Ciao friends!
Today was our first full day in Florence (Firenze). This city is smaller than Rome and a lot less busy. It is also much easier to get around! Today, the highlight was going to Museum Accademia to see Michelangelo's David.
Remember one of my older posts where I talked about an artist who considered himself primarily a sculptor, but still agreed to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel? Well, the city of Florence is home to perhaps the most famous and incredible sculpture of all time - no surprise that it is also a creation by Michelangelo. It's called "The David." The statue was sculpted between 1501 and 1504 AD when Michelangelo was in his mid 20's.
Like the story of how Michelangelo persevered for hours on end in his efforts to create the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, this statue represents a labor of love. In fact, the block of marble from which it was chiseled was rejected by many other sculptors who did not want to work with a stone they thought of as "imperfect." They must have felt pretty silly when they realized how with the right amount of talent and perseverance, this stone could be transformed into a piece of art many believe to be the most important in the world!
In the bible, David is the hero of a story where a young shepherd boy armed only with a rock and sling is challenged by a well-known warrior named Goliath, who has both a weapon and a shield. In the story, David prevails by killing Goliath. Many people think this tale is important because it shows how the bravery and inner strength of everyday people can be powerful enough to make major change.
Michelangelo set about sculpting his own vision of David after studying this ancient story. The end result of his work is absolutely amazing. Every detail is so precise and convincing, when looking at it you almost feel like the statue is about to come to life. It truly looks like a real man who might at any moment take a step, reach out, or speak. We marveled at the sight of it for quite some time.
Here is a picture of the statue.
The picture below shows just David's hand. It is intentionally bigger than the rest of his body because this is the hand that shot the rock out of the sling, making David the victor of his battle with Goliath. In this story, good wins over evil. It's an inspiring kind of ending!
Leading up to the statue of David are some sculptures Michelangelo began to work on, but never completed. Though you might think it wouldn't be very interesting to look at a piece of art that was never finished, it's actually quite the opposite. Looking closely at these pieces allows you to imagine what the process of sculpting marble would have entailed. For me, it inspired an even deeper sense of awe for The David.
Looking that these sculptures helped me to further appreciate the genius of Michelangelo's artistic talent. When working with a block of marble, he imagined himself freeing the forms that already existed within the stone. In other words, he let the stone "speak" to him as he chiseled and chipped away. When finished, he found the sculpture that had been hidden inside the stone all along. Pretty amazing...
More tomorrow!
Mrs. B.
Today was our first full day in Florence (Firenze). This city is smaller than Rome and a lot less busy. It is also much easier to get around! Today, the highlight was going to Museum Accademia to see Michelangelo's David.
Remember one of my older posts where I talked about an artist who considered himself primarily a sculptor, but still agreed to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel? Well, the city of Florence is home to perhaps the most famous and incredible sculpture of all time - no surprise that it is also a creation by Michelangelo. It's called "The David." The statue was sculpted between 1501 and 1504 AD when Michelangelo was in his mid 20's.
Like the story of how Michelangelo persevered for hours on end in his efforts to create the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, this statue represents a labor of love. In fact, the block of marble from which it was chiseled was rejected by many other sculptors who did not want to work with a stone they thought of as "imperfect." They must have felt pretty silly when they realized how with the right amount of talent and perseverance, this stone could be transformed into a piece of art many believe to be the most important in the world!
In the bible, David is the hero of a story where a young shepherd boy armed only with a rock and sling is challenged by a well-known warrior named Goliath, who has both a weapon and a shield. In the story, David prevails by killing Goliath. Many people think this tale is important because it shows how the bravery and inner strength of everyday people can be powerful enough to make major change.
Michelangelo set about sculpting his own vision of David after studying this ancient story. The end result of his work is absolutely amazing. Every detail is so precise and convincing, when looking at it you almost feel like the statue is about to come to life. It truly looks like a real man who might at any moment take a step, reach out, or speak. We marveled at the sight of it for quite some time.
Here is a picture of the statue.
The picture below shows just David's hand. It is intentionally bigger than the rest of his body because this is the hand that shot the rock out of the sling, making David the victor of his battle with Goliath. In this story, good wins over evil. It's an inspiring kind of ending!
Leading up to the statue of David are some sculptures Michelangelo began to work on, but never completed. Though you might think it wouldn't be very interesting to look at a piece of art that was never finished, it's actually quite the opposite. Looking closely at these pieces allows you to imagine what the process of sculpting marble would have entailed. For me, it inspired an even deeper sense of awe for The David.
Looking that these sculptures helped me to further appreciate the genius of Michelangelo's artistic talent. When working with a block of marble, he imagined himself freeing the forms that already existed within the stone. In other words, he let the stone "speak" to him as he chiseled and chipped away. When finished, he found the sculpture that had been hidden inside the stone all along. Pretty amazing...
More tomorrow!
Mrs. B.
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