Why David? A conversation with Ewa Atanassow, David Hayes, Geoff Lehman, and Aaron Tugendhaft

Of all Biblical motifs, the story of David is not only a favored subject of Florentine art but, in a way, its very emblem. Why? What made the figure of David so resonant that it was cast in bronze and carved in words as well as stone over and over again? How was David's story retold and interpreted, and what were its aesthetic, political, and religious ramifications?

Beginning with the Biblical text, in this special seminar we shall analyze three iconic takes on David – by Machiavelli, Donatello, and Michelangelo -- and probe their significance for Renaissance Florence. By exploring the vision of modernity elaborated in these works, we shall pose larger questions about the relationship between artworks and their context, and reflect both on the art of politics and the politics of art.

Please register for the seminar here.

Participants can read a selection from The David Story by Robert Alter prior to the event.

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For more information, e-mail [email protected].

Time: 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm CET/GMT+1

Location: P98a 0.09 (Geoff Lehman's office)

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