Description
David emerges from the darkness holding Goliath's severed head by the hair. Rather than proudly celebrating his victory, the young man looks upon the giant with a grave and compassionate expression. The sword cuts diagonally across the lower part of the composition, while Goliath's head hangs over the surrounding darkness. Caravaggio almost completely eliminates spatial references and concentrates the scene upon the psychological relationship between victor and defeated.
Goliath's head has traditionally been interpreted as a self-portrait of Caravaggio, encouraging an autobiographical reading of the painting. From this perspective, David becomes not merely the biblical victor but also a figure associated with mercy, while the painter symbolically presents himself as the condemned man. The painting first produces an uncomfortable sense of proximity.
