Image source: Slow Tuscany.it
MICHELANGELO’S DAVID: WHERE IT IS AND WHO THE HERO REPRESENTED IS
Michelangelo’s David is one of the early works by the great Florentine artist, who was only 26 years old when he started working on it, but he was already famous for his unique talent.
The work was commissioned by the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence in 1501, in order to place it along the roofline of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (Florence Cathedral).
Michelangelo’s David was a real challenge for the artist, who began working on a block of marble that other artists before him had tried to carve, but the block had a lot of problems because the material was fragile.
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Nonetheless, Michelangelo’s David was completed after only three years.
In 1504 David by Michelangelo Buonarroti was finished, but its size made impossible to place it on the buttress of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore for which it was destined, and in order to solve the problem, a committee, which comprised the leading artists of that time (including Sandro Botticelli and Leonardo da Vinci), was established to decide on an appropriate site for the statue.
Eventually, the committee members decided to place Michelangelo’s David in front of the Palazzo Vecchio, where it remained until 1873.
Now the statue is displayed in the Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze (or Gallery of the Academy of Florence), to protect it from weathering; whereas a copy stands in Piazza della Signoria.
At the end of the post you’ll find the link to book the entrance ticket to the Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze to admire the statue.
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Where can you admire Michelangelo’s David?
The original sculpture by Michelangelo Buonarroti is displayed in the Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze.
The Accademia Gallery is located in the historic centre of Florence, in via Ricasoli, few steps away from the University.
If you arrive in Florence by plane, by train or by bus, the point of arrival is always the square of the central Santa Maria Novella railway station.
From here you can easily reach the Accademia Gallery on foot in about 15 minutes.
MICHELANGELO’S DAVID tickets
You must reserve a ticket for the Accademia Gallery. You’d better book your admission ticket to avoid the line at the ticket office and make the most of your time to visit it.
You can buy tickets at the entrance but the line to enter the Accademia Gallery can be endless.
My advice is to book your ticket for the Accademia Gallery in Florence in advance to skip the line.
On the first Sunday of every month, the museum opens with normal opening hours and entry is free for everyone.
And you, have you seen the David and what did you feel when you stood in front of this masterpiece for the first time?
I look forward to reading you in the comments to hear about your experiences and if you have not yet seen Michelangelo’s David, I leave you, below, all the information about this marvel of art 😉
Who is Michelangelo’s David
Michelangelo’s David represents the Biblical hero, second king of Israel during the first half of the 10th century BC, while he is about to face the giant Goliath, who at that time frightened the Israelites, by challenging them to a duel.
In his right hand David holds a stone he will use to kill the giant.
David’s look is severe, and there are a lot of details which make this sculpture a real masterpiece: the vein going across the neck, the clearly visible tendons, and the tense muscles.
With Michelangelo’s David the artist modernizes the model of male beauty which draws inspirations from Greek and Roman classical sculpture, and since his first appearance this statue has been considered the most perfect work of the Renaissance.
When the statue was placed in Piazza della Signoria in front of the entrance of the Palazzo Vecchio, David was turned in southward direction, as an act of defiance to all the enemy people ready to attack Florence.
READ ALSO: Michelangelo Buonarroti, 5 things to know.
CHAT WITH MICHELANGELO’S DAVID
From 15 December the beta version of the Florence Academy Gallery’s artificial intelligence project will be launched.
The David “chats” and lays himself bare to his admirers. How does he do it? Through the Accademia Gallery’s new artificial intelligence project, “Chat with David”.
Simply connect to the Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze website and it will be possible for anyone to chat online with David, answering questions and divulging historical, artistic and religious information, as well as anecdotes and curiosities.
“The idea of the chatbot,” says Cecilie Hollberg, director of the Accademia Gallery in Florence, “stems from the desire to bring this museum into the modern world, and to keep up to date we need to turn to young people, such as university students from Italy and elsewhere, who are involved in the project, and who, with the freshness of their approach, dictated by a free spirit, are able to communicate their curiosity about a work of art, thus making the emotion they feel in front of the David to discover what it really represents. This experience with artificial intelligence can be considered a first approach as well as a playful way to attract the attention of those who are not used to approaching art.”
Image source: www.accademia.org
READ ALSO: The Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
visto x 3 volte a distanza di 30 anni una dall’altra ,ma quando te lo trovi davanti come fosse la prima volta,.ci si trova incantati da tanta bellezza e perfezione.
E’ davvero una scultura straordinaria.
Buongiorno, ho visitato anni 5 anni fa l’accademia e chiaramente visto il Davide. avrei bisogno di una foto dello stesso vista frontale dell’intero, Come posso fare?
Online ormai trovi immagini del David da tutte le angolazioni. L’alternativa è tornare all’Accademia e fargli una nuova foto.