Summary Of Donatello's David Statues

David is a character so iconic and beloved by the christian people that despite not knowing what he actually looked like, artists throughout history have erected many statues in his honor. In this essay I will present a comparison of three statues of David. In chronological order we will look at the David statues of Donatello, Andrea Del Verrocchio and Michelangelo finding similarities and differences in the various aspects of these statues.

Donatello's "David" was his landmark work, the first work of its kind in over a thousand years, and helped to cement his reputation as an artist of extraordinary skill. His work presents us with a childlike David standing victoriously after his famous battle. He wields a sword in his right hand,
with his left leg lying on top of Goliath's decapitated head. All these elements were highly ornate and with "the amount of detailing in the hair he needed to deviate from the standards of bronze casting techniques." (lifeinitaly.com, Art: Early Renaissance: II) Donatello developed a unique technique for casting bronze sculptures to combat a few of the innate problems with of the medium: "first sculpting the figure in clay, then draping clay soaked cloth around the sculpture, allowing the clay to dry, and then making a mold from the results." (lifeinitaly.com, Art: Early Renaissance: II) This allowed him to create David's draping hair, as well as the smooth and realistic look of the sculpture. He was well known for his research into the expression of human emotions. And looking at how well the components within his work come together it's "clear that there are no accidental compositional elements to David." (Artble, David) and that "Donatello's masterpiece is obviously a work that sprang from a crystal-clear vision and months of meticulous construction and fastidious planning." (Artble, David)

Compared to Verrocchio's David there are many similarities that can be seen. Both Davids are young boys posing in victory, both holding their swords in one hand with their opponents decapitated head on the ground before them. Although they are similar, Donatello's David was created first of the three mentioned in this essay and as I stated earlier, this was the first work of its kind since antiquity. It took the people of Florence a while to get used to David for a couple reasons. First of which is that David was usually portrayed as a king, not a child, in reverence to how his story played out in the Old Testament. Secondly, nudity in his periods' art wasn't as prevalent as we are led to believe. In fact in the "Middle Ages, nudity was not used in art except in certain moral contexts, such as the depiction of Adam and Eve, or the sending of souls off to hell." (ItalianRenaissanceorg, Donatello's David) While, "In the classical world, nudity was often used in a different, majestic context, such as with figures who were gods, heroes, or athletes." (ItalianRenaissanceorg, Donatello's David) So it seems that Donatello was trying to depict David as a hero, using nudity which was a common way to portray heroes in the classical world. With that being said, Donatello's David is posed with a bit of a homosexual flare in comparison to verrocchio's. He felt that having David represent them would help the Medici family, whom commissioned it, be seen less as tyrants and more democratic. Donatello's reasoning behind this look was that tyrants condemned homosexuality while democracies allowed its expression. By creating David, a biblical symbol for overcoming oppression and making him look homosexual would be good for the family's public relations.

Verrocchio's modestly dressed David is a delicate and traditional depiction of its namesake.
At just over 4 feet tall his work presents us with a developing young man standing victoriously with a sword in his right hand and Goliath's decapitated head lying between his feet. While not as well known as the other two Davids mentioned in this essay Verricchio's proud, athletic figure with an extreme attention to detail is deserving of equal praise. Verricchio created this statue with a preferable style of metal casting called Cire perdue. Cire perdue involves creating a mold around a wax sculpture followed by wrapping it in a cast then melting the wax away and replacing it with metal. Casting in this manner allowed Verrocchio to make the hard edges and smooth flowing body along with the seamless curls in the
hair.

In comparing Donatello's David and Verricchio's David, there are many similarities that can be seen. Commissioned by the same Medici family as Donatello s, Verricchio's David pulls from the hits and misses of the previous version to create something that would be instantly appreciated in its time. Both depict the same moment of victory after the defeat of Goliath, while Verricchio's clothed David expresses more of an accomplished pride than the playful grin of Donatello's. While no one knows what he truly looked like verricchio's depiction is more believable than the others as his work follows closer to the Bible's description of David

Michelangelo's David is one of the most recognizable works of art today and considered one of the greatest sculptures of all time. This David presents us with a very muscular nude adult. He is depicted holding a stone in his left hand and a slingshot in the other while the details in his arms and hands go so far as to show their veins. Davids head and hands are disproportionately large for the rest of his body, as some experts theorize that Michelangelo thought they were more important for viewers walking outside the Florence cathedral. While both Donatello's and Verrocchio's Davids were made of cast bronze and show him after his fight with Goliath, Michelangelo's was carved from a single block of white marble and depicts David before his famous fight. Compared to both Donatello's and Verrocchio's David I see very few similarities.
Even though they all depict the same subject of David in heroic contrapposto poses, Michelangelo diverges from his predecessors works. While their Davids are depicted as being young and effeminate boys holding swords, his own depiction shows us a figure of a grown David holding only a stone and his slingshot. While Verrocchio and Donatello gave there Davids a victorious stance and proud enigmatic expressions, Michelangelo created a somber and more thoughtful David; one that is concentrating on the extreme situation ahead of him. Lastly I will talk about the size of Michelangelo's David. Rendered as a giant nearly 17 feet tall, this statue was originally meant to be placed high upon the Florence cathedral. The size of this David changes how we used to view David as being a underdog and a child, and causes us to see him as a protector concentrating on an unseen threat. I stated in my thesis that each of the Davids we are analyzing are unique in some way but Michelangelo David is the black sheep in comparison with the other's creations. Where Verrocchio and Donatello made a bronze cast depiction of a life size young and effeminate David, Michelangelo created a powerful giant and thoughtful protector. By adding such detail and realism in his depiction of David Michelangelo created one of the most well known and powerful statues known to today
culture.

The biblical character of David and his triumph as an underdog against an overwhelming opponent is why he is a symbol of strength in the face of oppression. Fictional or not his story has inspired some of the greatest artists in mankind's history to represent his likeness through various mediums. Donatello contributed his David as a sign of democracy and a freedom of sexuality, Verrocchio's signifies strength and courage, and lastly Michelangelo's David conveys a sense of vigilance and protection. The fact that David's story has been touched upon by so many artists just shows how well known and beloved he is to the people of the Christian faith, not just for what he did but for what he stood for.