How males are represented through art through the ages
David by Michelangelo (1475-1564) – 1501-4, marble statue created during the High Renaissance period.
Michelangelo created the statue from a single block of marble. He was only 26 at the time, however already prominent. He was commissioned to carve the sculpture as one in a series that would line the roof of a cathedral in Florence. There had been a series of false starts on this statue before Michelangelo got his hands on it. He worked on it for more than two years. Once the 6 ton piece was completed it was clear it would be nearly impossible to lift therefore it was decided it would be placed in the Palazzo della Signoria where it stood as a symbol of strength and defiance from 1504 until its permanent relocation to the Galleria dell’ Accademia in 1873.
The
sculpture portrays David from the bible. David kills Goliath with a sling
however I thought the idea was a small young boy defeats a giant man, so
Michelangelo’s sculpture is too muscular for the story. The statue depicts the
moment before the fight, he is pensive, he is carrying the sling and a rock. However
at that time Florence was an independent city state and they were aware of
threats around them, so choosing David as a symbol of Florence made sense – he
captured the courage and unexpected strength they saw in themselves.
The statue
is 17 feet tall, probably that tall so it could be seen clearly from the ground
when it was on the cathedral roof.
The statue is a Renaissance interpretation of the common ancient Greek theme of the standing heroic nude male.
The Victorious youth (above) c.310BC is a bronze statue of a Greek athlete in the Contrapposto pose (similar to David). The Greeks saw their gods in the human form and although they used e.g. famous athletes as their models, their statues were not all intended to represent individuals, they may represent a god, or a characteristic, e.g. beauty, piety, or a real person. They were presenting people as ideals of beauty and physical perfection. The Greeks used to paint their statues but generally the paint hasn’t survived.
What do I think? I am astounded by the craftmanship, the detail, the veins on the hands, the size of the project. I am aware of people’s issue with its proportions (large head and hand, small genitals) but I don’t see that, I just see the beauty, balance and harmony of it. I love the smoothness and whiteness of marble. I am also keen on the ancient Greek period so am drawn to representations of that time, which David is.
Another statue Michelangelo did was Bacchus, god of wine – he is so much softer in his body as you would expect a drinker to be.
Michelangelo was also a painter. He painted the Last Judgement which is on the roof of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican City (1536-41). Fancy having the patience to paint something for 5 years! He was truly talented, however I far prefer his statues.
At the other end of the scale is “man with leg up” by Lucian Freud (b. 1922- 2011) 1992, oil on canvas. Lucian Freud 1922-2011 was a British painter and draughtsman, specialising in figurative art. He was born in Berlin and grandson of Sigmund Freud. His paintings tended towards realism. His portraits were mostly of friends and family and are sombre and uncomfortable to look at. He spent hours on a painting e.g. a nude completed in 2007 took 2400 hours to complete. His finished paintings are an accumulation of richly worked layers of pigment, as well as months of intense observation.
“Man with leg up” is a great example of the fact that people nowadays are the most unfit they have ever been due to lack of exercise and bad diet.
This is one of Freud’s many paintings of Leigh Bowery, an Australian performance artist. Friends introduced Bowery to Freud (a colourful sequinned man) in the hope it would get him out of his beige colour scheme – I am with his friends on this one, his work is very beige!
Freud asked Bowery to shave his whole body. He saw his muscular legs as his best feature and often showcased them in a series of unusually unselfconscious and passive poses that go against the conventions of male portraiture. The lying pose and splayed legs emphasises vulnerability, his hairless groin is in the centre of the picture, which doesn’t appear to phase the model at all. This couldn’t be more different than David who is going into battle, the epitome of strength and responsibility. Bowery just looks like a soft “slob”.
According to his biographer, Freud once said that sculpture was his first love and Bowery’s form naturally lent itself to a sculptural approach. Freud said “I’ve always been interested in bringing a certain kind of drama to portraiture, the kind of drama in paintings of the past. If a painting doesn’t have drama, it doesn’t work; it’s just paint out of a tube.” I get where he is coming from because I like a picture of mine to have a purpose or feeling, to be the result of inspiration or drive. I don’t want my paintings to be passive.
Both David and Bowery have a sense of calm.
Another example of Freud’s paintings is Leigh under the skylight,1994.
Do I like them? No, I think they look blotchy although I am aware if I saw them in real life I would likely marvel at the layers. I don’t like the colour schemes and they are not representing creatures of beauty (largely because the poses are not flattering rather than their bodies not attractive). He isn’t trying to depict an attractive masculine look like Michelangelo.
References
David by Michelangelo: The meaning behind Michelangelo’s iconic “David” statue. – my Modern Met.
Wikiart
Culture Trip
Wikipedia
Phoebe Hoban’s biography “Lucien Freud:Eyes Wide Open
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