David by Michelangelo

 

         Although Michelangelo is well known for his paintings, he was also an accomplished sculptor. He finished his marble sculpture, David, in 1504 and it was displayed in a public square in the city of Florence. It was originally meant to be placed on the roof of the Florence Cathedral but at several tons it was too heavy.

         David is a good example of the concept of humanism that became popular during the Renaissance. Humanism believes in the worth of the individual person, rationalism,physical beauty, and Greek and Roman influences.David is a prime example of rationalism. In the Bible, David does not use brute strength to defeat the much larger Goliath but rather thinks and comes up with a plan to use a well placed stone. If we look at his expression we see that he looks thoughtful and slightly scared rather than aggressive. Also, David is physically beautiful. In humanism it was believed that physical beauty indicated moral goodness and was a blessing from God and this is evident on the statue. David is muscular and has a classically handsome face. When we look at him it is immediately evident that he is a hero.

Humanism was derived from the theories of Greek and Roman philosophers and this esteem of Greek and Roman ideals extends to art as well. Many Greek statues featured a standing male nude. In the Middle Ages, statues were not depicted nude so Michelangelo took inspiration from ancient times. Despite previous Davids being displayed with Goliath’s head, Michelangelo chose to keep David alone in following with Greek tradition. His pose also mirrors ancient statues. Also, by depicting David alone Michelangelo places importance on the worth of the person. Despite being a story from the Bible there are no religious symbols in the sculpture to suggest that David was helped by divine intervention. Instead, the emphasis is placed on the solitary, strong David who was able to defeat Goliath by his own will.

Personally, I think David is a very beautiful work. I love how David looks like he is ready to spring into action at any moment. His tense muscles and the way his body is twisted achieve this impression. If you take a closer look at the statue, you can see the veins bulging on his hands that show you how tense he is. It is easy to forget that this is made out of stone because he looks like he could easily become a real person. Another close up detail that I enjoy is the expression on his face. It is a very subtle expression, suggesting he is scared. All these details add up to a lifelike, beautiful sculpture.

McClinton, Brian. “Michelangelo’s David.” Humanism Ireland, vol. 117, July-Aug. 2009, pp. 12-13. http://www.humanistni.org/filestore/file/david%20michelangelo.pdf

“Michelangelo’s David.” Accademia.org.http://www.accademia.org/explore-museum/artworks/michelangelos-david/

Wallace, William E. "How Michelangelo Made David into a Giant." Art New, 14 Apr. 2014, 
www.artnews.com/2014/04/14/how-michelangelo-made-david-into-a-giant/. Accessed 13 Sept. 2016.