David's Observations

It is very well known that one of Michelangelo's most famous works is the statue of David, which also happens to be the very symbol of Renaissance. Not everyone though knows the full story behind the statue's ever changing fate. Not to even mention that because Michelangelo stayed up long days and nights working over it's every nook and cranny till they reached absolute perfection; he somehow gave it soul.

Once finished originally the inhumanly perfect yet anatomically accurate David was supposed to be placed at the top of the grand cathedral in Florence. Unfortunately they hadn't thought about how a 5 meters tall statue would be pulled all the way up to the highest point of such a monumental building as was the grand Cathedral. Furthermore Michelangelo's attention to detail and David's overall godlike beauty was not anticipated and it definitely would have been a waste to put him up so high where he is hardy visible to the public. It would be as bad if not worse than sealing him away somewhere deep down in a dark cellar. His divine right was to be seen and envied by the whole empire and beyond. So finally after a council of politician and artists had their round table conference, the infamous David was nominated to be placed in front of the Palazzo de la Signoria. There he had a good view of what was going on in Florence and how its citizens were doing at the time.

Big crowds were drawn to the magnificent statue like bees to honey and assembled around it with strong urge to examine it from up close. David felt a bit embarrassed and shy; after all he was completely nude. He had to gain more confidence as he now was the symbol of heroic resistance against all odds. He was by law the symbolic guardian of Florence which was now a completely independent city after the powerful banker family, Medici was exiled. Because of this he witnessed the gradual depreciation of money which led to rising numbers of contraband articles entering the markets.

After the legal tender lost almost all its value David's stern glare could detect more and more demagogues running around Florence promising anything from land tenure to expansion of estate and liberty of the press. When all this commotion reached its worst state, came the time of partisans, boycotts, curfews and also emigrants. Poor and now hopeless David thought that it was all over for the once flourishing and magnificent Florence, but once again after some time the city got back up on its feet. Unfortunately David's not there to see it, because only his lifeless replica now stands in his place in front of the palazzo. The original statue of David was moved to the Galleria dell' Academia where it resides today.