David

I am trying to practice drawing human heads more. I think it is important, at times, to use classical drawings for inspiration and to improve skill level. I am working on a series of human sketch drawings done from classical works. 

This is from the famous statue David, by Michelangelo. At this moment he is frowning, maybe worrying about killing Goliath. The amount of shadow in this small segment of the face communicates deep feelings despite the fact that it is just a sketch of a very small part of a large work, which I have never seen. 

The troubled eye reminds me of Kierkegaard's famous philosophical book Fear and Trembling, which discusses Abraham's internal struggle about killing Issac. The book's focus on Abraham's thoughts and feelings is seen by some scholars as an ancestor to Sartre's existentialism, and a celebration of the value of each individual human. I think existentialist philosophy is important for children (albeit in an age appropriate format) because children are just beginning to understand what their relationship to the world is, and where their value to the world lies. Questioning the world around us should not be scary, but life affirming. Too often, smiling supermodels on tabloids in supermarkets make us all fearful of the imperfect lives we live.