Donatello, David, c. 1425-50Museo del Bargello, Florence, Italy
Back to sculpture, David was a popular subject in the Renaissance due to the use of the character as a political tool in Florence - the whole thing about Florence being a small city-state triumphing over their larger enemies. Donatello's David differs from other previous representations of David in that he's a nude.
David is an adolescent male casually standing over the head of Goliath. The representation of various things have led some art historians (notably Schneider) to interpret this sculpture as a sign of Donatello's (unsubstantiated) homosexuality. Other historians have called that reading a complete crock (most notably Dixon) and say the bible says David took off his armour as a sign of his faith before heading off to battle. Regardless of whether he's meant to be gay or a literal interpretation, David was the first life-sized nude bronze since Roman times and the use of nudity changed the iconography of the subject matter - something that came handy for Michelangelo about 40 years later.
David is an adolescent male casually standing over the head of Goliath. The representation of various things have led some art historians (notably Schneider) to interpret this sculpture as a sign of Donatello's (unsubstantiated) homosexuality. Other historians have called that reading a complete crock (most notably Dixon) and say the bible says David took off his armour as a sign of his faith before heading off to battle. Regardless of whether he's meant to be gay or a literal interpretation, David was the first life-sized nude bronze since Roman times and the use of nudity changed the iconography of the subject matter - something that came handy for Michelangelo about 40 years later.
1 comment:
Wow, LQP if ever I saw one!
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