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The piece is considered to be a combination of the biblical David and the mythical Apollo. The David figure holds an important place in Florentine imagery, representing the small republic’s triumph over tyranny. Michelangelo’s earlier David of 1503 was placed prominently in the Piazza Signoria by city officials as a reminder of civic ideals. Apollo connotes human grace and beauty, qualities associated with Cosimo I, who eventually owned the sculpture, which was originally intended for an anti-Medici patron, Baccio Valori. Susan Q. Graceson, Magnificenza Michelangelo"s Florence at: srd.yahoo.com/S=2766679:WS1/R=12/K=%22APOLLO%22+and+%22SCULPTURE%22+and+%22MICHELANGELO%22/T=1039428209/F=bcd7f14b5712b73d9817e826a0279f5c/ *http://www.neh.gov/news/humanities/2002-05/magnificenza.html The statue was commissioned by the hated Papal Governor of Florence, Baccio Valori. Michelangelo used a pragmatic and political approach. This figure has had its double name (Apollo/David) for a long time, since it was not certain whether it was a representation of the Old Testament hero David or the Greek God of Art, Apollo. But in the round rock under the youth"s foot one can probably recognize the head of Goliath: so once again Michelangelo has created a David. There is a blatant difference between this figure and the one which in 1504 rose to the position of the most powerful symbol of the Republic. In the place of Strength and Wrath, we have Melancholy, almost Regret. The victorious hero no longer celebrates his triumph; the blood that has been shed seems to have shown him the meaning of his actions and of its consequences. Michelangelo could not have admonished Baccio Valori in a deeper, more meaningful and yet more respectful way. David/Apollo by Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, The Web Gallery of Art, at www.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/m/michelan/1sculptu/2/5apollo1.html |
