“David” belongs to the triptych “Altar of the Present,” in which Roman Ďurček updates biblical and cultural archetypes (David, Moses, Crucifix). He does not celebrate the traditional hero. On the contrary, he creates a critical reinterpretation set in today’s context. He examines the figure of David through time, chemical processes, and material erosion.

On a canvas measuring 110 × 80 cm, the author combines copper powder, uric acid, oxidation, oil, acrylic, and dry pastel. Together, they create a layer that transforms the figure into a symbol of the decay of values. Chemical processes deliberately disrupt the image. They decompose it in the same way that today’s society decomposes the meanings of its once solid symbols.

David does not stand here as the victor over Goliath. He becomes a man trapped in cultural ambivalence. The Altar of the Present is transformed into a visual field of tension—between past and present, stability and change, heroism and anonymity.