Michelangelo Sculpting

Michelangelo’s process of sculpting was very unique compared to the other artists of the Renaissance era. Some say that his greatest accomplishment was his statue of David which soars an astonishing 17 ft. Michelangelo took on this 4 year project, 1500-1504, at the age of 26. In the Renaissance time period, it was common for sculptors to make their works from many pieces such as carving the body from one piece of stone then the arms, legs and head from smaller ones. This was largely due to the veins that run through rocks. If a vein was carved into, there was a good possibility the statue would crack, rendering it useless. It was much easier to determine faults in smaller stones than bigger ones, hence the use of smaller stones to make larger
Two sculptors attempted to carve David but became diseased. After the large marble stone sat for 25 years, Michelangelo was given the contract to complete David after convincing the Operai to let him finish it over Da Vinci. Michelangelo did an extraordinary job at incorporating the elements and principals of design into his sculpture. He used the contra pasto pose, hips and shoulders are slanted at opposite angels of each other, to create perfect balance. The statue of David is also a little disproportional. The head and right hand look a little larger than normal. This may be because the statue was originally intended to be on top of a cathedral where the little details needed to be enlarged to be seen correctly. Michelangelo was also able to capture the minutest details such as the vein patterns running through David’s hands, skin textures, bone structures to the knuckles and folds of skin. Michelangelo’s mastery of stone is almost beyond comprehension. From the way he captured the smallest details to the way he portrayed perfect balance and movement. Michelangelo can truly be called a master of