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!
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.
Thank God I'm Italian!
...and Thank God, I'm IRISH! :D
(the "I's Have It!") ;)
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!
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!
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 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!
I have seen it in Florence . There is part of the thigh that is unfinished because the block was too small and Micheangelo would not compromise at all I believe.
A possible interpretation of the 1/3 scaled up head and hands are that the mind and hands are the most emphasised attributes of us all.
He also wore dog skin trousers for months on end whilst he was ;in the zone '
and they had to be literally peeled of him! Great post
Thanks for these additional details!
They are good in forming in a block of marble,
Michaelangelo and davids sculpture are both good , I love art 😍
Amazing!
Wow.... hey @kus-knee
That is great....and famous sculpture in the world....
Wonderful post with nice ideas from "the old dog"....
Wel ne my dear friend....
Upvoted...
Cheers~~~~~
Thanks so much!
This statue was lot of amazing like as this mean live here. Its smart nude David.
Real good post @kus-knee
what?
Thanks so much!
Ok!
David is a statue among statues. I have never seen it in person but I will soon. It is a work that needs to be appreicuate in person and not just literally.
You are right!
I’ve never seen it in real life but I would never have noticed the disproportion if it hadn’t been pointed out to me. It amazes me how an artist can create something so accurate especially since I’m not gifted in an artistic sense.
Yes it really is amazing how he managed even the veins etc....
wonderful historical information, really amazing one, Single block of marble?!! what a Big one!
Yes it really is sooo impressive!
Hey @kus-knee
No more words.....
W
E
L
D
O
N
E
My dear friend....
Wel done and perfect work...
Upvoted...
Cheers~~~~~
Appreciated!
@kus-knee, very exited tour when you visit that historical sculptures, nice informations shared, David's statue is a very famous. That's a great piece of sculpture art. When I saw it first it seems to be a real man, very amizing,.. Thanks,
You're right it almost seems like a real man. What talent!
The David is not completely good in proportion , scale would helped ;-) But interesting to see in real and try not to damage the marble......
Yes let's hope that it gets preserved for the future as well!
Normally people doesn't follow the signs,.. so maybe this will help to keep them away,........
That brings the next topic; Why we have to take such measures, where is the respect for belongings from others ...
I saw the real statue, it is really astonishing!
What a great experience for you. I'm getting motivated to go and see it again!
I would love to see this masterpiece mate! I am always impressed with such art, really stunning!
Yes I also enjoy exploring these works as well!
Wow great, single block of marble. It is one of the greatest statue of the world. Great post about the great artistic work. Thanks for sharing, Upvoted please friend by mistake it may visit me too, I am also your friend, without having your support how can we survive.have a great day friend happy steeming.
Thanks for coming by to have a look!
@kus-knee,
I am really impressed by watching this first photography of David's sculpture! I never seen it real and hope one day STEEM will help me to visit there :D But I was not amazed by hearing that sculpture built on a single rock! Yeah should build on a single rock!
Great article and thanks for sharing such wonderful experience with us!
Cheers~
Thanks so much for coming and for your comment!
I think his great. However I dont get a chance to see his statue.
Thanks for stopping by!
Out of proportion, the head and hands...but definitely the man bits, the jewels, the c0ck & b4lls they're too SMALL.
@paolobeneforti has an explanation for this!
truly an amazing structure and you have given great details of it.. Unfortunately i haven't seen the real thing yet, but hopefully I will have a chance to see it in my won eyes.
Yes of cause it is a awesome creation with a single marble block
Cheers!
Yes it really is well worth seeing!
big hands is big...
Doesn't seem to be the case here!
haha, no not in this case...( sorry to ask again, please consider to vote for me as witness, as this helps me a lot in my steemit adventure) No, is also ok.. no prob
i had literally no idea about this before came to know about it just after reading it
Glad that you discovered it!
oh man dude thats so freakin awesome man! I wanna see this in real life so bad!! so many places I wanna go including Greece .. soon enough I suppose il see all this in person lol. I did go to the wynwood walls and saw some unbelievable art! I posted on it and I think you'd appreciate it man!! have you ever been to wynwood in Miami ?? its insanely cool! check it when you get a chance brotha I think you'll like it.
I'm sure that you'd enjoy visiting the historic sights here in Europe!
I have never seen it in real life, nice post with interesting facts!!
Thanks so much!
Wow, made out of one block. That is really difficult. I can imagine that others have refused to do it. What a great art.
Yes it is truly amazing!
La potenza espressiva di Michelangelo è enorme! Nelle architetture come nella pittura e nella scultura e perfino nella letteratura. ..Io del David mi sono subito innamorata...non ti dico altro!
It is so stunning!
Looks like you're impressed!
so funny.
Good Post
Nice art..!💕
Also if the scale was increased for the view point from ground level , the shoulders ,neck, biceps, triceps etc would be in scale. He was definitely making a point about something.
As I am a 3D artist and make 3D characters in it. I can understand how difficult it would have been for Michelangelo to make this. Proportions are not big deal here, they are almost perfect but the level of expertise and finishing make this really a master piece.
@smartbot tip @kus-knee 500
Tipped @kus-knee
500 SMART
! Comment@smartbot help
to claim. Currently the price of SmartCash in the market is$0.021 USD
perSMART
. To find out more about SmartCash, please visit https://smartcash.cc.That is indeed a astonishing statue! And the bronze replica looks so misplaced in front of that van... I have never before noticed that the proportions are wrong, but now that you said it I can see what you mean. It is still really impressive! I have never quite understood how it is possible to make such a fine statue out of stone, I would fear accidentally breaking off a piece of the stone just when I'm starting to be ready with the statue. Imagine doing that after a 3 year process :P
The Sculpture is indeed facinating had few ideas about it but the expolanation looks great by the post .
Amazing photos, certainly a lot of history and stories that need to be dug deeper .. I like your post ... Upvote
This is a amazing picture and video good post dear.....
Really nice post
wow I thought the bit about the 8 million people a year are like little earthquakes damaging the marble!
Very hard to believe but at the same time seems possible. COOL!
I love art of all kinds from all periods. I don't find this particular statue to be particularly beautiful but the story and history sure is.
Congratulations @kus-knee!
Your post was mentioned in the hit parade in the following category:
My jaw also almost fell to the floor when I read your post! That's cool! Are you on the video? @kus-knee , Take part in the Selfie so that it would be interesting to communicate :)))
https://steemit.com/steemitselfifest/@olga.maslievich/steemitselfifest-good-morning-my-friends-steemians-we-shot-a-little-positive-video-for-your-good-mood