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A photo of David by Michelangelo (Italian Renaissace Org, 2012)

Looking At Sculpture:  The Beauty of Michelangelo's David sculpture

Michelangelo's statue of David, considered one of the greatest sculptures ever made, encapsulates the aesthetics of High Renaissance architecture, the politics of Renaissance Florence, and the technological virtuosity of Greek sculpture. The marble sculpture, which depicted David about to fight Goliath - an appropriate analogy for a Florentine city-state beset by powerful rivals - was placed outside the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence's civic government center, where it remained until 1873.

David by Michaelangelo is a 17 ft marble statue that conveys the biblical character, David. It was made during the Renaissance era between 1501-1504.  According to Matisse (2011), it was originally commissioned by Agostino di Duccio and Antonio Rossellino back in 1464 and 1475 respectively. However, both sculptors had to reject it because of the large amount of marble to be used and the design had too many imperfections regarding the sizing of the body. So, the Cathedral of Florence had to approach Michelangelo from him to finish the statue, David,  for the series of large statues for the cathedral’s tribunes. This statue illustrates a nude standing male looking on its left side. It seems that the statue is observing an important event that happened looking as if he is satisfied with the event that happened.

Michelangelo's statue had a well-worn motif. The Biblical tale of how the young David, equipped only with a sling and pebbles, defeated the Philistine giant Goliath in single combat was a common theme in Renaissance art. Andrea del Verrochio (1436-88) created his famous bronze of David (Bargello Museum) in 1443, and Donatello (1386-1466) created his famous bronze of David (Bargello Museum) in 1475. Both works, on the other hand, show David after the battle, holding the head of his slain opponent. Michelangelo, on the other hand, portrays him before the battle with Goliath.

Instead of being calm and optimistic after his triumph, Michelangelo's David appears nervous and ready for battle. His forehead is furrowed; his neck tendons, as well as the muscles in his nose and lips, are stiff; and his eyes are fixed on something off in the distance. He stands in a comfortable contrapposto stance, his sling casually thrown over his left shoulder, notwithstanding his mindfulness. This vigorous posture and relaxed expression are meant to capture the brief time between making the decision to fight and actually fighting.

Upon that substrate, Michelangelo's David appears to be a High Renaissance depiction of the standing heroic male nude, which was a common motif in High Classical Greek art (450-400 BCE). However, in fact, the configuration is more complicated and political. To begin with, Michelangelo emphasizes the emotional rather than physical aspect of David's triumph by omitting the standard bloody sword and gruesome severed head. This, like the statue's placement near the Florentine government's heart, is almost definitely a political comment. Michelangelo is attempting to demonstrate that David's integrity is the key to his victory. David, like the city of Florence, is a force to be reckoned with.

We know Michelangelo’s David to be a sculpture created during the Renaissance period. Interestingly, David’s pose and facial expression is highly reminiscent of early sculptures of the Classical period when sculptors had just started to develop a taste for anatomical accuracy (University of Oxford Classical Art Research Centre, 2013). Since such improvements in executing accurate anatomy could not happen overnight, therefore it was a common sight for Classical sculptures to have their subjects shifting their weight to one leg known as contrapposto or “counterpose” (Richman-Abdou, 2020). During Michelangelo’s time, artists continually strived for the ideal of perfect humanity, hence the great amount of detail and mathematical applications put into this sculpture, balanced out by organic elements (Gilbert, 2021). The statue has an ambiguity to it that contrasts with its massive size.

The figure's pose is rather straightforward. Because of the block's proportions, a shifting stance or aggressive movements would have thrown the balance off. Michelangelo may not have had enough volume to work with because of the state of the work at the time he received the monolith. It was clearly a feat of engineering to remove an entity as noble and lively as his David from this mass in the shape of an incredibly long rectangle. David is standing with his right leg completely extended and his other leg laid back. This traditional pose, known as contrapposto, aligns his hips and shoulders at right angles, giving his torso a subtle s-curve. The young hero - or, maybe, the young god - leans his left leg slightly forward and lets his right arm hang loose halfway down his thigh, while his left arm is bent to shoulder height. He awaits his adversary Goliath with a bold look yet a thoughtful face, firm footed, calmly measuring, like a real Florentine, the chances of war when preparing for battle. Realistically, the statue's dimensions are unusual for Michelangelo's work: the figure, for example, has an exaggerated head and hands.

However, these disproportionate dimensions may have been purposefully chosen in order for it to be visible from its intended location on the roof of Florence Cathedral. The vast scale of the statue, which awed the audience, including Michelangelo's contemporaries, was the most impressive feature. Since late Roman times, it was the first monumental free-standing statue carved.

We know David to be one of the most well-known Biblical characters and as a symbol for courage. His story can be found in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible, in the first book of Samuel. 1 Samuel 17:37 (NIV) reads, “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”; in this line, David was speaking in relation to Goliath (the giant). One of the representations of David is the biblical character of David in David and Goliath. According to Academia.org (2019), David signifies how strong the youth can be when in battle. This also shows the exact moment when Goliath called out David that he could defeat him. According to Matisse (2011), some artists interpreted the exaggeration of hands because of the meaning of David which is “strong of hand”. There is no exact meaning into why Michelangelo made the hands huge. David represents liberty that is ready to battle out those who are against the freedom of the country. Michelangelo's great work may thus stand for the strength and glory of humanism, but it is a strictly Christian humanism within the Catholic sense. Indeed, Christian humanism blossomed during the Renaissance. The Renaissance thinkers were unafraid to extol the promise of Adam's race inspired by grace, rooted in the optimism that man was made in God's picture.

Sources:

Accademia.org. (2019). Michelangelo’s David: Admire World’s Greatest Sculpture at Accademia Gallery. [online] Available at: https://www.accademia.org/explore-museum/artworks/michelangelos-david/ [Accessed 3 May 2021].

Britannica. (2017). David | Description, History, & Facts | Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] Available at:  https://www.britannica.com/topic/David-sculpture [Accessed 12 May 2021]

Gilbert, C. (2021). Michelangelo | Biography, Sculptures, David, Pieta, Paintings, Facts, & Accomplishments | Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Michelangelo#ref361947 [Accessed 12 May 2021].

Henri Matisse. (2011). 10 Facts That You Don’t Know About Michelangelo’s “David.” [online] Available at: https://www.michelangelo.org/david.jsp [Accessed 3 May 2021].Italianrenaissance.org. (2012). Michelangelo’s David – ItalianRenaissance.org. [online] Available at: http://www.italianrenaissance.org/michelangelos-david/ [Accessed 10  May 2021].

Richman-Abdou, K. (2020). Why Michelangelo’s “David” Is an Icon of the Italian Renaissance. [online] My Modern Met. Available at: https://mymodernmet.com/michelangelo-david-facts/ [Accessed 12 May 2021].

University of Oxford Classical Art Research Centre. (2013). The Classical period - Styles and periods - Sculpture - The Classical Art Research Centre and The Beazley Archive. [online] Available at: Ox.ac.uk. https://www.beazley.ox.ac.uk/sculpture/styles/classical.htm [Accessed 12 May 2021]