In the gallery of the Florentine Academy of Fine Arts for 140 years, the world-famous masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance genius, the sculpture of David, has been exhibited. Michelangelo, who created the statue of the biblical hero, revealed to the world a creation that has been admired for more than five centuries and is considered the standard for the authenticity of the image of the human body.
The story of "David"
The master got a marble block of impressive size from the mines of Carrara, on which two sculptures worked before him, who abandoned the difficult task of creating a work of art from the proposed material. The curators of the temple of Santa Maria del Fiore, for which the statue was originally intended to decorate, were commissioned to complete the statue immortalizing the beautiful body that David possessed, Michelangelo Buonarroti, known for having already created the bas-reliefs of the Madonna at the Stairs by the age of 26 and "Battle of the Centaurs", as well as the figures of the Virgin Mary and Christ (an outstanding work "Pieta"). In 1504 Michelangelocompleted the work, and the five-meter statue, dedicated to the feat of the biblical hero, reached its pedestal at the Palazzo Vecchio in Piazza della Signoria, where it stood for more than 360 years, personifying the symbol of the Florentine Republic. Due to riots that broke out in the city in 1527, the marble youth's left hand was damaged. For many years, Michelangelo's "David" was exposed to the sun, precipitation and wind.
The city authorities noticed the destructive effect of the environment only in 1843. Then they ordered to wash the statue, and 30 years later they found a more suitable room, where the “David” created by Michelangelo was moved. The photo shows the statue located in the building of the Academy of Fine Arts, where it is reliably protected from the effects of destructive factors, mainly toxic gases. It was quite difficult to move the masterpiece because of its gigantic size and weight. But the inhabitants of Florence came up with a special device with which they coped with the most difficult task. Michelangelo's "David" became the world's first statue of significant size, which was transported to a shelter in order to save beauty. However, Piazza della Signoria has not lost one of its main attractions, since an exact copy of the creation of the great master in 1910 took the place of the original.
Immortal monument of the High Renaissance
Visitors constantly come to the gallery and to the Palazzo Vecchio to get aesthetic pleasure from the work of a brilliant master, to experience the feelingadmiration from the triumph of the human spirit, physical perfection and inner beauty of a young man, his courage and readiness for battle.
In the era when the great sculptor, artist and poet Michelangelo Buonarroti lived, 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 human capabilities, made a strong impression on his contemporaries. Today, Michelangelo's David, given a new look and added expressiveness by the power of artificial lighting, still demonstrates the unrivaled craftsmanship of its ingenious creator.
