Description
David Victorious over Goliath , probably painted around 1602 , depicts the moment immediately following the defeat of the Philistine giant. David bends over Goliath's body, grasping the severed head by the hair while preparing to secure it with a rope. Caravaggio avoids depicting the battle itself and concentrates instead on its aftermath. Goliath's foreshortened body extends into the pictorial space, while David emerges from the darkness under an intense light that models his face, arms and torso.
The proximity of the severed head and the dramatic foreshortening draw the viewer directly into the scene. Caravaggio's naturalism and powerful contrast between light and darkness give the biblical episode an immediate physical presence. The biblical story gives David an improbable victory over a physically stronger enemy, but Caravaggio chooses what happens after the fighting.
