David And Goliath Analysis

We all know the story of David and Goliath. The young David, armed with only a peasant 's sling, defeated the gigantic warrior, Goliath, and became the hero of the Hebrew people. It 's a story from the Bible, and one that became very popular during the Italian Renaissance, the period of artistic and social innovation from the 14th-16th centuries.
Many Italian artists created images of David and Goliath. But how different can these images really be? I mean, the story of David and Goliath is pretty basic, right? Well, to the Italians of the Renaissance, this story became much more than just history of the Hebrews; it became a symbol of a weaker power triumphing over a mighty power. We still use the idea of a David and Goliath the same way when an underdog sports team or politician defeats the expected victor. In this use of the David and Goliath story, two artists stand out above the rest, Donatello and Michelangelo.
Donatello 's David
Donato di Niccolo Bardi, more commonly known as Donatello, was an Italian sculptor of the early 15th century in the early stages of the Renaissance. His bronze sculpture of David features a slender, nude youth standing on the head of the defeated giant. Rather than holding the sling, David is holding a sword, having just beheaded Goliath after the battle. But that is not what makes this

For a long time, these had been abandoned, but Donatello reintroduced several Classical themes with his David. For one, the male nude had not been used for centuries, being deemed heretical by the Church. Additionally, sculpture was just re-emerging as a major art form, and this David was the first free-standing bronze statue in centuries. Also, see how David is resting all his weight on one leg, giving a slight angle to his hips? That 's called contrapposto, and this realistic stance was a hallmark of Classical