Free Essays on David

â€Å"Ignorance is bliss,† my grandfather advised as we sat reflecting on the front porch. Like wine I felt my grandfather had aged to perfection. He too became more cherished with age. Our topic of discussion was one we did not talk of often. Death. Death and how unexpectedly and swiftly it can change lives. Specifically, however, we were discussing David, my mentor, my neighbor, and my friend. At the ripe young age of nine one does not have many worries, of course if Barbie is missing a shoe the world will end, but other than that one would say life is pretty easy. I, as a child, could play all day and destroy my toy bin. I would revamp my bedroom by turning it into a fort and miraculously end up in my bed the next morning with the room clean and toys straightened only to do it all again that day. Such luxuries as these left little to no room for stress and worrying. However, anytime the folks caused a little disruption in my calm homeostasis I would trot my way right over to my neighbors. David seemed to know everything. From Barbie’s Malibu Playhouse to elementary math, nothing was too large of a dilemma for David. At the conclusion of every school day the remainder of my day would be spent explaining to David every explicit detail to what knowledge I had acquired. When summer came, my visitations were surprisingly fewer being that pools needed to be swam i n and barbeques needed to be had. Never the less at least twice a week David would get the scoop. David, at age thirty-five, was a handsome man. With no former children from any previous marriage one would expect him to be lonely. However not until now could I read the sure tell-tale signs of his loneliness; David always making time for me was more time he didn’t have to spend by himself. In retrospect I see now that I was always the one talking in all of our conversations. Never did I take the time to listen. Granted I was young and ignorant, listening wou... Free Essays on David Free Essays on David David, who was destined to be the second king of Israel, destroyed the Philistine giant Goliath with stone and a sling. Donatello, Verrocchio, Michelangelo, and Bernini each designed a sculpture of David. However, the sculptures are drastically different from one another. Each one is unique in its own certain way. Donatello, whose David was the first life-size nude statue since Classical times, struck a balance between Classicism and the realism by presenting a very real image of an Italian peasant boy in the form of a Classical nude figure. Although Donatello was inspired by Classical figures, he did not choose a Greek youth in his prime as a model for his David. Instead, he chooses a barely developed adolescent boy whose arms appeared weak due to the lack of muscles. After defeating Goliath, whose head lies at David's feet, he rests his sword by his side, almost to heavy to handle. It seems almost impossible that a young boy like David could have accomplished such a task. David himself seems skeptical of his deed as he glances down towards his body. Apparently, David's intellect, faith and courage made up for his lack of build (Fichner-Rathus 331-332). Verrocchio, who also designed a sculpture of David, was the most important and imaginative sculptor of the mid-fifteenth century. This figure of the youthful David is one of the most beloved and famous works of its time. In Verrocchio's David, we see a strong contrast to Donatello's treatment of the same subject. Although both artists choose to portray David as an adolescent, Verrocchio's brave man "appears somewhat older and excludes pride and self-confidence rather than a dreamy gaze of disbelief" (Fichner-Rathus 334). Donatello balanced realistic elements with an idealized Classically inspired torso whereas Verrocchio's goal was absolutely realism in minute details. The sculptures also differ in terms of technique. Donatello's David is mainly a closed-form sculpture. The objects an... Free Essays on David â€Å"Ignorance is bliss,† my grandfather advised as we sat reflecting on the front porch. Like wine I felt my grandfather had aged to perfection. He too became more cherished with age. Our topic of discussion was one we did not talk of often. Death. Death and how unexpectedly and swiftly it can change lives. Specifically, however, we were discussing David, my mentor, my neighbor, and my friend. At the ripe young age of nine one does not have many worries, of course if Barbie is missing a shoe the world will end, but other than that one would say life is pretty easy. I, as a child, could play all day and destroy my toy bin. I would revamp my bedroom by turning it into a fort and miraculously end up in my bed the next morning with the room clean and toys straightened only to do it all again that day. Such luxuries as these left little to no room for stress and worrying. However, anytime the folks caused a little disruption in my calm homeostasis I would trot my way right over to my neighbors. David seemed to know everything. From Barbie’s Malibu Playhouse to elementary math, nothing was too large of a dilemma for David. At the conclusion of every school day the remainder of my day would be spent explaining to David every explicit detail to what knowledge I had acquired. When summer came, my visitations were surprisingly fewer being that pools needed to be swam i n and barbeques needed to be had. Never the less at least twice a week David would get the scoop. David, at age thirty-five, was a handsome man. With no former children from any previous marriage one would expect him to be lonely. However not until now could I read the sure tell-tale signs of his loneliness; David always making time for me was more time he didn’t have to spend by himself. In retrospect I see now that I was always the one talking in all of our conversations. Never did I take the time to listen. Granted I was young and ignorant, listening wou...