Oil and Marble: A Novel of Leonardo and Michelangelo

The rivalry between Leonardo and Michelangelo often manifests in mirror images. If flying machines represent Leonardo’s most unspoken desires, then the David statue is Michelangelo’s symbolic equivalent. The statue represents Michelangelo’s fundamental desire for acceptance on many levels. Even before Michelangelo knows how the statue will look, the block of marble carries great symbolic meaning.

Upon returning from Rome to his hometown of Florence, Michelangelo immediately throws himself into the competition to carve the Duccio Stone. This block of marble is legendary; the failure of the original commission is already a part of the Republic’s history, so the commission becomes an opportunity to right a mistake and bring glory to the city. The Duccio Stone represents Florence as a burgeoning republic, and Michelangelo can’t miss the opportunity to carve this stone. His immediate attachment to the stone symbolizes his fierce determination. He’s told that Leonardo already has the commission and that the competition is a mere formality; however, Michelangelo refuses to accept defeat. He challenges his rival, speaking with true passion and creativity in the face of Leonardo’s half-interested, self-serving pomposity. Michelangelo wins the commission and the opportunity through sheer will. He catapults himself into Florence’s history through his relationship with the historic Duccio Stone, illustrating his incredible desire to be a part of his city’s history.

Michelangelo’s romantic belief that he can become Florence’s greatest artist by carving the Duccio Stone counteracts his abject horror that he has no idea how to start. The marble doesn’t speak to him, so he sits and stares at the block, growing increasingly frustrated. This seething fear symbolizes Michelangelo’s relationship with art. He internalizes the symbolism and romance of the Duccio Stone so completely that he places immense pressure on himself to carve the perfect statue. For months, he fears that he won’t measure up to his self-imposed high expectations. As such, the uncarved stone represents his anxiety. The act of carving brings additional pressure. Many in the city simply don’t believe that sculpture is as worthy an art as other forms, such as painting. Some don’t even recognize a difference between sculpture and stonecutting. Michelangelo’s father, Lodovico, is one such person, so the David represents Michelangelo’s desire to prove to his father that his chosen career path is worthwhile. The statue must be more than simply stone carving; the sculpture must pierce Lodovico’s preconceptions of art itself. In this sense, the block of marble that becomes the David represents Michelangelo’s opportunity to prove to the world and himself that he’s a worthy artist.

In his conversation with Soderini, Michelangelo comes to believe that Florence has lost its sense of civic pride. Thus, Michelangelo places pressure on himself to singlehandedly restore the vigor of the Florentine national spirit. To accomplish this, he realizes that he must play upon the overt symbolism of Florence itself. The statue must represent Florence in such a stark yet malleable fashion that every Florentine can look upon it and understand what it means. It must become a symbol of Florentine identity. Thus, Michelangelo chooses to carve David at the moment before his fight against Goliath. The young upstart David is facing up to a much greater, more fearsome foe; this is how Florence views itself, as a young city destined for greatness, facing off against more powerful, older city-states and countries. Rather than the conquering hero, Michelangelo depicts David as young, beautiful, and unafraid. His David is defiant, precocious, and in control of his fate. This, Michelangelo suggests, is how Florence should view itself. The city’s adoration for his statue suggests that he succeeded. Michelangelo’s David is a triumph of not just sculpture but also national and civic symbolism.