Michelangelo's Statue Of David

For many years, my favorite refrigerator magnet has been a cut-out of the statue of David. You can dress him up, much like cardboard cut-out dolls, with a sailing outfit, jeans or a construction hat. I partly adore it because I have been to Florence and have seen the David, and this magnet is able to remind me of how much I enjoyed the visit to my favorite statue.

The story of the statue of David begins in Carrara, a town in northern Italy. The world's most famous sculpture would one day be carved from a large block of marble from this town. The idea of the David was conceived by members of the Operai, who wanted twelve large sculptures to represent the Old Testament for the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. The Operai asked Donatello's assistant, Agostino di Duccio, to carve the block of marble into a likeness of the Biblical King David, who was known for slaying the giant Goliath. King David was to be one of the twelve sculptures.

Agostino began work on the statue, but at the death of his master, Donatello, he stopped work on the statue without warning. Trying to get the statue complete, the Operai commissioned Antonio Rossellino to continue the work on the statue, but his contract was soon terminated. With no other artists to work on it, the marble sat outside the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, being exposed to the natural elements for twenty-five years. Marble is very costly, especially a piece this big, and leaving such a valuable sculpture unfinished was not an option. Furthermore, the outdoors are an unfavorable place for a block of marble to reside, meaning that the elements were slowly destroying the David. Finally, the Operai decided to find a highly skilled artist who would be able to turn the marble into a finished work of art. Transportation was not easy, but in 1501, the block of marble was sent to Florence.

In Florence lived a twenty-six year old artist named Michelangelo Buonarroti. Though the Operai consulted with other artists such as Leonardo da Vinci to complete the statue, Michelangelo was able to convice them to give him the commission. From 1501 to 1504, Michelangelo worked on the statue. Standing seventeen feet tall, portraying David at the moment he decides to engage in battle with Goliath, the statue was unveiled on September 18, 1504, leaving spectators in awe at its size and perfection. A committee of artists had met before the sculpture was completed to decide where David would rest. They chose to put him outside of the entrance of Palazzo Vecchio, on the Piazza della Signora. David was moved indoors in 1873 to the Accademia Gallery in Florence to preserve the marble, where he still rests to this day. After an attack by an Italian artist with a hammer caused damage to the toes on his left foot and a controversial cleaning in 2003, the David still stands strong.

Many factors contribute to the greatness of the David. One factor is that it was said that the quality of the marble used to make the David was mediocre, and because of this, Michelangelo may have obtained it for free. This would have made the marble extremely difficult to use, and most likely would have been rejected by other artists. If there was such a thing as a starving artist in 1501, Michelangelo would have certainly appreciated not having to buy the expensive marble. Also, Michelangelo's David differs from other artist's representations of David. Typically, David is depicted after his defeat of Goliath. Michelangelo's David is instead tense and ready to fight, meaning the battle is yet to come. His veins in his hands are bulging and his body is twisted, which makes the viewer see David in motion. Another interesting factor is that the David is not in perfect proportion; the head and upper body are slightly larger than the lower section of the body. It is said that Michelangelo may have done this because the statue was to be placed on a pedastal, and this would help the proportions look equal to a viewer standing below it. What incredible foresight!

Is it coincidence that the block of marble sat, uncarved, for twenty-five of Michelangelo's twenty-six years of life, waiting for the artist with the skill set to claim it and turn it into the single-most recognizable statue of our time? Could Michelangelo have been born to create the David? I can't answer that, but I do know that David looks really great in a hula skirt.