The Meaning of Michelangelo's "David"
The Renaissance was the rebirth of man's life on earth. Freed from the shackles of authority, man's mind was viewed as able to understand the universe. Far from being a tortured soul trapped in a deformed bodily prison, man was regarded as rational, beautiful and heroic--worthy of happiness and capable of great achievement. Man, in the Renaissance view, need not bow down in passive resignation, praying for salvation. He can choose to undertake great challenges in the face of seemingly impossible odds; he can actively pursue success, fight for victory--even slay a giant.
Michelangelo's "David" is the best expression of this Renaissance sense of life. The sculpture was inspired by the story of the young shepherd boy who chose to fight a far stronger adversary in order to save his people from invasion. Wearing no armor, with a sling as his only weapon, David defeats Goliath using superior skill and courage.
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Michelangelo chose to show David not in victory, but at that point in time that prefigured victory: in that instance between conscious choice and conscious action, that moment when an individual makes a choice--and commits to act on that choice.
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The David projects man as neither a monster nor a hapless victim, but as an efficacious and noble being. The "David" is the ultimate projection of heroic choice and heroic action.
I'd like to hear their opinion of another great human achievement whose bi-centennial we celebrate this year - at least we fur-trade reenactors do - the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
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