Humanism: The Statue Of David By Michelangelo

The Middle Ages were a time dominated by the Catholic Church. Art and education revolved around the idea of faith. However, as people began to study the works of Greeks and Romans, the idea of humanism formed. Humanists believed that the human itself was more powerful and capable than any form of religion. People began to gain a more prominent interest in the natural world. Biology, engineering, mathematics, and astronomy became topics of study. As the ideas and beliefs of people began to change, so did the artwork. Pieces that used to be flat and unrealistic began to gain a third dimension, showing realism and perspective. Artists began to think of, see, and depict humans in their true forms, other than what the standard of beauty …show more content…
David is depicted standing naked and alone, without the presence of any fantasia or unrealistic object. Sculpting David in this way promotes the idea of the true human for being beautiful, a main idea of humanism. Even though David was sculpted at a height of seventeen feet, Michelangelo kept him proportional. This presents rationality, another key point to humanists. In addition, David’s facial expression shows exactly how Michelangelo wanted to depict him. Michelangelo is famous for created before his infamous fight with Goliath, instead of after when he is triumphant and victorious. In order to show that David was planning to intelligently, and not violently and brutally, fight Goliath, Michelangelo sculpted him with a concerned and pondering facial expression. Michelangelo used techniques of realism, for he depicted David with the true expressions that he was experiencing. Michelangelo used humanist ideas while sculpting David, for the sculpture was created in the true human form- a key idea of …show more content…
Michelangelo used multiple art techniques, such as shading and contrast, to create an affect that looked as if the ceiling had three dimensional pillars and decorative pieces built into it. It is a common misunderstanding that the ceiling originally had these three dimensional pieces in it. However, Michelangelo’s ability to paint with such skill created realism in The Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Realism, the idea of creating things to be true to their actual form, was shown throughout The Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, for Michelangelo was able to paint objects to look three dimensional and