Bringing to life “From Marble to Flesh: the Biography of Michelangelo’s David”

Who isn’t fascinated by Michelangelo’s David? This coming May, with your help, the Florentine Press will be bring to life “From Marble to Flesh: the Biography of Michelangelo’s David” by Victor Coonin. Intended for a general audience interested in Italy and art in general, the book is ready to be printed but your help is needed.

Photo courtesy of The Florentine

Believed to be the first crowdfunding project related to Italian art history, the campaign is to exclusively cover the cost of printing this book using a local Florence-based printer. To learn more about this book, we reached out to the author, Victor Coonin, who shared some fascinating insights. 

There have been many books written about the Michelangelo’s David. What inspired you to write “From Marble to Flesh”?

It began with a question: “Why is Michelangelo’s David so famous?”. Oftentimes the simplest questions are the most profound. I have been teaching courses on Michelangelo for almost 20 years both to college students and to adults and this is the single most asked question.

This one work of art looms larger than any other. Everyone knows it, and everyone knows it is important. Yet despite its familiarity it is often misunderstood or simply not understood at all. This book is written in a serious way but with language that is accessible. It is for anyone who wants to know what’s behind the world’s most famous statue.

What challenges did you come across in writing this book?

The most challenging part was filtering through all the nonsense written about the David. There is so much written about the statue that is simply wrong, even in the scholarly literature. Many of the commonly used dates and figures are inaccurate; there are many outlandish interpretations that cannot possibly be true.

So I first set about to check all the sources and look again at the original documentation. Another challenge, when researching the modern period, was dealing with the sheer inundation of material. In modern scholarship there is more written about Michelangelo than any other artist. So I had to find the real story buried within all the noise.

What makes this book different from the others?

There are two huge differences. The first is a question of audience. There are many scholarly books filled with information that only another scholar could possibly decipher. And then there are the tourist books, filled with great images, but with patronizing and often inaccurate text.

My book is the first to tell the story of David as a readable story. The book is accurate, well-illustrated and intended for everyone. I wanted a book that would be accessible to the layperson and also hold up to critical scrutiny.

The second difference is that where most books concentrate on the David in the Renaissance I bring the story right up to the present. David’s story is rich in conflict, tension, controversy and cultural meaning. It is a very human story of a life-like work of art. I tell the story as a centuries-long biography that explains why David was important in the past and why it still resonates so loudly with a contemporary audience.

What insights will readers glean from this book? Could you give us a glimpse by sharing one.

One insight that surprised me as I was researching is how much its meaning has changed over time and how much contemporary relevance this Renaissance work of art still possesses. It was once symbol of Florence but when the Uffizi was bombed in 1993 the statue became a symbol of civilization over savagery.

Throughout the AIDS epidemic, images of the David began to be used (and still are used) as recognizable signifiers to promote safe sex. David has been used as a foil in satires against censorship, such as in Monty Python and The Simpsons, and kids may recognize him as a symbol of supreme artistry from his appearance in Spongebob Squarepants.

A copy of the David will be an ambassador at the Milan Expo of 2015 promoting sustainable agriculture, healthy lifestyles, and the reduction of food waste. The list goes on and on but I had to stop the book somewhere.

We’ve heard of people being overwhelmed by their first sight of David that it has brought them to tears. Does this masterpiece still awe you?

I am overwhelmed every time I see the statue. The amazing thing is that there are copies all over the world, including one in the center of Florence in Piazza della Signoria, and nobody seems particularly in awe when viewing any of these copies. Each copy is interesting but lacks some sort of essential power.

When standing before the actual statue in the Accademia Gallery there is magic. You can feel it in the air. I’ve seen people swoon in front of the statue. It has a beauty and a presence and an ability to communicate that is simply unmatched by any other statue I’ve ever encountered. This had to be explained. Thinking about that, how could I not write this book?

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Final thoughts by BrowsingItaly: We are excited to have contributed and secured our copy of the printed book . With pledge amounts ranging from $5 to $500, we hope you will play a part in bring this book to life. Oh, and everyone who pledges will be rewarded. Here is more information on the campaign that is running from March 17 to April 16, 2014.