The David

For my money there is no piece of art on earth better than Michelangelo’s David. I have seen the Mona Lisa, the Sistine Chappel and several other renowned pieces of art, but The David is in a league of its own. There is a wonderful back story to this amazing accomplishment (Some that we were already aware of from our previous two visits to the Galleria Accedamia, where the David lives) and plenty of new information from our trusty guide Alex.

The David - was carved by the great Michelangelo (Some feel the greatest artist of all time) between 1501 and 1504. The job was commissioned to him by the catholic church and it was intended that the David would have its home in Florence’s Famous Cathedral (Santa Maria Di Fiore “The Duomo’).

The David is Michelangelo’s depiction of the mythical figure from the bible where the young boy slayd Goliath. Upon its completion it was clear that the artist had a different view in mind for he carved The David not as a boy, but a young man. This was blasphemous to the church as it did not remain consistent with the bible and they refused to pay him his commissions and to house the work of art inside Santa Maria Di Fiore. The result was a purchase of the world’s most famous sculpture by the Florentine people as they felt it symbolized them and their struggle against the oppression of the Medici rule. The Florentine people placed The David outdoors in the huge Piazza in front of the Palazzo Vecchio (The Palace of the Medici), right next to the famous sculpture of Hercules (Which was symbolic of the Medici’s control over the republic). This is where The David stayed until 1784 when it was moved in doors to the Galleria Academia (Its current home) to protect it from the elements.

Michelangelo – From 1501 to 1504 the artist worked on no other project and spent all of his waking hours working on his masterpiece. To think that when he first began that it was simply a giant rock of Carrara Marble (From the hills in Northern Tuscany some 70 miles away) and that the final result can be something so perfect is mind boggling. Michelangelo is quoted as saying “My job as a sculpture is simply remove the excess rock to uncover what lies inside”. To appreciate the genius of this great artist, one must understand that he was the only sculptor to have ever worked on the marble direct, meaning that he left zero room for error. All other sculptors work off of a plaster mold first. An exact replica of the piece of art is first made in plaster and goes through constant modifications until perfected in size, shape and dimension. From there, measurements are taken of the plaster replica, by placing dozens of tiny nails in the plaster itself. Precise measurements are taken of the entire mold and then the artist begins to chisel at the naked piece of rock with measurements in hand along the way. As an example, had The David been done this way, Michelangelo would have been able to measure the exact distance between the eyes and the nose on the young mans face and would also have been afforded the opportunity to start over if he didn’t like the result of the plaster replication! This is why many consider him to be the greatest artist of all time (Also because of his diversity. Consider that he also painted the worlds most famous ceiling, The Sistine Chapel in Rome!), because he worked directly on the rock itself, leaving no room for error. The detail of this work is beyond that of any sculpture of its time as well. The vein protruding from his right hand that he is holding the stone that he will slay the giant with, is one of the many details that immediately catches the eye.

Finally, there is no way to begin to explain the feeling that you have when you see him (The David) for the first time. In fact each of the three times I have seen him, I have had chills run through my body. It is beauty beyond description. If there is a god, he is present in this work of perfection no doubt.