Michelangelo was the first superstar artist. He was a
sculptor a painter an architect a poet and an engineer. An outsider touched by genius. His Statue of
David, the most famous statue in the world, personifies the aesthetics of
high Renaissance art, the politics of Renaissance Florence and the technical
virtuosity of Greek sculpture. The story of Michelangelo's David is anything but
the story of a teenage boy king who slew Goliath. In one of his poems, Michelangelo wrote (old Italian:
"son d'esser bruto"): I know I am ugly. His nose was broken and appeared crushed into his face
which he said gave him "the look of a beggar". He was tortured by his appearance and alienated
from his own body. Despite or perhaps because of this, he would spend his life in pursuit of sublime
perfection. He could do little about his own looks but he would make sure his David would be the
standard by which male Beauty would be judged. Michelangelo believed that he was a tool of God.
He wasn't creating a sculpture from marble, he was simply releasing the figure imprisoned
within it. Unfinished work by Michelangelo gives us many insights into his techniques.
Most sculptors would create a clay model and then mark up their block of marble to know where
to chip. But Michelangelo worked mostly freehand, starting from the front and working back. To
sculpt in marble you need the strength of an athlete and the dexterity of a surgeon. Any
slip-up can destroy years of work. Michelangelo would start by what is called "roughing
out". Taking the bulk of the weight off with a point chisel and a large mallet, for getting
it down to the general shape of the sculpture. Then he'd use a tooth tool and a smaller hammer,
for more detailed work in modeling the form As he needed more details, he'd use finer and finer
tooth chisels. He would use a drill to get into the deeper crevices. Then he would refine using
various smaller tools. Followed by finishing the surface with a tool like the "rasp", a sort of file.
Finally he would polish the statue using abrasive pumice stones, and then leather until it is smooth
and glossy. If we look at his unfinished work here, we can clearly see the sculpture emerging from
the stone. The marks we see here were made by Michelangelo's own hands. The outer part show us
where Michelangelo started to cut away the stone with a large pick and a mallet, and in this area
we can clearly see he has used a tooth chisel. Here on the chest we see even more detail, and the marks
are fainter where he has used much finer tools. Michelangelo was 26 when he was asked to sculpt
a colossal statue of the biblical hero David, to be placed on the roof of the Cathedral in
Florence, 80 metres above street level. Only two years before he had carved the achingly
beautiful "Pietà" in Rome, and he was already considered a master. He was asked to use an old
block of marble already owned by the cathedral that had been sitting around for 50 years. Two
other sculptors had attempted to use it but the marble was flawed, and considered too narrow
to produce a successful figure. One sculptor had even carved a large hole out between, what were to
have been the legs of his figure, but where others saw flaws, Michelangelo saw opportunity. Because
of the shape of the marble Michelangelo had to be precise. There was no room for manoeuvre. David
had to look to the side - as there wasn't enough marble to have him facing forward - David had to
be in the "contrapposto" position, so that his legs would fit around the large hole already in the
marble. And he would have to be slender because of the depth of the marble. The story of David and Goliath is the Biblical story of
the Philistine giant defeated by the teenage Israelite, armed only with his sling. The finale of the story is David cutting
off his head and holding it up to the cheering crowd. Traditionally David had been portrayed at the point of
victory. Triumphant over the dead Goliath. Florentine artist like Donatello and Verrocchio, depicted
their own version of David - standing over Goliath's severed head. All statues are more than mere representations, but
Michelangelo's take on it would be revolutionary. By removing the conventional attributes of
the biblical hero, stripping him down, both literally and figuratively, Michelangelo also
removes a simplistic reading of it as just an illustration of the story. And gives it a wider
metaphorical meaning. For the first time in art, David is depicted BEFORE the battle,
rather than the moment of victory. This changes everything. first and foremost Michelangelo's David depicts
rationality. David isn't about to fight Goliath with brute strength, but with skill and reason.
David represents the humanist ideal of a man, who can become a hero, by his intelligence and
willpower alone. These are the virtues of the "thinking man" considered perfection, during the
Renaissance. Michelangelo catches him at the peak of his concentration, as he contemplates
the challenge ahead of him. David is no longer the traditional self-assured boy. Now he is shown
as an apprehensive man. David's neck is tense, his thigh muscles are flexed, his nostrils are
flared, and his brow is furrowed with fear. He is just about to glide easily and naturally into action.
He is tense but contemplates the challenge ahead of him, with a calculated gaze. The rock is hidden inside
his right palm, the slingshot rests on his shoulder, and hangs down his back - almost invisible.
Emphasising that David's victory was intellectual. His chest appears to pulse with anxiety. Like all of Michelangelo's sculptures, the viewer sees David at a specific and pivotal point. It is not
meant to be the whole story. David is in motion. The position he is in,
is known as "Contrapposto" or "counter pose". It was invented by the ancient Greeks,
and is a very natural and human way to stand. The red line show where his muscles are tense, and
the yellow ones where his muscles are relaxed. Most of the weight is on one leg, with the other leg forward, causing the figures hips and
shoulders to rest at opposing angles. Giving a slight "S-curve" to the entire torso, and
therefore giving the statue a more dynamic look. The story of David and Goliath would come
to represent the city of Florence itself. During the Renaissance, Italy was a collection
of city-states, each with its own ruler. The newly independent Republic of
Florence, saw itself as "the David of Italy". Holding out with unexpected strength against the Medicis, and the powerful and all-consuming
influence of the Pope in Rome. This point was emphasised when David was placed in a
secular spot rather than its intended religious one. Commissioned as a statue of the biblical story - in
Michelangelo's hands it becomes something else entirely. The proportions of David are not
typical of Michelangelo's work. The figure has an unusually large head and hands. But
Michelangelo, who had dissected many cadavers understood the human body better than any physician.
As per the commission, the statue was designed to be seen from 80 metres below. In 2010, a fibreglass replica was
temporarily placed in the spot originally planned for David And we can clearly see that the proportions
work perfectly when seen from below Nudity was unusual at the time for a biblical
story, but the Renaissance was a decisive time for the nude in Western art. A renewed interest in
ancient Greek and Roman art brought the human body to the forefront of artistic innovation. During
the Renaissance, achievement in representing the body, became the standard for measuring artistic
genius. It is far harder to depict a nude figure than a clothed one. It is a myth though, that
Renaissance Europeans were comfortable with nude bodies in art, particularly when displayed in
public. In fact, the city fathers had a garland of 28 gilded copper leaves made, to protect David's modesty, and
in later years he wore a fig leaf, as this photo from the 1860s shows. Why is the Jewish hero David, not circumcised? Again, we can trace this back to the inspiration for the
Renaissance: The ancient Greeks and Romans. They regarded circumcision as barbaric, and there are
no depictions of circumcision in ancient statuary. Also, the Catholic Church denounced
circumcision in the Middle Ages. The Jewish figure of David has been placed into the Christian
context of Florence. A hallmark of the high Renaissance. It has been remarked that David's penis is rather small.
This was considered an indication of modesty and respectability, and shows that the biblical
figure is in control of his own urges. We can contrast that with contemporary images of satyrs
and other figures which represented evil sexuality David has a slight squint - it is rarely remarked on but
his eyes point in slightly different directions. This is a typical Michelangelo trick,
to pull us into the eyes of David. The pupils are carved out hollow, to capture the changing
sunlight, adding to the intensity of the gaze. Michelangelo calculated every angle and always
considered the position of the viewer. The details are extraordinary. My own favourite is the jugular vein, which is swollen.
This only occurs when people get excited or nervous. Michelangelo understood this, over a century BEFORE
scientists would describe the circulatory system. The veins in the raised left hand are delicate, while the veins
in the hanging right hand are pulsing and more well defined. The way our blood circulates, this is exactly what would
happen to our own hands in the same position Every detail points to Michelangelo's passion for human anatomy. Michelangelo, who never wasted a minute of his
life, worked morning noon and night on David, alone and in total secrecy. At night he would
attach candles to his hat. He rarely ate and when he did sleep, he slept in his clothes
which he seldom, if ever changed. In 1504 he finally presented his giant to the cathedral
committee. They were astonished at Michelangelo's skills, and agreed it was far too perfect
to be placed at such a height. They decided to find a better location - and eventually
decided it should be placed in the political heart of Florence. In Piazza della Signoria in front of
the town hall where its copy still is today. One member of the committee tried to persuade
them to place David in a less prominent place. His name? Leonardo da Vinci. David is truly a colossus. At nearly
six metres tall and weighing six tons, it took four days and 40 men to move the statue
half a mile from Michelangelo's workshop. In a gesture of defiance, David was
placed facing south - towards Rome. Michelangelo, then added the finishing touches on site. Originally the sling and tree stump support were
gilded with gold, as seen in these reconstructions. David received a rapturous reception from the Florentines, and right from the start it was hailed as a
masterpiece - and a symbol of the Republic. The Italian sixteenth century historian, Giorgio Vasari wrote: "After seeing this, no one need wish to look at any
other sculpture, or the work of any other artists". in 1873 David was moved to the Accademia gallery
to protect it from environmental damage. And in 1910 a full-size copy was placed in the square. The fig-leaf was eventually removed and
David could be seen as Michelangelo intended. Statues have power beyond their initial reading. One man's "hero" is another man's symbol of oppression. Michelangelo's David has had his fair share of controversies, but has always been on the side of the oppressed, the underdog. David represents the power to overcome
adversity, in the face of insurmountable odds. And we can all relate to that. Michelangelo would go on to create many
masterpieces. But his miraculous transformation of a shepherd boy into the physical embodiment of
Florence, would prove to be a defining moment in his artistic career. He was an alchemist who
turned marble into flesh and bone, and brought a psychological insight and physical
realism to sculpture, never seen before. He died in Rome in February of 1564. Still
working at the age of 88 years old, having outlived both his art rivals -
Leonardo da Vinci AND Raphael. He was brought back to Florence, to be buried in Santa Croce church. Just a stone's throw away from his divine David.
