On this day in 1504, Michelangelo’s David is unveiled in Piazza della Signoria in Florence. With a height of 5.17 metres (17 ft 0 in), the David was not only the first colossal marble statue made in the High Renaissance, but also the first since classical antiquity, setting a precedent for the 16th century and beyond. David was originally commissioned as one of a series of statues of twelve prophets to be positioned along the roofline of the east end of Florence Cathedral, but was instead placed in the public square in front of the Piazza della Signoria, the seat of civic government in Florence. In 1873, the statue was moved to the Galleria dell’Accademia, Florence. In 1910 a replica was installed at the original site on the public square.
he biblical figure David was a favored subject in the art of Florence. Because of the nature of the figure it represented, the statue soon came to symbolize the defense of civil liberties embodied in the 1494 constitution of the Republic of Florence.
Michelangelo regarded a single block of stone as containing all the possible conceptions for a work of art, and believed that the artist’s task is sculpting the marble block to reveal the ideal form within, an expression of his Neo-Platonic belief that body and mind are separate, and must work in concert and strive to attain union with one another and with the divine.
Michelangelo’s David has become one of the most recognized works of Renaissance sculpture; a symbol of strength and youthful beauty.
Today is the birthday, in 1979, of Pink, (Alicia Moore), who had the 2001 UK No.2 single ‘Get The Party Started’, the 2001 US & UK No.1 single with Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim and Mya Lady Marmalade. Pink has become one of the most successful artists of her generation, having sold over 110 million records worldwide. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW1dbiD_zDk
