Twenty-six year old Michelangelo by Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, or more commonly known as simply Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance artist originally from Jerusalem. One of his most famous works was his sculpture, "David", 17 feet tall, made of marble and depicting a biblical hero, "David", the second king of Israel and Judah. The subject is taken from the story of "David and Goliath" and the sculpture was completed between 1501 and 1504 during the height of the Renaissance period. To better understand the connection between sculpture and the period I will talk a little about the Renaissance period and how it came about. The Renaissance period was an artistic and sociological revolt that began in the late 1300s with writers speaking of the idea of ​​humanism encompassing man's striving to be the best that man can be rather than the study of philosophy or theology. The height of this period was during the Roman Empire with the Ancient Greeks and Ancient Romans in the 1400s when Humanism began to emerge. They felt there was no reason to look back at the past, when we live in a time that exemplifies the best man has ever been now. There was a feeling that when you create man in art form, it should be the most ideal man that can be created. The idea that man's advances in technology, architecture, communication, and the ability to see what could be, rather than the traditional identity of the past, was the main idea of ​​the Renaissance period. Years later, when the bourgeoisie began to understand this, they began to influence architects and artists to recreate this idea, known as the Renaissance period. In 1450, the Guttenberg printing press had just been invented and thanks to this advance in communication, these ideas could be distributed en masse. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The statue of “David” was commissioned by the government of the city of Florence, Italy, in 1463. However, Michelangelo was not the first artist commissioned to create it. In fact, he wasn't even the second artist. Michelangelo was the third artist commissioned to complete the project. The first artist was commissioned by Agosto di Duccio in 1463 and began with a large block of Carrara marble. He started with the feet and legs and then abandoned the project because he claimed that the marble that came from the Carrara quarries had many imperfections. In 1473, Antonio Rossellino was commissioned and picked up where Duccio left off, but early in his work he too withdrew from the project for the same reasons. 25 years later, in 1501, Michelangelo finally received the commission. He started from scratch with the same block of marble and managed to finish it by 1504. It was supposed to be placed on the top of the eastern end of the roof line of the Florence Cathedral next to a series of sculptures of prophets, but once Michelangelo completed the “ David” and showed the city government what he completed in 3 years, they felt it was too heavy and too beautiful to be mounted high on the roof. After a committee of Florentine community leaders and other artists, Leonardo di Vinci, Filippino Lippi and Botticelli met to decide the best place for the “David” to reside, it was decided that it would be inaugurated in a public square outside Palazzo Vecchio, which is the City Hall of Florence in Piazza della Signoria on September 8, 1504. To truly appreciate what this sculpture embodies, it is not only significant to understand how the Statue of David was commissioned and by whom, but it is also important to know why it was commissioned by the city of Florence and why they chose “David” as the subject. David was a hero of the story of"David and Goliath" written in the First Testament. In the story, David, against all odds, defeated the giant enemy Goliath, with the help of God. He wears no armor and is armed only with a sling and a rock. He brought down the giant and proved that with God all things were possible. Although Michelangelo's "David" was ultimately a religious work, it quickly became a representation of Florence's struggle with the city's former ruling family, the "Medici", who were Italian, bank owners and a political dynasty, but they were exiled from Florence for a decade. while the city was governed by a republican and anti-Medici government. The statue was placed in front of the Palazzo Comunale with its gaze turned towards the direction of Rome, where the Medici family resided after the exile. For most citizens, this was clearly a political work of art. To officials of the City of Florence, it represented Florence's constant struggle with Medici politics and that Florence would resist them if necessary. This caused a split in the community between the former Medici followers and the new government in office and although there was a split, the exile of the Medici family lasted for many years. The attention received by the placement of the statue in the city hall as well as the attention received for its new representation of David, different from previous versions, is very interesting. The thing that distinguishes Michelangelo's David from Donatello's David and Ghiberi's David is that Michelangelo decided to interpret David a few moments before the battle with Goliath. You can see his intense, focused gaze in the direction Goliath would be. You can see his slingshot shot over his left shoulder and his right hand cuffed as if he were holding a stone. David is leaning towards his right leg and consequently his back is slightly curved towards his shoulders which are rotated with respect to the axis of his hips. This placement of the subject's weight on one leg is a classic pose from ancient Rome and Greece called "Contrapposto", which is an Italian term meaning "counterweight". This creates a more intense scene that creates an interesting dynamic. Another interesting fact is that David's hand and head are slightly larger in proportion to his body. Some think it has to do with the thought of being high up on the ledge of the cathedral roof and may have made up for the perspective. It was never believed that it was done by accident. Michelangelo's attention to detail and realism in these descriptions allow the observer to identify with the situation David finds himself in moments before his attack on the enemy. Donatello and Ghiberi's David were depicted moments after defeating Goliath. in triumph and evoking a feeling of victory. Michelangelo broke that tradition by creating suspense and security by depicting David before the action. David's face looks so focused as he thinks about the right time to attack his enemy. This idea of ​​the “thinking man” is in line with the Renaissance. The choice to evoke such passionate emotions had brought Michelangelo to the height of his career. This version of the "David" evoked more emotion and confidence than any previous version. Michelangelo achieved his goal of applying the Renaissance to his "David" while being innovative enough to choose a pre-battle scene rather than a version of the past that came after the excitement. it was over leaving room for said emotion. Although it became a political representation, it also became a sign that all things are possible with God. Michelangelo's completed David was absolutely his best work to date. The smoothness of the body, the texture of the eyes, hair and hands are a.