Fear & Faith: Michelangelo’s David
When I first laid eyes on Michelangelo’s David, I was struck with a profound sense of awe. The sheer size of the sculpture, the meticulous depiction of the human form, and the artistic accuracy were simply breathtaking. It was a sight that demanded my full attention. This led me to a commitment to capture the intricate details of Michelangelo’s work through photography.
I have seen a plethora of photographs of David. However, what struck me most was the presence of fear in his face when you see him in person. Therefore, I wanted to photograph David without flash or other lighting. Using the natural lighting in the Academia, I set the goal of photographing the moment just before David’s battle with Goliath.
David’s face perfectly represents fear, apprehension, and nerves. He is determined, and it shows in his eyes, furrowed brows, and tension in the sculpture.
Then there is the feeling of worry. What happens if…that expression is present in David’s face. I am left wondering how Michelangelo was able to capture these different emotions in a stone carving. As I took these photographs, I felt David’s emotions about the fearsome battle he was about to undertake.
David’s body, too, is a testament to the tension that fills the air. His hands are poised with perfect precision, one holding the sling and the other the stone that would seal Goliath's fate. The bone structure, blood veins, knuckle wrinkles, and grip all convey a sense of readiness, as if David is on the brink of action. They are a striking example of the wonder and perfection of the human form, and they evoke a palpable sense of anticipation.
The details of David holding the sling are examples of perfect art. On one side, you can see the hand impressions of the sling around his fingers, and on the other, you can see where his thumb and fingers are, showing a perfect grip to throw the stone.
The stone in David’s hand is held with a perfect grip. The details of the fingers, fingernails, knuckles, and skin wrinkles take you to the moment David faces Goliath. This attention to detail not only makes the sculpture more lifelike but also helps to convey the tension and anticipation David feels before the battle. You forget you are looking at a stone carving, thinking you are there with David.
I also recently discussed my views of David with a friend. He took a religious view based on his reading of the Bible. He believes David was not afraid. His belief is that David had full faith and trust in God, which prevented his fear.
My friend read 1 Samuel 17, concluding that this Bible excerpt does not contain any mention of fear and characterizes David’s demeanor as bold and confident. He concludes that perhaps Michelangelo created a look that could indicate fear, but Scripture reveals a different emotion.
I have no issue with the Scripture description of bold and confident. However, boldness and confidence can be motivated by fear and apprehension-they go together. It is a mistake, in my view, to forget human emotions and how they motivate us. Michelangelo took human emotion into account when carving David. In this instance, Michelangelo shows a wide range of human emotions. David, in my photographic view, shows that in the moments before the confrontation, David experiences fear and apprehension and maybe questions his faith because of his situation, eventually drawing on it as a basis for his decision to engage in the battle with Goliath.
I understand the spiritual message from the Bible, but as Michelangelo wisely depicted, the spiritual must be mixed with the actual.
David and Goliath is a famous biblical tale. Michelangelo, a person of faith and duty to God, certainly brings the biblical story to life in his sculpture of David. My photographic journey was designed to capture the faith and emotion Michelangelo created in creating his sculpture.
The human art form is a wonderful thing. To capture the human body in stone is nothing short of a miracle. Coupled with emotion in such a sculpture is an artistic miracle. And that is…