Michaelangelo's Renaissance Masterpiece, David
For this week's Italian and Northern Renaissance assignment, I chose one of the Renaissance's greatest masterpieces, Michaelangelo's David.
The marble sculptures of the Italian Renaissance have always amazed me. Sculptors like DaVinci, Donatello and Michaelangelo (to name a few) were able to transform strong and sturdy marble into supple and soft sculptures. The way these sculptures look like they would be soft to the touch has always awed me.
David stands there, poised and ready to march against his fabled opponent, Goliath. With his sling slung over his left shoulder, and his gaze fixed towards the horizon, he seemingly represents the oxymoron of Italy during the renaissance. His strength paralleling the growing financial strength of Florence while the soft texture of the marble representing the exploration of the arts and philosophy of the time. I can imagine that at the time, the people of Florence swelled with pride and were rejuvenated when setting their gazes upon David.
Florence's growing importance in the modern world during the time of the Italian Renaissance was largely due to the Medici Family and their growing power. The Medici family was a heavy patron to the arts during the Italian Renaissance and were patrons to countless artists and thinkers, one of those being Michaelangelo himself. While the Medici family didn't commission Michaelangelo to create David, it is possible that the hero's resurgence in popularity arose from the family's commission of Donatello's David. The independence and strength that Michaelangelo's David emits was perfect for a Florence that was surrounded by powerful rivals, and with the statue being pointed directly at Rome, it was truly living up to its fabled story.
Works Cited
“Basic Facts about Michelangelo's David.” Accademia.org, 12 July 2018, www.accademia.org/explore-museum/artworks/michelangelos-david/facts-about-david/.
“David (Michelangelo).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Dec. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_(Michelangelo).
Fantastic selection of a sculpture. It is so often that when one considers the 'renaissance' I think of paintings, but then when we turn to sculptures 'David' is the first to come up. I appreciate your explanation of the prideful spirit and rejuvenation that is so indicative of the renaissance. David is that figure of strength. I begin to wonder if David was created on the basis of re-establishing via the wealthy patrons of the Medici in example to prove to the world of the strength and everlasting existence of the 'renaissance'? I find the piece to be appealing in the complexity and difficulty of the creation of the sculpture and coincide with your thoughts on the humanistic expression of patrons.
ReplyDeleteWhen you think of Renaissance era, alot of my thought goes to paintings and that of oil paintings. It was nice to see you pick the sculpture of David. Thinking back on the learnings of the last chapter, I most think of the Medici family. Thank you for sharing.
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