Creative Suite

The Statue of David by Michelangelo

March 26th, 2008

The Statue of David is perhaps one of the most famous sculptures in the world. It is a Renaissance masterpiece sculpted by Micheangelo from 1501 to 1504. It is considered as    one of the greatest works of the famous Renaissance artist along with his other sculpture, the Pieta.

The Statue of David can be found in the city of Florence in Italy. The original statue is now located at the Accademia Gallery where it is being protected from damage. A replica  of the statue now stands in its former place at the entrance of the Palazzo Vecchio in 1910. The replica statue still attracts many visitors at Florence. There is also another replica of the famous statue that is located at the Piazza della Signora which also attracts throngs of spectators passing by.

The original statue of David was commissioned by the guild of wool merchants in the city, or Arte della Lana. This guild was responsible for the maintenance and the decoration of the Cathedral of Florence. The guild was tasked to oversee the creation of 12 large sculptures for cathedral. Michelangelo was given the task of finishing the statue of David after previous artists commissioned to form one from a single block of marble. The statue was first started on at around 1464 and Michelangelo was awarded the commission sometime in the 1500’s. By this time, the previous artists were able to form the legs, feet and the figure from the huge block of statue. Michelangelo started working on it in 1501 and was able to finish it in a span of three years.

Michelangelo’s David was created following the style of the artistic discipline called disegno which tries to mimic divine creation. Its positioning is based on the contrapposto style of human pose depicted as a human form standing with most of its weight on one foot giving the figure a more dynamic appearance. With this style, Michelangelo was able to create a statue that became widely known fas a symbol of strength and youthful human beauty.

Entry Filed under: Sculpture