The many meanings of Michelangelo's Statue of David - James Earle

View full lesson: ed.ted.com/less...
We typically experience classic works of art in a museum, stripped of their original contexts, but that serene setting can belie a tumultuous history. Take Michelangelo's statue of David: devised as a religious symbol, adopted as a political emblem, and later iconized for its aesthetic beauty. James Earle walks us through the statue's journey, to show how art gains layers of meaning over time.
Lesson by James Earle, animation by Avi Ofer.

[@siddhantprabhudessai2728]

the animator is a true artist and has a great sense of humour.

[@Stormborn_717]

0:47 I like how that mother covers her daughter's eyes 😂

[@AymanYd8zurg]

​@@Stormborn_717 😅😅

[@GierJoost]

Did somebody just got pickpocketed at 0:54?

[@NightStarRules]

Yup

[@ShawnRavenfire]

Good eye. I didn't catch that one.

[@AkashKumar-iq8wg]

ha thanks for pointing that out. you Da real mvp

[@CastelDawn]

that's Italy for you

[@crimsoncorsair9250]

Joost G I actually didn't until I looked agaib

[@zacharytaylor2983]

In the Fall of 2010, the city of Florence temporarily placed a full-size replica of "il David" on its intended pedestal atop the walls of the Duomo (cathedral). It was striking. Even at a distance and from that great height, a sharp-eyed person could still see the veins on his hands. I know, because I was there, and beheld the sight for myself.

[@adamcool9318]

Wow thanks for sharing

[@littlearttalks]

A perfect example of how context is so important to the reading of a work. Great job! :)

[@camillachopinet3828]

Just went to Florence. That statue is worth seeing 😍

[@Iesou.]

Hao.

[@geotheartist98]

Anyone spot the pickpocket??

[@kareemselim2833]

You ruined it

[@catmagedsproductions1998]

me

[@UpNextBeatz]

No one should be able to 😅

[@___beyondhorizon4664]

Even without my glasses, I noticed it 😊

[@stephenc9398]

The placement changed little. Michelangelo's David always represent the ability of one 'small' person to change the course of humanity. One of the greatest pieces of art mankind has created for sure

[@xxmikegigsxx]

The hands are large to be in equal proportion to his feet. The feet had to be large because the way David is standing, he needed a strong foundation. He needed the strong foundation because the original marble was broken and slightly misshapen. Thus David's hands are correct.

[@MijoShrek]

His lowered hand is large. His posed hand holding his rock sling is smaller.

[@kawausocom]

No photos inside the Academia, actually.

[@emilyfreeman8096]

I just came back from a semester in Florence! this is so cool... I saw David but didn't know the history behind it ❤️

[@Frets49]

What did you study

[@andreabarlocci1489]

By the way, the hands and the head are bigger for another reason. David could defeat Golia thanks to his genius (the head) and his weapon (which was of course hold by his hands). That's why Michelangelo decided to highlight these parts.

[@thum842]

I love learning from these videos

[@dylanpotter1807]

TED: "Armed only with his courage and his slingshot." David: "I come to you in the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel."

[@greggoreo6738]

Very nicely done. The breezy and comical Animation is a delight too! Thank 😊you! Gregg Oreo long Beach Ca

[@moustachekid542]

0:48 Good parenting That was a close one

[@spencerreid495]

The ending was hilarious 😂😂😂

[@triton62674]

TED-Ed This one was surprisingly A LOT better in comparison to some of your other recent ones :O

[@hestoo1]

I hear part of the reason they didn't put the statute on Cathedral was the fact that it was nude!! Remember the nude human body as subject was pretty revolutionary at that time and culture.

[@johndwyer2687]

Beautifully put

[@juliantotriwijaya9208]

"Down to the vein in it's arm" OMG 10/10!

[@___beyondhorizon4664]

He used to study corpse, cut it open to inspect the muscle

[@flowersintheKitchen]

nice and very interesting video! loved the animation. very playful and cheeky, or whatever that even means. i just loved it HAHA :D

[@Iesou.]

Hao.

[@filipe4780]

Muito bonito!

[@maimayer9687]

i love his art

[@DanKaraJordan]

No mention of the role that Savonarola played in it all? Also, David did not have a slingshot. He had a sling. They are two very different things - one was used as a dangerous weapon and hunting tool throughout world history, the other is a modern toy used by Denis the Menace.

[@DanKaraJordan]

Also, the slingshot was invented in 1839 A.D., making it a little unlikely to have been the weapon of choice for David.

[@likesjasminetea]

I was thinking the same thing. Maybe mentioning Savanarola, Alexander Sextus and Machiavelli would be more interesting. Though it would be hard for people who already didnt know about them to understand it.

[@supahjadi8944]

All savonarola really did was start a cult only for it to fail, getting him hanged and burned.

[@doorveshsantbakshsing9607]

why are those videos so awesome?

[@bradboy101]

Later role reversal saw Michaelangelo leaving Florence to work on the Pope's sisteen chapel and other public works proving if you can't beat'em, join'em!

[@JillH1995]

I never noticed that David's head and hand are huge. Cannot unsee, especially the hand.

[@21sopogi]

great video!

[@2ndborn283]

David statue has been altered many times like broken hands etc.

[@purpigment]

Love the graphics

[@allanjasonmburu2186]

yeah, david took down goliath with nothing more than his courage and sling ... and maybe his dashing good looks

[@AmbassadorPineapple1]

I have a little model of the David as well XP

[@andreac.6164]

I remember seeing David in the Louvre

[@gavart4509]

0:56 I saw that

[@illustrious1]

Sarasota FL has a life size bronze of the David

[@RobbieLugos]

Michaelangelo was the best rock artist in history.

[@Zeel_BTS]

THis is so beautiful

[@plurallove]

I didn't know that statue was David from David and Goliath. and why was he sculpted naked?

[@whitneyclayton7201]

to show the true form of his body!

[@plurallove]

whitney clayton for what? he wasn't known for his body. He should have been sculpted holding the head of Goliath.

[@anastasiagr7248]

this is awesome

[@flamingcatofdeath1605]

In the story he didn't use a slingshot he used a sling which was a ranged weapon with equivalent to Destructive power to that of a bow.

[@TheVampireviolet]

Anyone else suspicious that the ending is some tiny hint towards the inevitable rise of the fish

[@shubhamkumarrroy1228]

Run from it, dread it - destiny still arrives.

[@gotell6079]

Nice.

[@KilluaZoldyck-jt8jw]

0:53 why?

[@flzflz2237]

1:08 this gave me anxiety lol

[@kurrizzle]

Haha I noticed that too. Maybe it was a very modest nod to Assassins Creed II.

[@MrStevemur]

Stephanie Storey’s novel Oil and Marble brought me here. (I never got to post a comment like this before.)

[@ruslans2006]

1:00 To stare in awe to the heavens.

[@stephanetiana4834]

"Forcing the viewer to stare in AWE towards the heavens" 😂😭

[@johnalexander651]

But the real question is why isn't the sculpture circumcised?

[@21stcenturyozman20]

The David of the sculpture was not circumcised because Michelangelo wasn't a barbarian - and it's been speculated that M's lover, likely an Italian lad, was the model for the sculpture.

[@MayumiMayy]

Interessante.

[@artelateral]

David Michelangelo: kzbin.info/door/Y8FQnzGBHtJuUYwxPrXc5Q

[@jadechoy4391]

I was looking for an undertale joke at 2:04. First time I didn't find one

[@messybielec5294]

3:02 the fish be like: 😳😳😳😳😳

[@catmagedsproductions1998]

0:55 I FOUND A SECRET if you look at him the green guy stole th Gray guy Wallet

[@winningismyhobby]

was david left haned?

[@davepowell7168]

Sinister dude

[@adarshsharma5187]

did anyone ordered him to make it and was he paid for the work that he did?

[@LittleScampi]

yes he was, he is/was an artist and he still had to earn money somehow.

[@bibliotecamentale]

Yes, Pier Soderini, the gonfaloniere of Florence during the decline of the Signoria de' Medici and throughout the Republican era, initially commissioned the block of marble to Leonardo da Vinci, who was famous for hardly ever finishing his works (and, of course, for being an utter genious). Anyway, the block passed to Michelangelo, who received 400 golden Florins (Italian coins). I've read somewhere that the paycheck was poor because he was very young; Leonardo had been promised thrice that salary or even more, since he had already made a name for himself and his works were requested in many courts, though I couldn't tell if this is a bit of an exaggeration.

[@BioluminescentTree]

Good video, bad pronunciation of Italian words.

[@quintenwhyte6660]

BioluminescentTree that's because she speaks in vocal fry!!

[@AkashKumar-iq8wg]

BioluminescentTree naraator's name though

[@neonseacow]

That pickpocket xD

[@murshidanajnin3694]

Awwww

[@majordavis4688.]

david is my favorite sculpture.

[@messybielec5294]

What gender are you?

[@sagnikchakraborty1613]

0:55 was that a pun intended towards "religious significance"?

[@ארדקרן]

0:54

[@hjj9269]

It is just me or someone got robbed at 0:54

[@dante_0962]

“Old Testament heroes” *shows Eve* I wouldn’t call her a “hero”

[@TheCrashluke]

EVERYONE SAW THE PICKPOCKET, STAAAAPH

[@zekky1000]

actually the head and hands where larger cause they were the 'instruments' david used to kill golia

[@5jerry1]

"Goliath."

[@hawkecrail5186]

Also as a rock of ages boss

[@___beyondhorizon4664]

During Easter 🐣 in Florence, you can buy miniature David in chocolate statue 😅

[@simikumpilicioassas7127]

Beyaz renkli altyazılar okumayı imkansız hale getiriyor.

[@TexasTUK]

check out the pick pocket kzbin.info/www/bejne/pWqupqCVf86dms0

[@--Paws--]

In other words if the face of the Joker was taken out of context no one would understand it besides a clown mask or an interpretation of one. Almost like the Guy Fawkes mask.

[@mrfluffypaws7885]

2019 everyone?

[@ivanatang7000]

David didn't only have his courage and slingshot, he had God's help.

[@5jerry1]

But why did God make Goliath?

[@ABitOfTheUniverse]

5jerry1 You should know better than to ask theists questions. They make up details, they'll just make up answers. Unless you are after humor or something else. Here are a few possible responses though. - The devil made Goliath through his actions in the garden of Eden. - Goliath was sent by God to punish mankind. - You know what, every answer that can be given can be traced back to a story that was probably used to discourage kids from stealing fruit from farmers fields.

[@danielveres4351]

ABitOfTheUniverse And why did God made devil? I mean, he is God, isn't he? :D

[@ABitOfTheUniverse]

Dániel Veres Or is it just another myth for people who want to put events into categories like good and bad and attribute their origins to an agent, like a being that is in many ways what they are but more capable of controlling things?

[@danielveres4351]

***** It was a harmless, but also stupid comment from her.

[@JonathanTimmermans]

Bankers.. disappointing how history keeps repeating itself :/

[@Chelsea2009FC]

Jonathan Timmermans sad :\

[@jyothikamalesh7586]

0:54 the young man in yellow costume is pick pocketing, what does want us to understand from it

[@moyshirow]

The hands are disproportionately large because he's still a teen.

[@mritunjayvarun6369]

i always wonder how they make the exact replicas of the original and who did it ...must be next michelangelo then lol

[@digginghunter7154]

July 15th is my birthday

[@juanmaruli4977]

Squidward disapproves

[@holdindown8935]

Michelangelo is a great example of why I question the morality of curing autism,in that if had before his time,his works of art would have been denied to us.

[@meowmilomiau]

0:55 bruh that guy just pickpocket

[@skullface2694]

0:55 I see what you did there...

[@gracesnowden1097]

mr metz istg if u give me another one of these ted videos😀🔫

[@confusedindy]

A thief at 0:56-0:57

[@noahwilder823]

some got pickpocketed, thats so funny

[@alialshuwaikhat3749]

his name is MICHELangelo and NOT MICHAELangelo

[@santiago24601]

that guy waqs eating a slice of pizza in the museum... shame on him.

[@ncedwards1234]

54 seconds in

[@hanoman78]

0:55 i guess here is one reason why they weren't placed in the intended sites 😋

[@Iesou.]

Hao.

[@user-qk5ft8eo8t]

2nd

[@GuiiBrazil]

Go home humanity, you are drunk.

[@irenecaptain5832]

Omg, the way she said "Accademia" made me cringe

[@JWP452]

This Ted Ed wasn't worth it.

[@CallemJayNZ]

Deh Meh-Dee-Chee

[@slipperyshaman3566]

This is simply incorrect.

[@AcidBiscuits]

any arguments?

[@slipperyshaman3566]

The meaning of the statue, as well as all opinions on the reasoning for it's positioning, are just that, opinions. It's all speculation. It is simply a statue of David, nothing more. The depictions projected on it, and the meanings they found useful to them were not in the art itself. It became a symbol, but it was not intended as one. Michelangelo would laugh if he saw what they turned it into. IMO

[@capslockqueen]

Eli Knight The meaning is derived from the interpretation. The meaning of anything, in literature, film, fine arts, or any other sort of art is also "speculation," to use the same word you did. Even though the David was not intended as a symbol, it ended up as one. The people who found the statue to reflect the Florentine spirit and determination are not incorrect. I don't think it's appropriate to say Michelangelo would laugh. Many artists would be incredible honored if their art was created for one simple purpose, but instead, ended up being hugely culturally, politically, and artistically significant.

[@slipperyshaman3566]

young mountain You're right, in a sense. I used an improper word. He wouldn't have laughed, he would have been surprised, and I don't believe it is depicted as he intended.

[@vyxxer]

Well, usually the intention of the artist does not matter. Almost every artist has their own art take life and fly away from them by the witness of the people. Everything, anything takes on new meaning whether intentional or not. PBS Ideachannel did a good video explaining this occurrence.

[@Bl3zzz]

why am i watching this shit

[@bunnahale1785]

Funny

[@falconlover5977]

First! ^~^

[@Pantograph_1]

you are such a wannabe loser

[@falconlover5977]

Alex Heard I hope your mom is proud for saying dat ^-^ You just offended someone, "Wannabe loser" T-T

[@jaberjbaar]

Good for you 👌

[@Pantograph_1]

Falcon Lover i never knew my mother

[@Auraborus222]

Alex Heard Careful, you are tempting Mother Jokers and that can be a drag !

[@saadm1670]

Disclaimer : david was middle eastern arab

[@biochemistry5009]

David is not real And the sculpture is italian

[@ECKohns]

He was a Middle Eastern Israelite. Which were precursors to Jews. Arabs wouldn’t take over Israel until 1600 years after David lived.