Bernini's David. Possibly one of the most extraordinary art pieces made in the Baroque art style. And during this time, the church was high mighty in spiritual and political power. But y'all are probably asking, Hey yo, how does this art piece relate to the church at this time, aside from its telling of the Bible and David? Glad you asked, but first, let's take a look at the history surrounding this art piece. The era of Baroque art made its debut appearance during the close of the counter-reformation, but was dominant during the time after it. The counter-reformation was the church's reaction to the Protestant Reformation. During this Reformation, a group called the Protestants, which was created by a German monk named Martin Luther, split from the Catholic Church, questioning the authority of the Pope, and how the church's practices and teachings didn't match that of Jesus Christ. The Protestant Reformation pretty much shits all over the church. It leaves many within the Holy Roman Empire to question their faith and ultimately turn their back on it. And so the counter-reformation begins, and the church creates what is called the Council of Trent. In the Council of Trent, the church got together, breathed in that incense, felt the Holy Spirit, and examined the Christian doctrine together to reform. In doing this, they looked back at the corrupt actions the Pope and the church committed, and tried fixing this by affirming and reaffirming certain ideas and practices within the Christian doctrine. They did this as an attempt to bring back the followers they lost because of the Reformation, and hopefully bring back some of the Protestants themselves. The church obviously did survive the counter-reformation, but not without a cost. In an act of relief and religious propaganda, the Council of Trent gave artists the task of portraying their triumph over these dark times of the counter-reformation. And this is when Ah man, Gian Lorenzo Bernini comes in because he's the broke guy, you know, he does the broke. He broke AF, bro, bro. Anyway, the broke probably would have never existed without the church. It was a church that funded and commissioned a vast number of works made in the style of art. And it was Bernini who was the most popular figure within this art style. Gian Lorenzo Bernini was born in Naples in the year 1598. His father, Pieto Bernini, was a sculptor and he influenced his son into the trade of art. Gian was destined to become an artist and proved this through his early works. The young prodigy got most of the attention when his family moved into Rome. Here, he earned the praise of the painter Annabel Karachi and the patronage of Pope Paul V. By the time Bernini was of age, he had an intimate knowledge of high Renaissance paintings and Roman marble sculptures. And he put this knowledge into his own work. Bernini served eight different popes in his lifetime and many other leaders within the church. But it was Cardinal Skipion Borghis who patroned Bernini and commissioned him the David. Now, many of you have probably heard the story of David and the Goliath, which is the story that this marble sculpture is trying to portray. Well, if you haven't heard the story, I'll say it for you, but honestly, where have you been? Anyway, this sculpture is based on the biblical story of David and the Goliath. A story where the Israelites are being threatened by the Philistines who have this giant of a man who terrifies everyone, making them sure of their defeat. But David, a boy, being represented in this sculpture as a young man, challenges the Goliath. His people laugh and give him a lot of armor to protect himself against this giant. But when David goes out to face his hair, he takes off this armor, saying that he doesn't need it. And David takes a stone and a bow and defeats the Goliath with a single blow. A blow that was delivered by the power of God behind David. This story signifies the fact that whoever has God on their side and God alone will be victorious. Now for Bernini, this wasn't an easy subject to take on, because great artists before him, such as Michelangelo and Donatello, have created David's themselves. But compared to both those artists, Bernini takes the story and creates from it a theatrical and dynamic masterpiece. This David shows movement unlike the other two made before. The body twists, spiraling and showing movement we can see and ultimately feel. Bernini focuses on the realism of the body and presents it to us in a dynamic scene, a scene that goes beyond the sculpture itself. David looks past you with a focused and concentrated frown, biting his lips and staring into the eyes of the Goliath. A subject you can't see, but you know is there. You can see in his face, I mean look, it's like, you know, that's what he's like, but it's a focused, you know what I mean? Bernini creates a stunning and awesome scene that animates the biblical hero in the ways that haven't been done before. This masterpiece truly signifies the triumph of the Roman Catholic Church over the counter-reformation. This sculpture was one of many pieces of religious art created during this time. It captured the hearts and minds and imaginations of a lot of pilgrims that passed by and served in many ways to bring back the followers lost from the Protestant Reformation. Bernini's David still resides where Cardinal Scipio and Borges once lived, which is now known as the Galaria Borges. The Council of Trent wanted the artist to create an image which signified the triumph of the church over the counter-reformation era. And Bernini does an excellent job in doing so. Good job, Bernini, you demand. And it's come full circle to this. Thank you so much for bearing with me on this. I am done here. Good night. Thank you. I love Jesus and Jesus loves me, baby. All right. Peace out.