I chose to compare Michelangelo's great sculpture of David, and the Exalted Chinese Monk from the Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection, at the Seattle Art Museum. These two share many characteristics, yet they are also very much different from one another. Looking at both of them, they seemed to contrast from each other like black and white. While at the same time they seem to compliment each other.
             The high point of Michelangelo's early style is the gigantic (4.34 m/ 14.24 ft) marble David, which he produced between 1501 and 1504, after returning to Florence. The character of David and what he symbolizes, was perfectly in tune with Michelangelo's patriotic feelings. At the time, Florence was going through a difficult period, and its citizens had to be alert and mobilized to confront permanent threats. He used David as a model of heroic courage, in the hope that the Florentines would understand his message. This young Biblical hero demonstrated that inner spiritual strength can prove to be more effective than arms. David's faith in God enabled this young shepherd to overcome Israel's enemies, using a mere sling, which is the only element in the composition enabling us to identify the figure of David. The strong confidant air of David is very clearly seen in Michelangelo's magnificent sculpture.
             Michelangelo chose to represent David as an athletic, manly character, very concentrated and ready to fight. The extreme tension is evident in his look and in the stone he is holding in his right hand. Eyes watchful, David stands poised to strike. The Old Testament hero is depicted as a nude youth, muscular and alert, looking of into the distance as if he was sizing up the enemy Goliath, whom he had not yet been encountered with. With this statue, Michelangelo proved to his peers that he not only surpassed all modern artists, but also the Greeks and Romans by combining formal beauty with powerful expressiveness and em...