Michangelo ... purging of the narrative

I must admit there was an interesting video setup with an academic, Robert Morris, giving a critique of Michangelo's David (seeing that his 500th birthday was last year). I found it particularly interesting and I think as Rob coined the phrase, an episode in 'intellectual masterbation'.

It was a multi dimensional argument but one aspect was that Michangelo was continuing a trend of purging of narrative that ultimately has lead us to abstract art in the 20th century where there is no narrative. Just quickly, art has generally always been used to tell stories - greek myths, religious ideas as until the industrial revolution, very few people were educated so few could read. However, like the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words and could be universally understood by the masses.

Before, David was usually always shown with a Goliath's head so you could recognise it. A comment that came out was that Michangelo's David could be a 'Barbie Doll with balls' or alternatively just waiting to be handed a guitar with the whole 'don't mess with me attitude'.

Another argument was how it could only be a large, white, male in this heroic position much the same as an Arnold Schwarzenegger today. There was also a thread of age. Michangelo's David is a kid with an adult physique and that notion of fighting Goliath of the older generation. With the statutue also having recently being restored, another idea of youth not being able to age like everything else but preserved.

A little side tracked but one day I will do philosophy to really understand how to think *hint, hint, nudge, nudge Chris*.