The Baroque Period

                The baroque period of the 17^th century changes the way in which many renaissance ideals were represented within art. In the south the turmoil caused by the protestant reformation caused the Catholic Church to change what type of art they wanted produced. This was done through creating more realistic art pieces that people could relate to. By creating more realistic paintings, of course, there became an increased focus on naturalism. This increased focus on naturalism also created a decrease in idealism being portrayed within artwork. Instead of art pieces being defined by visual harmony and idealism, they began to be defined through naturalism, humanism (classical influences), and an increased focus on viewer involvement. These focuses are clearly represented within Bernini’s “David” and are lacking in some aspects within older works of renaissance art such as Michelangelo’s “David.”

                Bernini’s “David” is a good representation of the baroque period and its effect on art during that time. One of the first things that I noticed about the sculpture is the position in which the David is composed. His left arm is coming across his body with his right arm located behind him. This orientation really helps create a sense of movement, which is characteristic of baroque art, as well as encouraging the viewer to look around the sculpture and see what his other hand is doing. When looking at Michealangelo’s “David,” the sculpture seems to be much more frontally oriented, not encouraging the viewer to interact and walk around the piece as much as Bernini’s sculpture does. The positioning is not the only thing that helps encourage viewer interaction, but the overall dramatic scene which is being portrayed also adds to the viewer’s experience. Unlike Michealangelo’s piece which is just standing there in the frontally oriented contrapposto stance, Bernini’s “David” is twisting his body and getting ready to hurl a rock at goliath. The contrapposto stance also shows how the renaissance was focused more around balance, while the twisting figure of Bernini’s “David” shows a greater interest in movement and viewer involvement.

 Bernini’s “David” also shows the effects that the counter-reformation had on art, with drapery covering David instead of him being in the nude like Michealangelo’s. Although the lack of nudity may seem to take away from the humanistic aspect of the piece by not celebrating the human body through full nudity, the fact that Bernini modeled David after himself shows that celebrating human achievement is still popular. The classical subject matter of depicting David also helps show the continuing influence of humanism within the baroque period. Even though Bernini’s “David” is not fully nude you can still see much of his body, a body which is not near as idealistic as Michealangelo’s depiction of David. Instead, Bernini shows a focus on naturalism which is seen within David’s facial expression and within his more naturally depicted body.

Although only 120 years separates these works of art there are some clear differences that can be seen in style. These two sculptures help show how the baroque period became much more oriented around viewer interaction and dramatic scenes, while the renaissance shows a bigger interest in idealism and balance. The two periods still share some of the same characteristics such as the mediums used (marble, bronze, oil on canvas), humanism, and a focus on naturalism. Overall the baroque period is defined by the combination of humanism, naturalism, strong diagonals, drama and emotion, movement, and tenebrism, most of which are seen within Bernini’s “David.”