The three statues of David by Donatello, Michelangelo and Bernini, historically represent the beginning, height and end of the Italian Renaissance, as well as three very different views on man’s interaction with God. Whenever artists interpret a subject that has received artistic interpretation previously. It's simultaneously a homage to the artists who have done the artistic interpretation, as well as an updated cultural account on how things have changed since the last time the subject matter was utilized; comparing the radically different presentations of David by these three artists illuminates otherwise un-documented shifts in thought and attitude each artist incorporates into their depiction of David and, consequently, the heroic battle against Goliath. Donatello worked on the David between 1430 and 1432; it currently resides at the Bargello Palace and Museum in Florence, Italy. Although it's a simple story, each of the works discussed …show more content…
The standard interpretation would be that David is symbolically depicting the Italian city state of Florence—Michelangelo’s birthplace—who defeated her Goliath enemies; while I don’t doubt this historical interpretation. The body is not perfectly proportioned, especially the right hand which is slightly anatomically larger than the rest of the body symbolizing that—for Michelangelo—Goliath falls by the hand of David, not the Sword of Truth, or the Holy Spirit, as in Donatello’s statue. The moment that Michelangelo has chosen to depict differs with Donatello’s moment of triumph and victory; Michelangelo wants to present David in all his youthful strength, confident that there will be victory, although that victory has not yet been obtained. The veins running through the hand of David emphasizes his humanity, his flesh and blood. Just as Donatello's nude David shows us David's