When deciding where to "project" my text piece titled 'Toxic Masculinity', I thought about Michelangelo's 'David' and how I see it as being associated with the "ideal" male. I am sure I have read books where a male character has been referred to as resembling David, as a way of highlighting the character's perfection, although I cannot remember any specific examples. This inspired me to look into David further, and use him as the background for my "projection".
Michelangelo's David is highly regarded as one of the most famous statues, as well as one of the greatest masterpieces, ever created. The sculpture depicts David, from the biblical story about David and Goliath. The religious hero is carved from a huge block of marble, standing at 17 feet tall. The depiction is an unconventional one, as it shows David as a young man before his battle against Goliath, rather than as a boy after like that of many other portrayals of David.
The intimidating sculpture highlights the fact that David won the fight due his intelligence, rather than his brute strength.
While strength is something usually highly sought after in the "ideal" modern man, the piece has chosen to focus on David's intelligence instead. This is because intellect was more desired than strength in the "ideal" man at the time the statue was made. Of course, cleverness and self-confidence are still considered to be traits of the "perfect" man nowadays, and so the piece still depicts a character of "perfection", especially as David's body is clearly intended to be seen as fit, healthy and strong.
The sculpture has been regarded as a "symbol of strength and defiance" by many, as well as being viewed as
Michelangelo was known for creating "figurative works that focused on balance, harmony, and the ideal form." so it's hardly surprising that David was also intended to depict perfection.
To conclude, Michelangelo's David portrays the "perfect" man. All of the traits that David is seen to posses - heroic, strong, smart, courageous, confident and beautiful -have been, and are still, considered to be the definition of "perfection" and the epitome of masculinity, hence why I chose it as the background to "project" Toxic Masculinity onto.
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