Humanities Homework: Baroque Blog Post

Bernini’s interpretation of the David sculpture is almost like an “in-between” when compared to Michelangelo and Donatello’s David’s.   Though this may not be entirely true, you could think of Michelangelo’s sculpture being before David killed the giant, Bernini’s being during, and Donatello’s being after the giant had been killed.  As I mentioned before in my last blog post, the David’s were considered a posed, plain, passionate, and structured piece of art.  They were very defined in the human form, something common during the Renaissance Era. 

Bernini’s sculpture on the other hand, was almost the complete opposite.  Just like we had defined about the Baroque Era, this sculpture is very “candid.”  David is completely un-posed, in-action, and has the in-the-moment look and feel to him.  His action, in my opinion, brings upon a sense of emotional and physical inspiration.  You don’t look at Bernini’s David the same way you look at Michelangelo’s and Donatello’s.  With their David’s, it is easy to want to sit and study and contemplate its meaning and beauty- which is what the Renaissance did.  A lot of the belief in God was through the mind; creation, beauty, and thought.

The Baroque Era brought a new view in how to get to God.  They brought upon more direct ideas through emotion, body, and faith.  I think Bernini’s sculpture of David shows all of this in the way he formed it.  This illustrates the Baroque error in all of this; his un-posed and in-action portrays the candid shot, which illustrates the type of naturalism the people in the Baroque Period painted and sculpted.  There are also many diagonal lines that are easy to spot with they way his body is sculpted.