Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance artist and sculptor who is widely regarded as one of the greatest artists of all time. He was born in 1475 in Tuscany, and with a prodigious talent and passion, began studying art at a relatively young age. He is best known for his breathtaking sculptures, including the statue of David and the Madonna della Pietà, as well as his iconic frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. These works, like most of his, can be characterized by the precision and depth of emotion. Most classes teach that Michelangelo’s legacy continues to inspire and captivate people around the world, cementing his place as one of the most revered and influential artists in history. And this is true, but apparently not everyone seems to agree…
The David is likely Michelangelo’s single most famous work, as mentioned previously, and was created between 1501 and 1504. The sculpture depicts the biblical hero David, who is shown in the moment before his battle with the giant Goliath. The statue is 517 cm tall (over five meters) and, needless to say, towers over the average person. The details achieved with such dimensions are truly breathtaking. Part of what distinguishes David is that he is depicted completely nude from head to toe with incredibly accurate proportions of the full human body, but not in a conservative way by any means.
At the Tallahassee Classical school in Florida, recent controversy arose when sixth grade students were shown an image of David to study in their art classroom. Many conservative parents, who had not been informed of this element of the curriculum, were infuriated when their children came home explaining what they had been shown.
The principal of the school, Hope Carrasquilla, publicly shared that although an email had been drafted explaining the lesson to parents, a mixup in administration had resulted in this communication not being sent. When the school board got involved, they gave the director the choice to either resign or be let go without a cause. And although the board kept Michelangelo and David in the curriculum (to the distaste of some parents), she chose to resign.
Nonetheless, perhaps the most intriguing part of the story is the incredible reactions of the Italians, and more specifically, the people of Florence who currently house the ‘controversial’ piece in their Accademia Gallery. In her indignation, Cecilia Hollberg, the museum director invited the parents to come see the statue in all its “purity” for themselves, concluding that to consider the David pornographic was preposterous. Meanwhile, the mayor, Dario Nardella tweeted that the David was an incredible piece worthy of praise and any teacher who displayed it and taught with it in their classroom should be commended. He included that he invited the teacher to Italy, too.
At the end of the day, a small disaster has come to pass but it foreshadows the future of education, what with the recent efforts made in the United States to pass the “Parent’s Bill of Rights” and similar movements. These events have left many wondering to what degree politics will get to control the education of young minds, and how various famous works will be censored and even ‘canceled’ in the future such as has happened now to the David and to a lot of literature in recent years.
Bibliography:
Gabbatt, Adam. “Art, Not Pornography: Florence Museum Invites Florida Parents to See the David.” The Guardian, 27 Mar. 2023, www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/mar/27/michelangelo-david-florida-florence-museum-school. Accessed 29 Mar. 2023.
NPRFeed. “A Principal Is Fired, Invited to Italy after Students Are Shown Michelangelo’s “David.”” Wisconsin Public Radio, 27 Mar. 2023, www.wpr.org/principal-fired-invited-italy-after-students-are-shown-michelangelos-david. Accessed 29 Mar. 2023.
Wikipedia Contributors. “David (Michelangelo).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Feb. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_(Michelangelo).