Michelangelo was among the wonderful Italian artists of the Renaissance period. Being the gifted artist that he was, his overwhelming creation of countless masterpieces held him in high regard throughout his life, and has been since then. It is for this very reason he was called II Divino, or the Divine one, by his peers. Never to be tied down to any one artform, his masterpeices spaned many, and even though he spent years painting the breathtaking Sistine Chapel in his view sculpture was a more beneficial form of art.
The Pieta is one of Michelangelos most renowned scultures, that can be found in St Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. This amazing scultpure is of Christ being held by Mary his mother after the crucifuxion. Michelangelo, along with many other Renaissance artists would reflect the huge influence religion had in his time, in his artwork.
As honored as the Pieta is it is not Michelangelo's most acknowledge, or highly respected, piece of sculpture. That honour easily goes to the statue of David. Cut from one piece of Carrara marble and standing 17 feet tall, it shows the Biblical David, standing naked before his battle with Goliath The level of detail and the symbolism enclosed in the piece has led a few scholars to claim the statue of David as Michelangelo's most accomplished masterpiece. Surprisingly it was completed before he was 30 years old, in 1504.
In 1501, Michelangelo began work on the statue of David, while the marble had begun to be sculpted many years before by Agostino di Duccio. He only got as far as starting to sculpt the bottom of the statue, however. The work was a commissioned piece, and since a marble block of this size would be extremely expensive, in 1501 Michelangelo was hired to complete the statue of David. In case you are wondering, yes, the work is entirely his, for, from what we know The marble had barely been cut before Michelangelo started his work, and there was certainly no detail to it.
As with any great piece of art, Michelangelo's statue of David is open to debate regarding its symbolism. It certainly highlights David's youthful beauty, all so typical of the work Michelangelo would produce. A relaxed pose showing no sign of imediate ergence, his wieght leaning balanced on the right leg. This being typical as many statues of the Renaissance were directly inflenced by Greek art of the Classical period. Even though the body appears to be relaxed, some commentators have argued that David seems to be getting ready to do battle with Goliath. He appears to be looking into the distance with anxious eyes.
Most tellingly of all, there is no indication that David has yet slain the giant. David was a common subject for Renaissance art due to Davids' symbolism of overcoming a powerful enemy to triumph over adversity. This had political symbolism at that time. Prior attempts at a statue of David, for example by Donatello and Verrocchio, had incorporated the head of the slain Goliath. Michelangelos' statue of David has no slain head, no sword, just a naked David with a sling thrown over his shoulder.
Michelangelo's statue of David was removed from its original position in Piazza della Signoria in 1873 and a replica was put in its' place. You will find additional replicas existing in several museums around the world. The original is now housed in the Accademia Gallery in Florence in order to maintain the marble from any deterioration. It is, quite rightly, a massive tourist attraction, and a precious work of art.
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