The Statue of David

September 19, 2013 at 12:35 pm  •  Posted in Art, Education, Italy by

How can you possibly think of chiseling at a block of marble and get something so magnificent out of it? How can you determine every single detail while thinking backwards?

Michelangelo must have been a genius, considering he had all of that figured out.  While I was standing there trying to sketch even the main shape of the body, I failed. That is why I ask: How the heck are you supposed to have a vision so detailed that you can slowly chisel at it one by one, and end up with such a beautiful piece of art?

It was until I saw David for real, when I finally realized how difficult it must have been to sculpt this.  The shape of the body had a certain sway that would be so, so hard to clone. When I looked at the fake David compared to the real one, I knew it couldn’t be copied. Imagine living in that time with no computers or electricity and sculpting something that big with that detail.

Our family had a competition to see who could draw the best picture of David. I definitely failed at this, even the legs were so hard to copy and position correctly. Tuck and Jones were the judges of the competition and they binged me out of the finalists pretty quickly. Yve, Mom and Wescott were the ones who got it best, but there had to be only one winner and it was Yve! …though after the competition, Tuck and Jones started changing the winner over and over :)

We secured seats close to David and stayed in the gallery, sketching and gazing for over an hour. Afterward, we made our way out of the gallery and back into the hustle and bustle of Florence.

Yve's winning sketch

Yve’s winning sketch

My Sketch

My Sketch

Tuck's interpretation of David

Tuck’s interpretation of David

Wescott's sketch

Wescott’s sketch

Dad's sketch

Dad’s sketch

 

Mom's sketch

Mom’s sketch she did on her iPad

 

Jones' sketch of David and Goliath...Goliath is the one with blood spurting out of his head

Jones’ sketch of David and Goliath…Goliath is the one with blood spurting out of his head

Otto

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14 Comments

  1. Ashley Winnie / September 19, 2013 at 12:55 pm /

    Wow! All the photos are so great!! Sharples family, you are one talented bunch!!

  2. Jenn McIntire / September 19, 2013 at 12:57 pm /

    I love them all! Great interpretations of David! All the “David” sculptures and the story of David & Goliath are so important to Florence. You might like these conversations: http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/representations-of-david-in-the-florentine-renaissance.html
    http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/Donatello.html, http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/Michelangelo-David.html

  3. Maggie Tate / September 19, 2013 at 1:14 pm /

    Awesome sketches! I’m so impressed with all of you! Love reading about your adventures :)

  4. Muff / September 19, 2013 at 1:51 pm /

    What a fantastic way to absorb a masterpiece–and your sketches are great souvenirs. Bravo!

  5. Vanessa / September 19, 2013 at 1:51 pm /

    Wonderful, insightful writing – and great sketches from all.

  6. Cari Johnson / September 19, 2013 at 3:08 pm /

    I love how Cliff’s sketch captured the large hands and WWE shoulders. The best part is the bald head with a couple curly wisps. Awesome.

  7. Kaarina / September 19, 2013 at 4:38 pm /

    This is the best post ever!!! I love all of the sketches- that looks seriously hard to do! Nice job Otto!

  8. Kristin Pastoriza / September 19, 2013 at 4:48 pm /

    Cool! How long did you guys sit there sketching? Super awesome!

    • Lisa / September 20, 2013 at 3:05 pm /

      Can you believe 1 hour? Everyone was really into it but maybe that’s because the promise of gelato was at the end for everyone who took it seriously :)

  9. Pingback: Getting the Classroom Up and Running | Project Equator

  10. Stephanie Craig (@steffinseattle) / September 20, 2013 at 8:30 pm /

    Nice job Otto! Love this post and know exactly what you mean. It’s an amazing piece of art! XO

  11. Gina Peckman / September 21, 2013 at 9:05 pm /

    Is it fair to use your ipad miss lisa?? even though I like the color highlights!
    Yves is amazing! they are are so cool -need to frame them when you get home.

  12. Kelly Kolbinett :-) / September 23, 2013 at 10:19 pm /

    So awesome! Those sketches are priceless!

  13. Deborah Jones / September 25, 2013 at 11:06 am /

    I’m SO impressed, a family of artists too :) David never looked so HOT… oops, I meant good :)

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