I chose to analyze Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s sculpture David for my Baroque era blog. It was created in Rome, Italy over a seven month period from 1623-1624. The reason I decided to explore this work is because it is an active piece which depicts movement. Many sculptures display stationary people and objects. However, Bernini’s addition of motion in this work adds visual interest and complexity, allowing the eye of the viewer to roam and investigate several different angles of the sculpture. No one angle is more important than another; Bernini makes sure to provide as much detail on the sides and back of David as he does on the front. The way in which the subject’s body is twisted and ready to sling the rock tells the story of David and Goliath more vividly than if the body was still because the viewer can actually see David in action, rather than having to imagine it. The strained yet determined look displayed on his face also provides a visual representation of what he was feeling and evokes an emotional response from the viewer. Another stand out feature of this sculpture is the amount of detail incorporated. Bernini sculpted every crease and muscle of the body and every fold of material with grace and fluidity, as if the subject was made of real flesh and bone rather than marble and stone.
The sculpture David exemplifies many aspects of the Council of Trent. The council, which was a major counter-reform council of the Catholic Church, uplifted the ideals of Catholicism and condemned the “heresies” of Protestantism. The council believed that art should embody realism and emotion, promote virtues and religious ideals, and be clearly and easily understood. David portrays all of these qualities. The sculpture is lifelike, emotional, straightforward, and tells a religious story. The subject is also covered up, unlike Michelangelo’s or Donatello’s sculptures of David from the Renaissance, because the rise of Catholicism during the Baroque era led to more conservative art. Another way in which Bernini’s David relates to the Council of Trent is that the expression on the subject’s face is tense, depicting the political and religious strain that the council caused during the Baroque era.
Works Cited
Nikki's Art Appreciation Blog 
Pingback: A Matter of Taste | Showyourarts blog – Everything related to showyourarts and arts
My preferred David as well, This is the youth you want alongside you on the battlefield. It is also the statue you want facing down the road to Rome as if to say “Come and ‘av a go if you think you’re ‘ard enough” which was the supposed aim (pun intended) of Michaelangelo’s David. The Bernini celebrates courage against the odds,