d no longer a thing to look at in his own space, but is now in the viewer’s space. He has actively involved the viewer in the sculpture itself, like we have seen before in Hellenistic sculpture. Michelangelo introduced a new tension in his huge figure of David by showing him shortly before the battle, but no sculptor had ever tried to show the actual moment of the shot the way Bernini did.Within two hundred years of each other, four completely different statues of David appeared in Italy and all are great works in their own way. Donatello's came first, then Verrocchio's, followed by Michelangelo's, and finally that of Bernini. The four sculptors had completely different objectives. Only Bernini was interested in showing the actual action of the slaying of Goliath. Of the four statues, I think Bernini's is the most dramatic and the most realistic. I think that is exactly what Bernini wanted to achieve. I also love Michelangelo’s David for other reasons. It is perfect in form, as is was meant to be, which makes the viewer believe that this is just a boy, even though he is seventeen feet tall. I believe both artists got their point across very well in embodying the artistic ideals at the time of their work. I also think they each did a wonderful job of telling a story that will live on forever, just as their names and sculptures will. ...
