“David and Goliath” by Michaelangelo
Just like the famous story from the Bible, this painting from the Sistine Chapel depicts the battle of David and Goliath. Earlier on this list, we already mentioned how Michaelangelo formed his figures into various shapes of body parts. This time, though, David’s stance is in the shape of the Hebrew word “gimel”. This means strength, and it can also represent “reward and punishment”.
That works perfectly for this Bible story. At the time, Michelangelo had become interested in Judaism, and even painted the proportions of the ceiling that match those of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The word gimel was hidden there, meant to find and spread the peace and love between Judaism and Christianity.
