Marble David. Michelangelo and his creation

In the gallery of the Florentine Academy of Fine Arts for 140 years, the world-famous masterpiece of the Italian genius of the Renaissance - the sculpture of David. Michelangelo, who created the statue of a biblical hero, showed the world a creation that has been admired for more than five centuries and is considered the standard of authenticity of the image of the human body.

The History of David

The master received a marble block of impressive size from the mines of Carrara, over which two sculptures had worked before him, abandoning the complex task of creating a work of art from the proposed material. The curators of the church of Santa Maria del Fiore, whose decoration was originally intended for the statue, was commissioned to complete the statue that perpetuated the beautiful body that David had, Michelangelo Buonarroti, known for the fact that by the age of 26 he had already created the bas-reliefs "Madonna at the Stairs" and "The Battle of Centaurs", as well as the figures of the Virgin Mary and Christ (the outstanding work of "Pieta"). In 1504, Michelangelo completed his work, and a five-meter statue dedicated to the feat of the Biblical hero reached his pedestal at the Palazzo Vecchio in Piazza della Signoria, where it stood for more than 360 years, representing the symbol of the Republic of Florence. Because of the riots that broke out in the city in 1527, the left hand of the marble youth was damaged. For many years, "David" Michelangelo was exposed to the sun, precipitation and wind. City authorities noticed the destructive effect of the environment only in 1843. Then they ordered to wash the statue, and after 30 years they found a more suitable room, where the "David" created by Michelangelo was transferred. The photo shows a statue placed in the building of the Academy of Fine Arts, where it is reliably protected from the effects of destructive factors, mainly toxic gases. Moving the masterpiece was quite difficult because of its gigantic size and weight. But the inhabitants of Florence came up with a special device, with the help of which they coped with the most difficult task. "David" Michelangelo became the world's first statue of considerable size, which was sent to the shelter in order to save the beauty. However, the Piazza della Signoria did not lose one of its main attractions, as an exact copy of the creation of the great master in 1910 took the place of the original.

Immortal Monument of the High Renaissance

In the gallery and to the Palazzo Vecchio, visitors constantly come to get an aesthetic pleasure from the work of a brilliant master, to feel the admiration of the triumph of the human spirit, the physical perfection and inner beauty of the young man, his courage and readiness for battle. In the era when there lived a great sculptor, painter and poet Michelangelo Buonarroti, and in later times, the statue was illuminated only by the light of the sun's rays. The proud image of David, consonant with the era of the High Renaissance with its unshakable faith in the possibilities of man, produced a strong impression on contemporaries. Today, "David" Michelangelo, who has acquired a new look and additional expressiveness through the possibilities of artificial lighting, continues to demonstrate the unrivaled skill of his brilliant creator.