when u start to wonder who David really is (after Donatello’s David), 61x76cm / 24×30” acrylic on wood panel, 2026

Donatello, David, 1430-1440, bronze (below)

In the biblical story of David & Goliath, a shepherd boy slays a giant in order to liberate his people from tyranny. The effeminate beauty & adolescence of David further emphasize his miraculous win as due to the help of a god. It is a story that has permeated popular culture, with undertones of ‘right over might’.

Donatello’s ‘David’ epitomized ideals of early renaissance art. The statue was installed in the courtyard of the residence of Cosimo de Medici, the de facto ruler of Florence during the 1400’s. What David symbolized for the Medici family expanded far beyond the scope of biblical stories, ironically symbolizing heroic triumph for the underdog within a household of absolute rulers.

why reference this tho? The way the Medici’s appropriated the image of David to serve their own political agenda highlights the malleability of interpretation. This instability felt like an invitation to fantastically re-interpret this story. What if David was actually Davida (since there is a distinct lack of biblical tales of heroic women)? What if Davida wasn’t beautiful in the conventional sense, or didn’t epitomize the ideals of ancient greek or renaissance beauty – would they still be celebrated as heroically? And most importantly, what if, from the perspective of the cat, this hero who throws rocks at people then cuts their heads off, all while buck naked, wasn’t seen as heroic at all, but rather as violent & horrific, and not someone to be celebrated?