Comparison Of Donatello, Verrocchio, And Michelangelo

The statue of David has inspired many renowned artists throughout art history maintaining the continuity of the story of David and Goliath. Four of such artists are Donatello, Verrocchio, and Michelangelo during the Renaissance period; and Bernini in the Baroque period. Each transformation of David is rendered in a distinctly different sculpture of the same subject reflecting each of the artist’s own style and time period in comparison. The inspiration of the subject matter is David; the courageous young Shepard who slew the giant Goliath with only a stone against insurmountable odds. Symbolically, the biblical story of David and Goliath can be representative of Judeo-Christian beliefs conquering those of pagan antiquity and/or would …show more content…
Soltes points out the different sense of dynamism from Donatello’s David in the diagonal angle of the sword, which is held by his right hand which appears pulsating as if the rush of adrenaline still coursed through his body; whereas Donatello’s David holds Goliath’s sword, but it points into the ground and his stance is one of triumph and calm as he rests his foot on top of the bodiless head. Verrocchio’s rendition has “a challenging pride in what he 's accomplished with that hand on his hip and the way his hips are shocked out” (Soltes, L19, 21:02) depicting David as more heroic than what Soltes describes as Donatello’s attitude of juvenile delinquency “oblivious to the consequences of having killed” (Soltes, L19, …show more content…
This figure with one arm up and one arm down with the sling and his left hand with that rock in his right hand is like a baseball pitcher kind of just relaxing; eyeing the batter before he flings his baseball and looking over his shoulder; whereas of course the Doryphoros looks ahead because he 's moving forward, that is what Polycleitus wanted to capture (L21,