Making a Masterpiece: A deep dive into Michelangelo’s David
- Gabrielle Keller
- May 17, 2023
- 8 min read
What makes a masterpiece?
Tucked away on a side street in Florence, Italy, the cobblestone road floods with crowds of people. Through the hoards in the street, a line of people standing behind a red rope begins to organize. The line goes around the corner and appears to be leading to a regular old Italian apartment. However, there is something very special residing inside this unassuming establishment.
The building is one of the most famous art museums in the world, The Accademia. It is home to renowned work of art ever created: Michelangelo’s David. The sculpture is considered one of the greatest masterpieces ever created. Each year, millions of people around the world flock to Florence to view the seventeen-foot-tall statue in all of its glory.
Nearly everyone is familiar with Michaelangelo’s David and is interested to catch a glimpse of its detail in person. Even non-art fanatics travel long distances to see it.
“We are only in Florence for the day. We want to see the famous stuff,” says Mij, a tourist from North Carolina. She and her friend Gabi are vacationing in Italy and made the trek to Florence solely to see the statue.
Millions of people flock to art galleries and museums such as The Accademia every year. Throughout history, art has been one of the most important cultural components. Art has been and always will be cherished by the masses, as it has the power to draw intense emotional responses in viewers. Art is a craft of expression, emphasizing the emotion, creativity, and imagination of a single individual. As a result, the artwork is personal to the artist, and the creation typically reflects their mind.
“Art is a combination of something that is technically complicated as well as emotive,” says Gabi, a tourist from North Carolina.
At its very core, the purpose of art is to connect with the viewer in some way. It is meant to evoke emotion. So, what about specific works of art does just that? First, the visual appeal in a work is extremely important. People connect with the art that catches their eye. It is typically an immediate, unexplainable reaction. It only takes a glance at a piece for a person to feel. Color, subject matter, shapes, size, and orientation of the creation all come to play in visual appeal.
If art is so personal to the artist and viewer, how can a single creation be universally accepted as a masterpiece? The originality of the art is a huge factor in making a masterpiece. People want to be overcome with emotion, and in order to do that, art has to typically be something one has never seen before. The individuality of an art piece can be achieved through many different means. Maybe a work of art is a masterpiece because of the interesting materials used to create it. Maybe it was the use of color, detail work, or innovative techniques.
In addition to originality, the timelessness of the work also makes it a masterpiece. A masterpiece is something that will age well, and still be appreciated as history and technology advances. A timeless masterpiece is like a time capsule: It captures the thoughts and should of the artist and the time it was created in, and can still be accessed hundred of years later.
“Art was their [the artists’] life. It was their style, their mind, how they lived, and they put themselves inside of them [masterpieces],” says Anna, a tour guide at the Accademia, an artist, and Florence native. She was so enthusiastic about art and Michelkangelo’s David and spoke with such knowledge and passion on the subject.
Lastly, a masterpiece must alter the way people think and view art. There must be some kind of historical shift in people’s mindset. Masterpieces can change the way people view history, specific artistic techniques, opinions, and even themselves.
“I think that art heals the soul,” says Anna.
The Academia Gallery
The Gallery of the Academy of Florence was founded in 1784 by Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo. It features Renaissance masterpieces from the 11th to 15th century including sculptures, paintings, musical artifacts, and tapestries. The most famous works in the gallery are Giambologna's, The Rape of the Sabines, and many sculptures by Michaelangelo. Most famously, the Academia Gallery is home to David. It is even nicknamed the Gallery of Michelangelo, due to the abundance of his work the gallery houses.
The Accademia Gallery is the second most visited art museum in Italy, next to the Uffizi. Millions of people go to view the amazing masterpieces located within the old building. When you walk into the gallery, crowds of people surround the different famous sculptures and stroll down the intricately decorated displays.
Michelangelo
Michelangelo was a sculptor, painter, architect, scientist, and poet and is considered the ultimate Italian Renaissance man. He was one of the greatest living artists of his lifetime and is still known to be one of the best artists of all time. He is most famous for painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
Michelangelo was a well-connected artist. He was born into Florentine nobility, though his family had lost their status by the time he was born. He became an apprentice at age thirteen under one of the city’s most important painters, Domenico Ghirlandaio. He left after one year, as his talent surpassed what Ghirlandaio could teach him. Because of his raw skill, he was taken under the wing of Lorenzo de’ Medici, who only surrounded himself with intellectuals. From there, Michelangelo’s fame flourished.
“The difference between a genius and an extraordinary artist is that a Genius changes art. After them, art will never be the same. Michelangelo was a genius,” says Anna.
The artist was known to have an extremely brash personality. He was arrogant, full of himself, argumentative, competitive, and possibly bipolar. He was also extremely driven and obsessed with art. Michelangelo knew how talented he was, and let everyone know. He even once argued his way into being considered for a contest in architecture, even though he was up against famous architects and he was not an architect.
“He always took a step over,” says Anna as she tells the story about Michelangelo asking the Pope to reconsider him for the architecture competition, “he was so obsessed that when he wanted to have something, he got it.”
People hated his personality but absolutely adored the artist. Artists studied him, and tried to recreate his talent. Florentines felt as though he was a representation of the city himself, as he was filled with an angry passion, but obsessed with the arts and learning. He embodied the Italian Renaissance.
Making the Masterpiece
At just twenty-six years old, Michelangelo assumed the challenge of sculpting the David statue. The marble that David was made out of was actually older than Michelangelo himself. Originally, Agostino di Duccio was commissioned to craft this sculpture in 1464. The marble chosen was tall and narrow, with many porous holes on the left side. As soon as he realized he had chosen a faulty piece of marble to sculpt on, the artist gave up. The next sculptor to accept the challenge was Antonio Rosselino ten years later. He too gave up on the challenge. The marble sat untouched for another twenty-five years when Michelangelo decided to take on the challenge.
Michelangelo was offered assistants to help him with this challenge, however, he wanted to do this completely on his own and denied any help. Because the marble was too heavy to move, Michelangelo was forced to work in the public piazza where the marble was placed. The sculptor hated working in front of people. So when asked if there was any specific tool he would need to sculpt, Michelangelo requested lots of wood. The artist built a fence all around him so that no one could see him while he crafted his masterpiece.
To fill in all of the pores the marble contained, Michelangelo used cement on the marble. This allowed the surface of the rock to be smoother, and less fragile. Also, the artist had to figure out how to askew David’s body to fit the slender proportions of the slab. He decided to slightly twist the body of the statue at an angle. Not only was the contortion of David’s body a way to overcome technical obstacles, but it also aids in telling a deep story. David is leaning to his right side as if he is preparing to fight or deeply thinking about his recent victory.
“I read about there being some discussion of whether this being before Goliath or after Goliath,” says Mij, “but he just has this very empowered feeling.”
Additionally, Michelangelo was a master at creating proportions. He knew that the giant statue was intended to be viewed from very high above, placed on the top of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. So, the artist crafted the sculpture with that in mind. David’s head, arms, and hands are abnormally large in comparison to his legs. From a far away, straight-on view, the statue may seem disproportionate. But, looking from directly below as intended, the statue looks perfect. Michelangelo thought of everything when crafting this work of art.
“It feels so human, even though it’s made of stone,” says Gabi.
The David
Three years after embarking on his project, Michelangelo finally unveiled his masterpiece in 1504. Florentines decided it was too impressive to be placed on the very top of the cathedral, so they moved it to the Piazza della Signoria. It took 4 days to move the six-ton statue a half a mile, where it would remain for nearly four hundred years to brave the elements.
Despite the Florentines thinking of the David statute as a symbol of Florence itself, people still vandalized the beloved statue. Many citizens threw rocks at the statue, and even shattered its left arm into three pieces during a revolt against the Medici family. To protect it, the statue was moved into the Accademia in 1873, where it currently is on display. However, it was still attacked. In 1991, an artist smashed David’s left foot.
Thankfully, David is more protected than ever before, and strong security measures inside the Accedmia are now in place, such as metal detectors upon entering the building.
Different angles of the David. Michelangelo's David was intended to be breathing. Each photo shows the different movements of the muscle groups when one takes a breath. You can see tendons, bones, and veins tense. David's foot shows where he was smashed with a hammer. The arm shows where David was smashed in three parts.
A Universal Sensation
The David is truly a symbol of perfection, especially for the Florentines. As the story of David tells the religious tail of the power and triumph of a young boy and the statue was created for the city, Michelangelo’s masterpiece embodies the independence and strength of Florence.
In the Gallery of the Academy, the stained glass ceiling window allows the sun to shine directly down on the breathtaking work of art. The light acts as a natural spotlight, and highlights David’s muscles, veins, bones, and hair. It allows the immense details and realism of the statue to be viewed, showcasing how delicate, yet strong this representation of David was intended to be. When seen in person, it is hard not to do anything but step back in awe of this masterpiece.
“He creates reality,” says Anna, “he carved his weight, his breath, his thought. It really is astonishing to think how he did it.”
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