twell 3). Donatello rapidly matured as an artist and was able to present humanity, in its crudest form of existence, to the world. Beauty and form seemed to have little interest to Donatello, but rather the character and emotion of the subject (Janson 413). Straying from his earlier classical works, Donatellos breakthrough David exemplifies his ability to cast bronze into a beautiful, yet clearly non-traditional form. At a glance, the sculpture has a fairly simple description. The youth figure, David, is proportioned as a boy of fifteen might be. His arms are slightly long for his body, and the muscles not as developed as those of a man. His waist is small, and the form of his ribs is sculpted enough to know that he is lacking muscle definition. His stomach seems to pop out a little bit, perhaps suggesting the "baby fat" that he has yet to work off. He has one hand resting limply on his hip, while his other rests on a sword handle. His hair is shoulder length and slightly untamed, while a hat rests slightly tilted atop his head. His head is tilted slightly downward, and a slight upward bend in his lip looks almost like a building smile. One leg is straight, supporting his weight, while the other is propped on the head of the slain Goliath. The bends of his limbs are very natural, and the attention to detail exemplifies Donatellos understanding of human anatomy. A closer look at the sculpture, however, reveals the details that set it apart from other works of the master.Donatello, considered a master of the nude, cared little to produce them in his sculptures. David, an exception to his previous work, would be completely naked if not for his boots and hat. A hint of romantic charm lies in the figures hat. A broad brim garlanded with bay leaves, the hat throws Davids face into a deep shadow and seems to suggest the simple life of a shepherd. The whole pose of David is inert, tame and non-threatening, despite the severed h...
