David

Michelangelo, 1504

Carrara Marble

Florence, Galleria dell'Accademia

Michelangelo's David, sculpted from 1501 to 1504, is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture and one of Michelangelo's two greatest works of sculpture, along with the Pietà. Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni Two biographies were published of him during his lifetime One of them by Giorgio Vasari, proposed that he was the pinnacle of all Carrara is a City in the Province of Massa-Carrara ( Tuscany, Italy) famous for the white or blue-gray Marble quarried there Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany The Accademia dell'Arte del Disegno ("Academy of the Art of Drawing" is an art academy in Florence, Italy. Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni Two biographies were published of him during his lifetime One of them by Giorgio Vasari, proposed that he was the pinnacle of all The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni Two biographies were published of him during his lifetime One of them by Giorgio Vasari, proposed that he was the pinnacle of all This article is about the earliest and best-known Pietà by Michelangelo It is the statue of the young Israelite king David alone that almost certainly holds the title of the most recognizable stone sculpture in the history of art. See also History of ancient Israel and Judah According to the Bible, the Israelites were the dominant group living in the Land of Israel. David, Arabic: داوود or داود dawud, "beloved" was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible It has become regarded as a symbol both of strength and youthful human beauty. The 5. 17 meter (17 ft)^[1] marble statue portrays the Biblical King David in the nude, at the moment that he decides to battle with Goliath. Marble sculpture is the Art of creating three-dimensional forms from marble Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin David, Arabic: داوود or داود dawud, "beloved" was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible Depictions of nudity refers to Nudity in all the artistic disciplines including Vernacular and historical depictions Goliath ( גָּלְיָת, Standard Hebrew Golyat, Tiberian Hebrew Golyāṯ, Arabic: جالوت Jalut (Muslim It came to symbolize the defense of civic liberties embodied in the Florentine Republic, an independent city state threatened on all sides by more powerful rival states and by the hegemony of the Medici themselves. Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany A city-state is a Region controlled exclusively by a City, usually having Sovereignty. This interpretation was also encouraged by the original setting of the sculpture outside the Palazzo della Signoria, the seat of civic government in Florence. The Palazzo Vecchio (IPA pronunciation vɛkio (Italian for Old Palace is the town hall of Florence, Italy Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany The completed sculpture was unveiled on 8 September 1504. Events 70 - Roman forces under Titus sack Jerusalem. 1264 - The Statute of Kalisz

Pre-history of the commission

The history of the David statue precedes Michelangelo's work on it from 1500-1504. ^[2] Prior to Michelangelo's involvement, the Overseers of the Office of Works of the Duomo (Operai), comprised mostly of members of the influential woolen cloth guild, the Arte della Lana, had plans to commission a series of twelve large Old Testament sculptures for the buttresses of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. The Arte della Lana was the wool guild of Florence during the Late Middle Ages and in the Renaissance. In Western Christianity, the Old Testament refers to the books that form the first of the two-part Christian Biblical canon. A buttress is an architectural structure built against (a counterfort) or projecting from a Wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall This article is about the history and organisation of the cathedral The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore is the Cathedral church ( Duomo) of Florence, Italy. Until then only two had been created independently by Donatello and his assistant, Agostino di Duccio. Donatello ( Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi; c 1386 &ndash December 13, 1466) was a famous early Renaissance Italian Agostino di Duccio (1418 &ndash c 1481 was an Italian early Renaissance sculptor Eager to continue their project, in 1464 they again contracted Agostino to create a sculpture of David. He only got as far as beginning to shape the legs, feet and the figure, roughing out some drapery and probably gouging a hole between the legs. Drapery refers to Cloths or Textiles ( Old French drap, from Late Latin drappus) used for decorative purposes--such on windows--or to His association with the project ceased, for reasons unknown, with the death of his master Donatello in 1466, and Antonio Rossellino was commissioned to take up where Agostino had left off. Antonio Gamberelli (1427 &ndash c 1478/1481 nicknamed Antonio Rossellino for the colour of his hair was an Italian sculptor

Rossellino's contract was terminated, soon thereafter, and the block of marble originally from a quarry in Carrara, a town in the Apuan Alps in northern Italy, remained neglected for twenty-five years, all the while exposed to the elements in the yard of the cathedral workshop. Carrara is a City in the Province of Massa-Carrara ( Tuscany, Italy) famous for the white or blue-gray Marble quarried there The rain and wind weathered it down to a smaller size than was originally planned. This was of great concern to the Operai authorities, as such a large piece of marble was both costly, and represented a large amount of labor and difficulty in its transportation to Florence. In 1500, an inventory of the cathedral workshops described the piece as, "a certain figure of marble called David, badly blocked out and supine. " A year later, documents showed that the Operai were determined to find an artist who could take this large piece of marble and turn it into a finished work of art. They ordered the block of stone, which they called The Giant, "raised on its feet" so that a master experienced in this kind of work might examine it and express an opinion. Though Leonardo da Vinci and others were consulted, it was young Michelangelo, only twenty-six years old, who convinced the Operai that he deserved the commission. Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci ( April 15 1452 – May 2 1519 was an Italian Polymath, having been a scientist Mathematician, Engineer On August 16, 1501, Michelangelo was given the official contract to undertake this challenging new task. Events 1384 - The Hongwu Emperor of Ming China, Emperor Dong hears a case of a couple who tore paper money bills while fighting He began carving the statue early in the morning on Monday, September 13, a month after he was awarded the contract. Events 509 BC - The Temple of Jupiter on Rome 's Capitoline Hill is dedicated on the ides of September He would work on the massive biblical hero for a little more than three years.

Conception

Michelangelo's David differs from previous representations of the subject in that David is not depicted with the slain Goliath (as he is in Donatello's and Verrocchio's versions, produced earlier), a common interpretation is that David is depicted before his battle with Goliath. This article is about the sculpture by Donatello for other uses see David (disambiguation. Andrea del Verrochio 's Bronze statue of David was most likely made between 1473 and 1475. Instead of being shown victorious over a foe much larger than he, David looks tense and ready for combat. His veins bulge out of his lowered right hand and the twist of his body effectively conveys to the viewer the feeling that he is in motion. The statue is meant to show David after he has made the decision to fight Goliath but before the battle has actually taken place. It is a representation of the moment between conscious choice and conscious action. However, other experts (including Giuseppe Andreani, the current director of Accademia Gallery) consider the depiction to represent the moment immediately after battle, as David serenely contemplates his victory. The Accademia dell'Arte del Disegno ("Academy of the Art of Drawing" is an art academy in Florence, Italy.

Copy standing in the original location of the David, in front of the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence.

On January 25, 1504, when the sculpture was nearing completion, a committee of Florentine artists including Leonardo da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli met to decide on an appropriate site for the David. Events 41 - After a night of negotiation Claudius is accepted as Roman Emperor by the Senate The majority, led by Giuliano da Sangallo and supported by Leonardo and Piero di Cosimo, among others, believed that due to the imperfections in the marble the sculpture should be placed under the roof of the Loggia dei Lanzi on Piazza della Signoria. Giuliano da Sangallo (c 1443 – 1516 was an Italian sculptor architect and Military engineer active during the Italian Renaissance Piero di Cosimo (also known as Piero di Lorenzo) ( January 2, 1462 &ndash April 12, 1522) was an Florentine painter The Loggia dei Lanzi, also called the Loggia della Signoria, is a building on a corner of the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, Italy, Piazza della Signoria is an L-shaped square in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy. Only a rather minor view, supported by Botticelli, believed that the sculpture should be situated on or near the cathedral. Eventually the David was placed in front of the entrance to the Palazzo Vecchio, also on Piazza della Signoria, replacing Donatello's bronze sculpture of Judith and Holofernes, which embodied a comparable theme of heroic resistance. The Palazzo Vecchio (IPA pronunciation vɛkio (Italian for Old Palace is the town hall of Florence, Italy The Bronze sculpture Judith and Holofernes ( 1460) created by Donatello at the end of his career can be seen in the Hall of Lilies It took four days to move the statue from Michelangelo's workshop onto the Piazza della Signoria.

Style and detail

Michelangelo's David is based on the artistic discipline of disegno, which is built on knowledge of the male human form. In Fine art, a work of art (or artwork or work) is a creation such as a Song, Book, Film, Video game, Under this discipline, sculpture is considered to be the finest form of art because it mimics divine creation. Because Michelangelo adhered to the concepts of disegno, he worked under the premise that the image of David was already in the block of stone he was working on — in much the same way as the human soul is found within the physical body. The soul, according to many religious and philosophical beliefs is the self-awareness, or Consciousness, unique to a particular living It is also an example of the contrapposto style of posing the human form. Contrapposto is an Italian term meaning "counterpoise" used in the Visual arts to describe a human figure standing with most of its weight on one foot

In the High Renaissance, contrapposto poses were thought of as a distinctive feature of antique sculpture. As exemplified In Michelangelo’s David, sculptured from 1501-1503, the figure stands with one leg holding its full weight and the other leg relaxed. This classic pose causes the figure’s hips and shoulders to rest at opposite angles, giving a slight s-curve to the entire torso. In addition, the statue faces to the left while the left arm leans on his left shoulder with his sling flung down behind his back. Michelangelo’s David has become one of the most recognized pieces of Renaissance Sculpture ever, becoming a symbol of both strength and youthful human beauty.

The proportions are not quite true to the human form; the head and upper body are somewhat larger than the proportions of the lower body. The hands are also larger than would be in regular proportions. While some have suggested that this is of the mannerist style, the most commonly accepted explanation is that the statue was originally intended to be placed on a church façade or high pedestal, and that the proportions would appear correct when the statue was viewed from some distance below. Mannerism is a period of European art which emerged from the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520. A facade or façade (fəˈsɑːd is generally one side of the exterior of a Building, especially the front but also sometimes the sides and rear Pedestal (from French piedestal, Italian piedistallo, foot of a stall is a term generally applied to the support of a Statue or a Vase

There was controversy over the statue's supposed Biblical reference, since the statue seemed to portray an uncircumcised male, whereas the historical King David was undoubtedly circumcised. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin Male circumcision is the removal of some or all of the Foreskin (prepuce from the Penis. It was also suggested that this was a conscious decision in Michelangelo's endeavor to emulate the ancient Greek aesthetic ideal, which regarded the circumcised penis as mutilated. The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca The penis (plural penises, penes Mutilation or maiming is an act or physical injury that degrades the appearance or function of the (human body usually without causing death

Later history

To protect it from damage, the sculpture was moved in 1873 to the Accademia Gallery in Florence, where it attracts many visitors. The Accademia dell'Arte del Disegno ("Academy of the Art of Drawing" is an art academy in Florence, Italy. A replica was placed in the Piazza della Signoria in 1910.

The cast of David at the South Kensington Museum (now the V&A), had a detachable plaster fig leaf, added for visits by Queen Victoria and other important ladies, when it was hung on the figure using two strategically placed hooks; it is now displayed nearby. The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design housing a permanent collection A fig leaf is the covering up of an act or an object that is embarrassing or disagreeable Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901 was from 20 June 1837 the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland ^[3] In 1991 a postmodern artist attacked the statue with a hammer in an act of art intervention^[4], in the process damaging the toes of the left foot before being restrained. Postmodernism literally means 'after the modernist movement' While " Modern " itself refers to something "related to the present" the movement of modernism An art intervention is an interaction with a previously existing artwork audience or venue/space The samples obtained from that incident allowed scientists to determine that the marble used was obtained from the Fantiscritti quarries in Miseglia, the central of three small valleys in Carrara. Marble is a nonfoliated Metamorphic rock resulting from the Metamorphism of Limestone, composed mostly of Calcite (a crystalline form of A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or Minerals are extracted Carrara is a City in the Province of Massa-Carrara ( Tuscany, Italy) famous for the white or blue-gray Marble quarried there The marble in question contains many microscopic holes that cause it to deteriorate faster than other marbles. Because of the marble's degradation, a controversy occurred in 2003, when the statue underwent its first major cleaning since 1843. Some experts opposed the use of water to clean the statue, fearing further deterioration.

Replicas

Main article: Replicas of Michelangelo's David

By the twentieth century Michelangelo's David had become iconic shorthand for "culture" David has been endlessly reproduced, in plaster, imitation marble fibreglass, and lends an atmosphere of culture even in some unlikely settings, such as beach resorts, gambling casinos and model railroads. Replicas of Michelangelo 's David have been endlessly reproduced in Plaster, imitation Marble, Fibreglass and other Model railroading (US or Railway modelling (UK Australia and Canada is a Hobby in which Rail transport systems are modeled at a reduced scale

Notes

• Hall, James, Michelangelo and the Reinvention of the Human Body 2005.
• Hartt, Frederick, Michelangelo: the complete sculpture
• Hibbard, Howard. Michelangelo
• Hirst Michael, “Michelangelo In Florence: David In 1503 And Hercules In 1506”
• Pope-Hennessy, John (1996). Sir John Wyndham Pope-Hennessy (1913–1994 was a British art historian and museum director Italian High Renaissance and Baroque Sculpture. London: Phaidon
• Kleiner, Fred S. ; Christin J. Mamiya (2001). Gardner's Art Through the Ages. Fort Worth: Harcourt College.  
• Seymour, Charles, Jr. Michelangelo's David : a search for identity (Mellon Studies in the Humanities) 1967.
• Stokstad, Marilyn (1999), Art History. 2nd Ed. Vol. 2. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
• Vasari, Giorgio, Lives of the Artists (Penguin Books), “Life of Michelangelo” pp. 325-442. Vasari's report on the origin and placement of the David has been undermined by modern historians.

References

General

• Michelangelo Buonarroti: David, Art and the Bible

Specific

External links

• The Digital Michelangelo Project
• A Goliath's-eye view of David