Thursday, June 21, 2012

David


Michelangelo's David (1501)
Bernini's David (1623)
Donatello's David (~1430-40)



The first essay on the AP English Literature exam is on poetry.  Many times, students are asked to compare and contrast two poems that are written about a similar topic (ex: childhood; the night/darkness).  In order to help students develop the analytical skills of comparing and contrasting two poems, we will start by analyzing several sculptures of the biblical figure of David from the "David and Goliath" story.   We will discuss the different interpretations that Donatello, Michelangelo, and Bernini present us with. 

Questions to consider:

How can the same story be "seen" or represented in different ways?
What part of the story did each artist decide to tell in his sculpture?
What are the facial expressions in each piece?
How is emotion conveyed?
What role does body language play in each piece?








1 comment:

  1. Yesterday, I stumbled across this poem by Emily Dickinson:

    I took my Power in my Hand--
    And went against the World--
    'Twas not such much as David--had--
    But I--was twice as bold--

    I aimed my Pebble--but Myself
    Was all the one that fell--
    Was it Goliath--was too large--
    Or was myself--too small?

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