated diagonal lines [signify] action” (David (Bernini) 1). As is stated by OAlster, “this figure personifies action” (David (Bernini) 1). The action of David transforms the piece from a statue and into powerful experience, which was exactly the goal of the Catholic Church in the Counter Reformation.

The most alarming thing that Bernini’s David does is incorporate the viewer into the sculpture and into the action. Arm bent back and staring into the distance, David “intrudes forcefully” (Cothren 717) into the viewer’s space and causes the viewer to become “part of the action, rather than its displaced and dispassionate observer” (Cothren 718). The way that David is standing and looking into the distance creates the illusion that whomever he is aiming the slingshot at is right behind the viewer. All of a sudden, thought the sculpture is merely in front of them, the action is taking place 360º around the viewers. They are taken to the arena where David slays Goliath, and, rather than leaving with a feeling of quiet contemplation, they leave with a feeling of excitement and energy. The induced fervor brought about by sculptures such as this is typical of Italian Baroque art. Bernini’s sculpture St. Teresa of Ávila in Ecstasy operates in much the same way. The pure emotion felt and displayed in the sculpture tears at the viewer and creates a very immersive experience. No longer the bystander, the viewer is, as desired by the strict new order of the Catholic Church, whipped into a powerful emotional state.

While Michelangelo and Donatello sought to present the ideal and beauty in their sculptures of David, Bernini sought to create emotion. Rather than have his David admired for is serenity and calming disposition, he created a piece that caused people experience what David was feeling. His purpose was to immerse themselves into the miniature universe he was created. The tension shown in the sculpture serves to create an emotional response and transform the viewer into something more than a spectator. Bernini’s David accomplishes the goal of the Baroque artists and patrons and manages to create a little world around the work with as much feeling as can be found in the real one.

Works Cited

“Baroque art and architecture”. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2015. Web. 08 Apr. 2015

Cothren, Michael W., and Marilyn Stokestad. Art History. Fifth ed. Vol. II. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2008. 713-718. Print.

“David.” (n.d.): OAIster. Web. 8 Apr. 2015.

“David (Bernini).” (n.d.): OAIster. Web. 8 Apr. 2015.

 

Also, see Gianlorenzo Bernini, DAVID