As the Middle Ages as a time period ceased, a new beginning, formally known as the Renaissance emerged. An important time within our history that would create the structure for the human peoples, that would strengthen and question the minds of religious practice, and completely alter how art is looked at and completed. Florence, Italy is arguably the location of where most of the change in all aspects of life happened. Prior to the beginning of the burst of new thoughts, a painter by the name of Giotto had been painted with this in mind. He began looking at the human body and working to make it as accurate as possible in the terms of realism. As an artist, Giotto first took the leap into a new way of thought and exploration. Underneath the Medici, Michelangelo did the same yet with marble in his statue of the David. His David was not created solely on religious beliefs or the necessity of financial stability, however, it was amongst the argument of molding the ancients with religion and the interpretation of David’s story that lead to a significant symbolic success for Florence and a change for sculptors beyond the Renaissance.
The city of Florence, years prior to Michelangelo’s David, was a democracy, but only the high and wealthy were given the right to participate in the ballets when it became that time. [1] The Medici was the most powerful family to ever hold the power of Renaissance Florentine. [2] During the sixteenth-century, art within Florence began to blossom and become more abundant in the arts elsewhere, coincidentally under the rule of the Medici. [3] The more prosperous the city had gotten as a whole, the more decorated the people from Florence felt like they had to be. It’s increasing wealth faster than its neighboring cities only strengthened their patriotism more, and began to turn into a show of prosperity via materialism and art and the David was nothing short of that for the Medici and Florence. During the 15th century, the Medici held an academy specifically for art which was named the “Accademia del Disegno”. [4] This institution was only one of which Michelangelo learned from and had “overshadowed much of the city’s cultural and artistic life” through his teachings. [5]
Born within the stir of the conflict of the corruption of the Church, Michelangelo emerges on the 6th of March, 1475. At the age of only six, his mother passes away after giving birth to his third brother. Financial difficulties had landed Michelangelo into an Artisan’s workshop at a young age, rather than a classic education as traditional as that was for this family. [6] He grew up with an artisan and his wife and was exposed to a hammer and a chisel at his early years further enhancing his ability to work with rock. With an ambition to rise from the bottom and touch the sky the aristocracy seemed to be able to do so easily, Michelangelo decided to take an apprenticeship and take it seriously as a new means to settle his financial troubles. [7] Beyond sculpting, Michelangelo became well known as a painter, poet, and an architect.
Prior to the creation of the David, Florence was going through a shift in power to dwindle the grip the Medici’s had on Florence any longer. The city as a whole had regained consciousness of its history as a Republic and were fed up with the Medici control. Rather having a top leader, the city decided on having a group of represented individuals, about five hundred people, and discuss city policies with one another. They were given the name the “Great Council.” [8] Within the midst of all the commotion involving the Medici, there were problems within the church as well. As the Renaissance moved forward, throughout its years the want and desire of many artists and likeminded individuals were to study the ancients. However, there was a line to be drawn, according to the church, which the ancients and the biblical stories are to be separate and are not to be combined together as if they both mean the same thing. Sandro Botticelli is an example of this fusion between the ancients and the biblical meaning, with his painting ‘The Birth of Venus’. [9] This had a nude, beautiful young Venus standing atop the middle of an oyster shell holding her hair by her side in one hand and covering her breasts with her other hand. Arguably to force a biblical stand from this, Venus was the metaphor of God’s beauty. To visually depict God’s beauty although His beauty is far too great to capture with words or images, thus Venus has only used a metaphoric substitute. Michelangelo would soon be due of the same actions with the David.
Michelangelo began working on the David in 1502. [10] Unlike the rest of his popular works, this statue was commissioned by the Operai dell’Opera del Duomo in search for a sculptor who could produce the results they were looking for, which was a perfect man once called a giant, carved from marble stood “nine braccia in height”, and looked rough. [11] The marble block that would later be considered David had been about 40 years old, was first made into the Greek giant of Namos and had a broken leg when it was being transported years earlier. [12] The David was practically a quarter of the way complete when given the block of marble, as the Namos that occupied the block had the pose that Michelangelo cared to have and had all dimensions [height, width, and depth]. [12] Within only two years, Michelangelo had the David statue complete. A completely biblical character, shaped and modeled in the shape of the ancients. Astonished, Pomponio Gaurico named Michelangelo one of the greatest living sculptors. [13]
Michelangelo’s David stands tall and depicts David staring into the distance with an expression that is equal to the idea of conquering the one beast that is before him, Goliath. [14] David was a biblical prophet who was young and did what was considered impossible, and that kill Goliath the giant. [15] He relied “solely on his faith and courage” [16], and with one shot from his sling, the giant was conquered. Compared to other David crafted prior to this, David was often depicted as the young boy told in the bible. Most often than not, David would have already killed Goliath and is around his head, boasting of his triumph and doing the impossible. However, in Michelangelo’s depiction of David [17], it is moments before David takes a shot with his sling. Rather than how young David is, rather than be biblically accurate, Michelangelo shows the strength and courage of David in his body. [18] While keeping his upper body strong with a tight abdomen and a strong presence, the femininity of his legs are very well present still keeping him within the age of the story. [19] This sculpture is meant to be viewed from below. As he tore down the walls for the magnificent David he has worked on for the past two years, everyone was in awe and Michelangelo received great praise. David was immediately considered a masterpiece by his peers and fellow citizens. [20]
The statue of David was one of the great success stories for Michelangelo as an artist and a sculptor; however, the city of Florence took this marble, David, as a story of success collectively. They had figured that just the David alone was enough to describe their story as a collective group. [21] Not only was it a symbol for the people of Florence, but the political stance Florence was made. Just as David conquered what would have been in other words impossible, Florence has just come out of being invaded by Cesare Borgia through an agreement with the French King. [22] It also symbolized the Florence people and their value and their autonomy which was kept close, even with artists, and was very significant for the administration as well. Michelangelo had gotten the attention of the Great Council and they had held a committee for artists to discuss where exactly his David should be placed, so that it may be held in as upmost importance to match in line with the significance of the sculpture itself. [23] This committee proves well that artists were now being acknowledged as important for their political usefulness and they collectively have a civic duty with their talents. [24] David’s exquisite shape and form had redefined sculpting with marble and changed how sculpting in general. When looking at the details of sculptures, David was nothing but excellent in the accuracy of his fingers of his right hand and the veins popping and moving throughout his arm. Renaissance Florence artists were looking for realism and a better understanding of the human body and its beauty. Michelangelo managed to capture that, the young David from marble managed to capture the beauty of the human body. Michelangelo was a political success with this sculpture, and was the pinnacle of sculptors of this time.
- Forcellino, Antonio, and Allan Cameron. Michelangelo: A Tormented Life. English ed. Cambridge, UK: Polity, 2009.
- http://www.artble.com/artists/sandro_botticelli/paintings/birth_of_venus
- Luchinat, Cristina. The Medici, Michelangelo, & The Art of Late Renaissance Florence. Detroit Institute of Arts, 2002.
- Paoletti, John T. "Michelangelo's David."
