The Old Dog Revisits: The David, is it Really Out of Proportion?
My jaw dropped almost to the floor when I first saw it in 1985! So gigantic, so impressive, so smooth and polished that I was awestruck! Then the tour guide started to talk about it and I was somewhat deflated!
"Actually this is not one of Michelangelo's best sculptures, he was so young (in his mid twenties when it was begun) and inexperienced. The hands and head are drastically out of proportion with the rest of The David's body!" She said.
Now here I was 32 years later staring up at the David again, only this time it was a replica cast in bronze which was standing outside of a foundry not far from my home. It was time for me to learn a little bit more about the David and to re-examine what that tour guide had told me all of those years ago!
Here is the bronze David that got me reflecting on the proportions of the iconic original!
Here you can see that this really is a full size bronze replica just waiting to be delivered. All 5 feet of @lellabird60 are dwarfed by this 17 foot (5.17 meter) casting.
Is The David Really Out of Proportion?
The David is easily the most famous and recognizable sculpture in the world and has been lauded for centuries as Michelangelo's masterpiece. Upon examining it however one really does note that the head and hands are far too big for the rest of the body!
The real statue sits in the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence. Photo pixabay.com
Several Explanations Have Been Put Forward For This Disproportion
- Michelangelo knew that it would be viewed from the ground and he was adjusting for the eyes perception of their size from a distance
- During the Middle Ages David was called "manu fortis" or strong of hand and this was in homage to that fact!
- It is in recognition of the fact that a growing boy is gangly and often out of proportion!
Whether or not these explanations are plausible, and I have my doubts about them, is of little importance to me. I am still mesmerized by what Micehelangelo sculpted from a single block of marble and I look forward to visiting it again in Florence in the future!
Did You Know?
- It was started in 1501 and completed in 1504
- The single block of marble that it was chiseled from was unwanted and had twice been rejected by other sculptors after they found it too difficult to work with!
- It was originally intended to sit on the roof-line of Florence's cathedral dome but when its commissioners saw its beauty they put it where it could be observed from close up!
- Michelangelo was already famous for his sculpture of the Pieta when he created it but it was The David that gained him the reputation as a master sculptor at the age of 29!
- Giorgio Vasari, the 16th century painter said of the David: "Whoever has seen this work need not trouble to see any other work executed in sculpture, either in our own or in other times." Not bad for a statue that is out of proportion!
- The original David is in a museum but a full size replica is placed in its first and intended home which is in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. A bronzed replica is also stationed on a perch on Piazzale Michelangelo.
- With 8 million people visiting it a year all of their moving about amounts to the equivalent of tiny earthquakes which are slowly damaging the marble!
What About You?
- Do you find The David to be stunning?
- Have you ever seen the real statue?
- Are you amazed that it comes from a single block of marble?
I hope that you enjoyed reading "The David, is it Really Out of Proportion?"
Until next time,
Until next time,
@kus-knee (The Old Dog)
a too big head is to show that David is a boy.
distraction detector: BUZZ! "David was already famous for his sculpture of the Pieta when he " ;)
Fixed! Thanks for the heads up!
I was more amazed by the small stature of a lower extremity... The model must not have been Italian!
lol.. they did that on purpose. It's a classic feature that you will see in that proportion on a lot of old statues. The reason: Penis envy. Yes, penis envy.
Thank God I'm Italian!
...and Thank God, I'm IRISH! :D
(the "I's Have It!") ;)
Hahaha!
the classic rule wanted great men to have little penis, since a big one would mean animal kind.
rules are rules;)
Rrrroarrr!
Will you write an article on that!
do you think it is a intriguing subject? :D
To many yes but they may not admit it!
LOL! ok.
It's amazing but I personally never saw it fore real! Can we imagine Michelangelo doing it 500 years ago? And it's still there! This is the time where things comes and go, but some things are out of time! Maybe the hand was the last thing he did, and he was pretty bored to beat that hard rock :D!
Btw I think it's stunning mostly because of the age it represents, it's a symbol of an era where art exploded in quality and realism.
Yes it was an amazing era!
Michaelangelo was gay and the statue was maybe the likeness of his teen boy lover.
The didn't come up in my limited research but it could be.
I think it's mesmerising too. So much so that I don't care if done if it is out of proportion!
Agreed! How is the baby?
The new card should be out tomorrow!
Oh wow, I am excited to see the new card. I will check in!!
Baby is grand, usual upheaval with a newborn but getting into the swing of it!
I have never seen the real David statue, but there is a head replica at the Hungarian Academy of Applied Arts, and the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts.
I remember, when I was a designer student, and we had to draw the head.
I think the higher parts must be bigger, if the statue is bigger than life-size, because we see it in perspective. That's why a mock-up of this statue would be very strange, almost distorted.
By the way: we have a Petőfi statue in Székesfehérvár, with also big head, and huge hands. Compared to David statue, it is even more disproportionate.
In addition he wears a white polar sweater, LOL. Most of the citizens of Székesfehérvár do not like it and feel unworthy of the great poet. I have the same opinion.
You certainly live in a very culturally rich area of the world. Thanks for sharing!
The statue is stunning. Although l have not seen the real one, I am amazed how it was made from a single block. Honestly I did not know about the dispropotion, but that's what the tourist guides are for - to tell interesting facts. And now when I look at it again, it looks like the head and the hands are slightly bigger.
Very interesting post with new information about this famous masterpiece.
Most likely Imwouldmhave noticed the problem either. It is still very impressive all the same!
The fact that this sculpture was made from one block is amazing to say the least. What I find even more impressive is the coolness they must have had. One wrong chip and months of work might have been for nothing.
He truly was a visionary and his famous quote says it all about his artistic eye and imagination :
“Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.”
Less well known is his other quote... when asked how he did such a
great sculpture of this magnitude, he replied:
"You just chip away everything that does not resemble King David!"
:D
Wow you guys are on fire with these great quotes!
I love your quote. Thanks,
There is some lack of artwork. The symptoms which are visible.
I have a few pics of this statue as I lived in Florence for a while (amazing city). It is indeed a extraordinary piece of art. I've only seen the outside 1:1 replica , never been inside to where it's housed . Also I'm not sure if it's shown to visitors .
I saw it soooo long ago!