Michelangelo's Masterpiece: David

Recently we have looked at Michelangelo's awesome statues, The Pieta and David.

We talked about the way that Michelangelo viewed the human body as God's supremely-beautiful creation. He believed that creating a sculpture from marble -- particularly a sculpture of the human body -- is the highest form of art.

We also learned the famous story about Michelangelo carving his name (along with the emphatic words "made this") into the Virgin Mary's satchel, after he overheard someone claiming that another artist had made The Pieta.

The students had lots of great observations about David:

Timmy: David is holding something, while he looks to his left. There is a tree stump behind his right leg. (Excellent job, Timmy, of noticing the tree stump -- Michelangelo used the stump as a way to support the rest of the massive statue) (Courtney C. and Bella pointed out that the object he's holding is a slingshot. Do you know who he killed with the slingshot?)

Liam B.: David is extremely realistic. It almost looks like Michelangelo took a real man and then covered him with stone!

Eden: His whole body really looks like an actual person, who just got turned into rock.

Willow: The way that David is standing makes him look powerful and strong. And his eyes almost bore into you!

Sophia W.: His hands are abnormally large (I love the use of the word "abnormally"! Also, Sophia noticed something that historians have pointed out is the one imperfection of this statue: compared to the rest of his body, David's hands are too big).

Cadigan: I notice how many details there are in David's hair. It looks graceful, and it has depth ... His feet also look very realistic and detailed. Michelangelo even included the joints and wrinkles in his toes.

Brody: I noticed how well his hair is sculpted. It must have taken a very long time to finish!

Caroline: David's expression is solemn and focused. Each area where his body is supposed to be shaded is accurate. Also, this statue is very symmetrical.

James B.: Michelangelo made David look very muscular and heroic (that's a wonderful word choice, James!). This comes as no surprise, knowing that Renaissance artists liked to show humans as muscular. I also notice that David looks very unsure about something or someone. I wonder why?

Chloe P.B.: His forehead is tense, as if he is thinking really hard. It's amazing how Michelangelo was able to show his statue's emotions so clearly and realistically.