Renaissance: Of All the Artistic

Renaissance:

Of all the artistic masterpieces of the Renaissance period, Michelangelo's David is undoubtedly the most beautiful and elegant. This colossal statue, made between 1501 and 1504 and composed of marble at eighteen feet in height, truly reflects Michelangelo's own artistic interpretation of this famous figure from Biblical history. In form and shape, this statue shows David with his head turned to the left, sternly watching for perhaps the approach of the giant Goliath. His whole muscular body, as well as his face, is tense with muscular power. The rugged torso and limbs of David and his large hands and feet demonstrates his strength and might, almost as if he is ready to move like a real human being.

Since this statute is nude, it surely represents Michelangelo's great admiration for similar statutes from the past, especially those created by the ancient Greeks and Romans some 1500 years before Michelangelo was born. Overall, this statue of David symbolizes not only the great genius of Michelangelo but also how beautiful the human body truly is in its pure and natural state. What is particularly striking about this statute is the face of David with his sloping Roman nose, chiseled jaw line and set of eyes which seems to be intensely watching something in the distant or perhaps something rapidly approaching. This statue also represents the classical contraposto style with one leg firmly set on the base and the other reaching to one side and slightly shifted forward. Perhaps the main reason for liking this piece of art so much is because of its power and dominance, both of which symbolize David himself as one of the great Biblical heroes as king of his people and as the conqueror of his enemies.

MEDIEVAL:

From this period in Western art, I have chosen the illumination of St. Matthew from the Gospel Book made for Archbishop Ebb of Reims, circa 816 to 835 C.E. This illumination which measures about 10 by 8 inches portrays a rather frail-looking saint with his hair almost standing on end and his garment twisted around on his body and deeply wrinkled, perhaps from sitting much too long at his table while transcribing passages for a new edition of the Holy Bible. There is almost no background or landscape in this illumination but what there is of it appears very unnatural and sketchy. Also, the proportions of the saint's body appears to be somewhat unnatural, not to mention his face which appears to be almost a caricature or a cartoon of a real human face.