The human body

One of the most famous human body forms  in the history of arts is the Renaissance masterpiece sculpture  DAVID created by Michelangelo. The statue was made between 1501 and 1504. The original colossal marble had been attempted by unsuccessful sculptors before Michelangelo laid his hands on it. Commentators said that the confident stance of the larger-than-real-size human (almost 5 m tall) evoked the political pride of the Florentines. It was a symbol of the Florentine passion for liberty, at a time when enemy states were threatening her independence.

This photograph is not scanned from a standard textbook, it was taken by me in front of the sculpture kept at a little museum in Florence. Without a flashing light, nor any tripod to help me, I had to shoot " the man " in a poorly lit room.  I held my breath and used a longer than usual shutter time to make exposure possible. Also the f-stop was made large, hence the whole image is somewhat soft and gentle. I could not bring out the textural  fine details of the master artist. Nevertheless the strong muscular cast of a healthy male is clearly shown. My contentedness with this photograph grows with passing years.

At twenty six, I travelled alone in Florence. Touring the city was like becoming a curious kid who was brought back in time to witness the age of the Enlightenment. The popular book Let's go Europe guided me to orient my eyes towards a huge variety of artistic objects - sculptures, paintings, and architectures. To a student of the natural sciences, that was complementary cultural nourishment. It is a part of liberal education. It is an informal education. I treasure my brief stay in Florence (佛羅倫斯 或 翡冷翠). The youth hostel provided me with cheap accommodation and acquaintance.

Relating to David, the Old Testament hero, there are still a number of unanswered questions in my mind :

Why was such a huge unclothed male figure sculpted in the medieval time ?

Why was the male genitalia uncovered and purposely given a full frontal view ?

Who approved of the design and patroned the artist  ?

Why was the opportunity given to the then young Michelangelo rather than more mature artists ?

Why was Michelangelo interested in the " ideal human form " ?

Why was the Old Testament hero " David " chosen ?

So many years have gone since my last visit to Florence. I wish that I could be there in the not too distant future.(Remark 6.2002)

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