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November 28, 2012

MichelAngelo’s David

Florence, River Arno

A view of Florence and the Arno River. Love the buildings.

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I spent ages staring at David when we visited The Accademia in Florence. I viewed him from all angles. Michelangelo’s David is beautiful to look at even though he’s out of proportion.

Michelangelo carved David out of a single block of marble from the Carrara mountains. The marble was gifted to him. David is continually monitored because the leg bearing most of his weight is a weak point and one day he’ll break.

I really like him.

What do you think?

14 Comments

  1. Eleni Konstantine

    Isn’t it an amazing piece, Shelley. I think he was meant to be up high, so hence the out of proportion-ess we have because he’s really close to the ground in Florence. I saw him in person and the artistry is amazing. No wonder Michaelangelo was considered a master.

    • Shelley Munro

      Yes, you’re absolutely right about the height thing. Michelangelo was a master in all things art. He used to go to the mountains to pick out his blocks of marble. The marble he used for David was different in that it was given to him.

  2. Maria Zannini

    I wouldn’t kick him out of my garden. :)

    The reason he’s out of proportion is because he was meant to be seen from a certain height–not from a gallery setting.

    • Shelley Munro

      I’d love to have him in my garden :)

  3. Savannah Chase

    He can come spend time in my garden no problem…lol

    • Shelley Munro

      Attention grabbing, isn’t he?

  4. Mary Kirkland

    I always thought this statue was marvelous. It’s so hard to believe that someone was talented enough to carve this piece.

    • Shelley Munro

      Michelangelo worked up to the end of his life too. A very talented man!

  5. Brinda

    I thought up a whole story from that fact about his weak legging breaking in the future. I’d love to see him in person.

    • Shelley Munro

      He’s so old. Hopefully he’ll be around for a long time.

  6. Angela Brown

    I can’t help wondering what the world’s reaction would be to his leg finally giving way to the uneven weight distribution. Kind of a sad thought, actually.

    • Shelley Munro

      Yes, it is. He is much admired.

  7. Kimberly Menozzi

    I love the fact that there are benches all around the alcove behind him – and that the majority of people seated there are women, observing his assets.

    At least, that was the case when I visited. :D

    • Shelley Munro

      The place was full of tourists when I went, but I lingered a lot longer than my husband!