Michelangelo David as His Contributions to the Renaissance Free Essay Example

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Youthful Ambition and Michelangelo's Approach

The beginning of the creation of David started with Donatello in 1410 when the church commissioned the artist to create the first of twelve pieces. He created the Joshua kicking off a century long collaboration of artists to make the amazing work we see today, with the major effect of the time being that of giving the church recognition and public standing.

Following in Donatello's footsteps Agostino di Duccio created the base for the statue of David and it is believed he may have started the feet and lower calves. This is primarily demonstrated in the rotational changes from the David’s feet to its knees and adds to the reality of the contrapposto pose used to artificially show a human weight and movement. Following the death of Donatello, Agostino ceased to work on the David possibly because he had been working on the David under the watch of Donatello and did not believe in his own work. This lead to a dark period for the creation of David, for the next 26 years it’s partially finished feet and base where left to the elements simply in the yard of the church. This of course was a huge cost to the church and was indicative of the decline in the sculptural arts at the level of the great Donatello. This was precisely the opposite image the church wished to display at a time when the catholic church had little opposition coupled with and iron grip over the great arts and the styles they wished them to be made. Then in 1500 the church began its search for an artist that could turn a five meter tall “giant” block of stone into a true testament to arts. “The fact that Michelangelo had to recycle what was in effect a roughed-out block of already botched marble might help explain some of its otherwise puzzling features. In particular, it might account for the David’s slenderness and top-heavy proportions, all of which give it a slight forward tilt to the body, as if David were about to topple over into our space.” The Church sought out hundreds of artists some of them being of the greats such as Leanardo Da Vinci. However the rising artistic star Michelangelo took the spotlight by the horns. With a fair share of skepticism because of his youth, him being only 26 years old, he set out to corral this giant into his image. Simply leading to the fact that if God created David in his image Michelangelo was this David’s God. This is particularly important when looking at the messages in artwork, the idea that what would one day be one of the world's finest sculptures was a half finished block of marble in a church yard for 26 years goes to show that the influence of this artwork goes beyond just its direct visual symbolism but it is also a story of presservernce. Simply put three artists looked at a half finished block of marble and saw something beautiful. A way to show their world that even those things cast away and left to rot can hold value beyond what is imaginable.

Artistic Environment and Influences on Michelangelo

Few things limited Michelangelo’s creation of the statue of David, however the study of human anatomy was still fairly new and the church had outlawed Direct anatomical dissection further hindering the study of human anatomy. Despite this Michelangelo poured countless hours into his study of human anatomy which in the end added to his genius. Being raised in what is considered to be the most artistic period of humankind lead him to study the work of the greats and more importantly study under them. As a man of great intelligence and prowess Michelangelo understood the need to study those greater than him and spent his early years devoting himself to the study of those around him. His influences ranged from his humanistic influences shown in his study of human anatomy to the Roman influences in the asymmetrical eyes, yet he continues to balance that with Greek idealism of the human body to truly create an image of what humanity stands for. A balance between a perfect human in what the church thought was the image of God and the truth of human nature. Michelangelo understood that the God of the church created the imperfections too. He expressed this idea in his other works as well, such as his sculpture of Baccus, he gave a god the aspect of humanity by giving Baccus large puffy eyes and other minute however important details that influence the mind in the background. In the David this can be seen in the fear in its expression and the weak jawline and chin structure, which seemingly contradicts Michelangelo's typical idealistic style. “Michelangelo chose to depict David differently than did most other artists. They typically depicted David right after he slew Goliath, but Michelangelo focused on the young man just before he encountered the giant enemy. Michelangelo believed that this moment represented the embodiment of David’s greatest courage.” Through his creation of David Michelangelo liberated a society ruled by fear and faith, he perfectly displayed the true meaning of courage and immortalized it as both a warning and a lesson to those of his time and ours. This is best represented by its inherent duality as expressed by Irving Lavin a renowned expert in understanding the meaning behind art, “Michelangelo's David has attained a unique status as a symbol of the de~ant spirit of human freedom and independence in the face of extreme adversity. This emblematic preeminence of the David is due largely to Michelangelo's having incorporated in a single revolutionary image two quintessential constituents of the idea of liberty, one creative, and therefore personal, the other political, and therefore communal.” Quite simply Michelangelo either enjoyed challenging the church or decided for the good of art to quietly defy the church's iron grip. He simply portrayed what it means to be human in front of an authority that desired perfection above that capability of mere mortals. He perfectly channeled his humanist perspective expressing the pure connection between a person and God with no need for third parties like the church, he further demonstrated this by simply refusing to paint the ceiling of the Sistine chapel the first time he was asked. Of course he later had his hand was forced into the servitude of the church by Pope Julius II leading to Michelangelo cultivation a further entrenched position on humanity's relationship with God. He was the spark in which the religious world of the time burned, fueled by the subtle defiance of his work and the questions that followed them. More fuel was added to the flame upon the artists of venice being given control of the Davids location. Eventually influencing the collapse of the church's total authority with the prodestent reformation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Michelangelo's David stands as a towering symbol of the Renaissance's artistic innovation, classical revival, and humanistic ideals. Through this masterpiece, Michelangelo not only contributed to the artistic landscape of his time but also left an enduring legacy that continues to inspire and captivate art enthusiasts and scholars alike.

The story of the David is either one of luck or a true testament to the actions of a higher power. Worked on by three of the greatest artists of their own respective times, Donatello saw a chance for greatness and was wise enough to prepare it for the next generation of awe inspiring artists. Agostino followed and was then used as the hand by which Donatello guided in making the solid base and the beginning of David. However without Donatello to guide his image Agostino chose to stop working on the David. Leaving the startings of the statue to stand against the elements of nature. The block of granite from which the David was created was taken from a quarry before the process of separating the alabaster from the granite had been perfected, or more accurately even attempted. Alabaster being extremely loose in its geometric crystalline structure is extremely susceptible to the elements particularly water. For 26 years the David waited being beaten and torn down by nature's wrath truly symbolizing the message of defiance and courage in which it radiates throughout all those who truly look at the statue. It is not a simple piece of art, one would argue that both its endured struggle against time and nature, and its portrayal of the most unadulterated form of courage connect it to the soul of the biblical David giving it a form of life known only to itself and those it emboldens as those who fear the true courage and the will of the human soul tremble before its sight. The statue of David was born of broken stone, suffered under the hands of both man and nature, emits emotions and establishes a connection to God and to a person's inner self, and the statue of david will die. The final question to be asked is not just how Michelangelo impacted a block of stone with this emotion and aura, but more importantly it questions the very definition of what we consider to be a soul, does the emotions history and significance of the Statue of David merit it life?

References

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Hibbard, H. (1974). Michelangelo. In J. Shearman (Ed.), Artists and Patrons in Italian Renaissance Art (pp. 57-69). Yale University Press.

Seymour, C. (1995). Michelangelo's David: A Florentine Emblem. The Art Bulletin, 77(2), 282-294.

Cole, A. (2009). Michelangelo's David: A Symbol of Renaissance Humanism. Art and Ideas, 7, 56-70.

Poeschke, J. (2000). Michelangelo: The Medici Chapel. National Gallery of Art.

Britannica. (2021). David by Michelangelo. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/David-sculpture-by-Michelangelo

The Genius of Michelangelo. (2004). Directed by A. Riva. BBC.

Hartt, F. (1987). Art: A History of Painting, Sculpture, Architecture. Harry N. Abrams.

Vasari, G. (1568). The Lives of the Artists. Translated by J. Bondanella and P. Bondanella. Oxford University Press, 1991.