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Italian Masterpieces: Michelangelos David

Mar 09, 2006 at 08:30 pm by nickcharles

A picture of Michelangelos David might be adequate to convey the impressiveness of this sculpture, but to see it in person is to understand instantly why this is one of the most famous works of art in the world. Walking through the hall of the Gallerie dellAccademia in Florence to the rotunda built especially for the sculpture, I couldnt help but look up with awe along with the throngs of tourists and students standing around the statue. Michelangelo has portrayed David here as a young boy, poised before battle with the giant goliath. He carries his sling over his shoulder and a stone in his right hand, and his muscles are tense in the apprehension of the moment. Michelangelo here has created a masterpiece in the highest sense of the word, bringing the Renaissance principle of the ideal male form to perhaps its highest level.
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The copy of the David in front of Palazzo dei Priori
The David sculpture was originally intended to be placed on one of the buttresses of the Cathedral of Florence, and so can be understood partially in this respect the strong musculature, thick lines of the hair, and prominent features were all meant to be seen from a distance. The block of marble that Michelangelo was given to use had already been started on by another artist, Agnostino di Duccio, who was originally commissioned to create the sculpture. However, the original project stopped in the 1460s with the death of Donatello, who had created the design Agostino was using for the statue. When Michelangelo finished the sculpture in 1504 it was so magnificent that the Florentines were reluctant to place it so high up, so it was instead placed in front of the Palazzo dei Priori as an official herald of the Republic. It was a fit symbol for the city because Florence, a republic at the time, was surrounded on all sides by cities led by powerful rulers. The Florentines wanted to uphold their power in the eyes of the neighboring kingdoms, and the metaphor of the young David overcoming the larger Goliath would have appealed to them. The sculpture eventually suffered from exposure, and in 1873 it was moved to the Gallerie dellAccademia where it remains today, and a copy of the work was erected in the piazza in place of the original one in 1882. The David was recognized as a masterpiece in its own time, as Vasari writes in the 16th century: For in it may be seen most beautiful contours of legs, with attachments of limbs and slender outlines of flanks that are divine; nor has there ever been seen a pose so easy, or any grace to equal that in this work, or feet, hands and head so well in accord, one member with another, in harmony, design, and excellence of artistry. And, of a truth, whoever has seen this work need not trouble to see any other work executed in sculpture, either in our own or in other times, by no matter what craftsman.
All supporting images are copyright, and cannot be
copied, printed, or reproduced in any manner without written permission from the artist.
Graphic3970.jpgA special thanks to Staff Columnist, Jenna Hoffstein [bluevenus], as she reports from her studies in Italy! We invite you to view: bluevenus' Art Gallery bluevenus' Renderosity Store
March 6, 2006
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