caravaggio was one of the first artistic bohemians.ebellious, uncompromisi, and dissolute, he died at 37. late in his short life, he portrayed himself as the decapitated goliath. it's the work of a deeply religious man depictin his own damnation. while caravaggio saw himself in the headless goliath, the young gian lorenzo bernini gave his features to the heroic david. bernini took the immediacy he found in caravaggio's paintings and recreated it in marble with phenomenal and unprecedented virtuosity. the sculptors of the renaissance had often treated the david theme. donatello's david is serenely elegant. michelangelo's is contained... perfect... full of potential. t bernini's david moves... turns aggressively to confront the observer. true to the spirit of the baroque, this david is meant to be experienced. the viewpoint in this case, of course, is that of goliath. it's said that the cardinal maffeo barberini held a mirror to bernini's face so theoung pdigy could use his own expression intense concentration for the david. when the car