The David

March 26, 2009
9:10am, Train to Rome

The next day in Florence was cloudy and cold and despite our refusal to buy an umbrella, it rained. Thankfully, Florentine rain is soft like flowers. Among other things, we saw the David. I snapped a photo of him. The museum forbids it but everyone does it. If they were really serious about it, they'd hire large men in imposing uniforms. Instead they've got middle aged women sternly proclaiming "No photo!" So when people get caught, they either feign ignorance or guilt. When I was caught, however, I just smiled at the woman. She swallowed deeply and sorrowfully. I think my neglect to even pretend to be sorry disturbed her in a way that made her feel small and helpless and afraid.

By the way, the David is something you should spend a few hours viewing some time in your life. It's true mastery is not something you can see in photographs or in the many replicas they have around the city. First of all, it's huge. You first see him from the end of a long hallway, in his own special chamber with his own special lighting. The quality of it is chilling. Despite what Brent will tell you about his strong, masculine neck, the head and hands are too big, which Michelangelo intended, of course. But the face and features and posture and pose are all so human. It's unbelievable.