After finishing the PietĂ , an absolute masterpiece of European art, Michelangelo began something destined to become another symbol of beauty and perfection: the David. This sculpture, made between 1501 and 1504, was originally located in Piazza della Signoria in Florence, but now it’s preserved in the Accademia Gallery. The statue has been commissioned in 1501 by the consuls of the Wool and Workers of the Duomo in Florence and it was supposed to represent King David before facing Goliath, and without his opponent’s head (as in the David of Donatello and Verrocchio). This work was very difficult to realize, and netiher Agostino di Duccio nor Bernardo Rossellino were able to fillfill it, and gave up, as marble was too hard to be worked for anathomical figure development. Instead Michelangelo, aged 25 only, accepted this challenge, conscious of the prestige that would result from this important work, and began his opera on September the 9th 1501, working for about three years. To work in solitude and not be disturbed by the prying eyes of those who wanted to watch the genius at work, Michelangelo built a fence around his work space. David has three characteristics which have led him to become a unique masterpiece: huge technical difficulty of implementation, beauty of final result, ability to take your breath at the sight. So, before the end of work, on June the 23rd 1503, the enclosure was open and everyone could see the masterpiece now being finalized. Vasari wrote of this work: «[...] e veramente che questa opera ha tolto il grido a tutte le statue moderne et antiche, o greche o latine che elle si fossero [...] perchĂ© in essa sono contorni di gambe bellissime et appiccature e sveltezza di fianchi divine; nĂ© mai piĂą s’è veduto un posamento sĂ dolce nĂ© grazia che tal cosa pareggi, nĂ© piedi, nĂ© mani, nĂ© testa che a ogni suo membro di bontĂ d’artificio e di paritĂ , nĂ© di disegno s’accordi tanto. E certo chi vede questa non dee curarsi di vedere altra opera di scultura fatta nei nostri tempi o ne gli altri da qualsivoglia artefice».
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