For more proof that we are living in unusual times, consider the current debate over whether a 519-year-old marble sculpture of a naked man in Italy is better defined as art or pornography.
The art in question is Michelangelo’s famous rendition of David, future king of the Israelites, as he prepares to sling the stone that killed Goliath. “The David,” as Italians call the sculpture, remains an enduring symbol of Renaissance art. The Sistine Chapel ceiling, also created by Michelangelo a few years after he finished David, is one of the period’s very few works that is an artistic equal of the sculpture.
The complaints came from a school in Tallahassee, Fla., where some parents of sixth-grade students, upon learning that the school showed their children pictures of the David sculpture, objected that they weren’t notified in advance. The school principal resigned over the fuss.
The parental objections should not be dismissed out of hand. David is indeed naked, carrying only a stone in his right hand and a slingshot over the left shoulder. His privates are on full display, and every sixth-grader in America is guaranteed to giggle at that sight instead of admiring the sculpture’s stunning beauty and detail.
It is easy to understand why showing 12-year-olds a sculpture of an unclothed man, even one of the Old Testament’s greatest heroes, can be a questionable decision. In the same way, a picture of the full sculpture would be inappropriate to print in this newspaper simply because David is unclothed.
Having said that, the sculpture, on display in Florence, Italy is far from pornographic.
Most likely, Michelangelo created David without clothing for two reasons. The artist wanted to show his fine eye for details of the human body — visible from a distance in David’s ribcage and chest, and up close in arm veins and leg tendons that make the marble sculpture look so human. Also, he wanted his work to symbolize that David faced Goliath with nothing but his faith in God.
According to recent news reports, the Catholic Church in the 16th century demanded that art include appropriately placed garlands and other devices to block nudity that it deemed offensive. The garlands got removed centuries ago, but they are a reminder that today’s debate is not the first of its kind.
In Florida, the complaints from Tallahassee parents and the principal’s resignation may have some people muttering that public educators have gone overboard once again. So it’s interesting to learn that the institution in question is a charter school, funded by public money but operated independently from public schools, and popular with parents who wanted an alternative to public schools.
Just as interesting, The Associated Press reports that the charter school “follows a curriculum designed by Hillsdale College, a conservative Christian school in Michigan frequently consulted by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on educational issues.”
That conservative background makes the case that the school only intended to show its sixth graders art that has endured. Michelangelo’s sculpture certainly passes that test.
— Jack Ryan, McComb Enterprise-Journal
