History of Michelangelos David - Essay Example

The placing of David outside of the Florentine government created a symbol for freedom and protection for the residents of the city. Instead of portraying King David from the Scriptures after defeating Goliath, Michelangelo decided to show David before the great battle with Goliath. The slingshot hanging casually over his back show David’s fearlessness fulfilling Catholicism theory that David had God on his side. The muscle toned young man Michelangelo depicted was another portrayal of the heroic nude.

The heroic nude of David could be considered as the strength of God through a human in this instance. Although a famous sculpture, David does have a flaw. The most noticeable flaw is the fact that David is uncircumcised. Michelangelo learned to draw nudes from the morgue of Florence, but probably never seen an unclothed Jewish man. Even if he did see a circumcised male, the questions of placing a circumcised male in view of the public would have been too controversial. David fulfilled a prideful purpose for the city of Florence.

A strong looking Italian David stood guard over the government. The calmness in the statue’s face shows no fear in the face of an enemy. David reassured the Florentines no matter the other issues.