The David of Old Testament, who thanks to his cleverness and faith in victory, defeated the colossus Goliath and his army, was a popular topic of both Renaissance and Baroque art. The figure of a nude youth was sculpted by such great artists as Donatello and Michelangelo (Michelangelo Buonarroti). In both these cases we are faced with representations depicting impeccable bodily beauty. The figures are static, facing the viewer. Gian Lorenzo Bernini creates something new – emphasizes movement, dynamics, but draws out something more: the spaciousness of the sculpture. We can look at it from different sides, and from different sides it provides us with various emotions. Bernini’s David is shown at the moment when he is aiming, twisting his body, in order to use his sling to launch the stone. His visage is concentrated, lips tightly shut, eyebrows closed together. We feel that he is about to execute the fatal throw.

Bernini showed a slightly-built youth, who refuses the armor offered to him by Saul (we see it at his feet) and armed only with a shepherd’s sling and a bag of stones, which until now were used to protect his cattle, standing face to face with the undefeated, mighty Goliath. What drives him to such a desperate act? According to the sculptor unquestionable faith in divine providence, in God who will fail neither him, nor the Israelites. Hence his strength – borne of faith and humility. It fills him at the moment, when he focuses on the throw, which must be true, since it will be guided by the hand of God himself. The same God, for whom the shepherd plays lute, which is lying at his feet. The lute, which David enjoyed playing very much, is a very important lead here. The one who plays for God and honors his name in psalms, must be pure of thought and great of heart. That is why the sculpture is a praising hymn on the subject of faith which – arose in a god-fearing heart – can defeat anything, even unimaginable things.

Gian Lorenzo Bernini, David, 1624, Galleria Borghese