Rational Engagement with Michelangelo's David

This assignment delves into a critical analysis of Michelangelo's statue of David, emphasizing the importance of rational engagement in appreciating art. It contrasts Michelangelo's depiction with Donatello's David, highlighting key differences in symbolism and artistic intent. The essay explores the historical significance of the sculpture within Florence and its representation of heroic courage and spiritual strength. It challenges popular notions of beauty based solely on personal perception, advocating for a deeper understanding informed by logic and art historical context.

Running head: ARCHITECTURE
Art and Architecture: Michelangelo’s David
Student Name
University name
Author Note

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“Rational engagement with Michelangelo’s David allows the viewer to effectively
engage with and fully understand this work of art.”
Introduction
The rational engagement with art enables the spectators to see the art work under the
internal light of harmonious spirit. The rational use of art offers an organic and temporary service
that satisfies the eternal thirst. Bacon compared rationalists with spiders that “spin all out of their
own substance” (Bacon 2014). However there is a contradiction between the aesthetics of art
with the rational appreciation. The aesthetics welcomes the perception based sensitive cognition;
the word aesthetic comes from a Greek word aisthetos that means perceptible and sensitive.
Rational Engagement in the light of Post modernist Philosophies
While discussing the philosophy of art, Baumgarten explains that when knowledge is
concerned it is the rational one that holds much higher position than emotional one (Nakamura
2014). Philosopher Immanuel Kant suggested that viewer’s judgment towards a work of art
generally is subjective and the whether a piece of art is beautiful is primarily the viewer’s
subjective experience (Benoît 2016). However it is not just the subjective feeling there is also
rational engagement embedded. Animals lack this rational engagement with any object.
Descartes suggested that the senses could not be subordinated to the intellect if the rationale is
not provided (Vibbert 2013).

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Rational Engagement with David
The rational engagement is the engagement with a work of art beyond emotional
involvement or appreciation. The viewer develops his or her understanding based on the logic
and reason behind the work of art. The middle ages of art did not have the rationalism from the
historical perspective and it was more prone towards expressionism. According to the “Story of
Art” the feelings were valued more than logic during the Middle Ages (Gombrich 2014).
However the Medieval Greek architecture valued and incorporated more the ancient
mathematical principles and at the later stage of the period the reasons started to reflect upon the
work of other painters. In Giotto’s fresco painting the perspective painting techniques got
coupled with depth cueing (Lubow 2015). Another painter Masaccio directly combined strict
mathematics rules with perspective paintings. Brunelleschi applied linear perspective theory in
the architectural art where he amalgamated Gothic style with classical building structures. The
renaissance painting and idealism came under light again in the work of Michelangelo. David
demonstrates the application of reason with the reflection of expression of ideas rather than
emotion.

Running head: ARCHITECTURE
(Figure: David By Michelangelo)

Running head: ARCHITECTURE
The Historical Perspective
Michelangelo’s David was created in 1504 that is displayed in the Florence public square.
The marble made most recognized sculpture in the world is 13’5’’ tall and depicts David waiting
for a battle with a stone in his hand (Italianrenaissance.org 2013). David is an example of art
where one can find the value of individual human being, physical beauty, rationalism and Greco-
Roman influences. The original concept of David is influenced from the biblical story of David,
where he did not use his strength directly to defeat Goliath but he thought and planned to use a
better stone. David is a nude muscular man whose veins are visible as he is holding a stone
firmly. The statute was meant to be placed at the roof of Florence Cathedral, but it is too heavy
to be placed there. David’s hands and head are larger than the rest of the body and that is because
the viewers were supposed to see this high up. The asymmetrical arrangement or the
‘contrapposto’ reflects in the artist’s representing David’s left leg as that is also bigger than the
right one. The depiction of human figure followed the reasoning of body postures as
Michelangelo wanted to perfectly present David’s stance through his bodily gesture. David has
put his body weight on the right leg and left leg is resting and this leads to his right hip positions
bit higher than the left hip. Because of his stance his torso is bit curvy and his left shoulder is bit
higher than his right shoulder.

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Two Davids
One can compare Donatello’s bronze made David with Michelangelo’s marble David to
highlight the differences. The basic difference would be the Donatello’s David is muscular and
manly and without the associated biblical objects like Goliath’s head or the sword
(ItalianRenaissance.org 2013). Scale wise Michelangelo’s David is way larger than the other one
but that does not make it a giant which his enemy is. Michelangelo’s David is depicted as he is
about to start the battle where Donatello’s one has already defeated the giant. The physical
presence of David immediately presents the symbolical representation of heroic courage.
Michelangelo appropriately depicted the idea of power of spiritual strength to be higher than the
arm power through the exact bodily gestures. The Christian and Modernist theory both are
rejected are rejected as he does not represent David neither as a giant nor as a victim rather his
David is courageous noble man. The statue has a special historical significance as just before the
statue was completed Florentines won a war against Medicis and held David as the symbol of
their heroic act (Paoletti 2015).

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(Figure: David, by Donatello and Michelangelo)
Conclusion
The rational engagement with art enables the viewers with the power of appreciating the
subtleties and complexities of art (Dominiczak 2017). The rational engagement contradicts the
popular belief that beauty lies in the beholder’s eyes. When the viewer or critic is truly
appreciating the art he needs to differentiate his own theory of beauty from the art’s integrity of
style and form. In the modern world the viewers engage with the arts on a superficial level
mainly guided by their gut feelings. In order to judge the true art it is necessary to build up a

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sense of reasoning. The rational engagement with David explores many nuances of logical
calculations, historical interventions and artistic elements. It highlights the artist’s knowledge
and stance and the viewer gathers knowledge and reapplies those in interpreting the art. Without
the rational engagement the statue of David is just a beautiful work of art but the in depth
rational engagement helps the viewer to discover all the minute details and subtleties that makes
this art more than just a beautiful figure.

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Reference
"Donatello's David – Italianrenaissance.Org". 2017. Italianrenaissance.Org.
http://www.italianrenaissance.org/donatellos-david/
Bacon, Francis. "Analogy, Metaphor, and Pattern." The Art of Social Theory (2014): 80.
Benoît, Gerald. "The ‘beautiful’in information: thoughts about visual literacy and
aesthetics." Journal of Visual Literacy 35, no. 1 (2016): 60-78.
Dominiczak, Marek H. "Michelangelo: The Ingredients of Greatness." Clinical Chemistry 63, no.
10 (2017): 1665-1667.
Gombrich, Ernst HJ. "Idea in the Theory of Art: Philosophy or Rhetoric?." Daphnet Digital
Library 1, no. 1 (2014).
Lubow, R. E. "Giotto's applications of embodied perception: Lateral and vertical dimensions of
space." Laterality: Asymmetries of Body, Brain and Cognition 20, no. 6 (2015): 642-657.
Nakamura, Tomoe. "The Cognitive and Ethical Scope of “Confusion” in Baumgarten's
Aesthetics." Philosophica 44 (2014): 27-46.
Paoletti, John T. Michelangelo's David: Florentine history and civic identity. Cambridge
University Press, 2015.
Vibbert, Charles Bruce. "The Perception of Movement in the Philosophies of Descartes and
Bergson." The American Philosophical Association Centennial Series (2013): 313-325.