Therefore, “David,” is a fit symbol of courage and civic duty to guard the city. Standing 13’5″ tall, the double life-sized David is depicted patiently waiting for battle, prepped with slingshot in one hand and stone in the other. Michelangelo, in his mid twenties, carved the David after he had already carved the Pieta in Rome. He carved this sculpture from a huge block of marble that had been abandoned decades earlier by another sculptor: Michelangelo took on the challenge of living up to Donatello and other precursors who had sculpted the same heroic figure. Instead of creating David to look relaxed and confident after his victory, Michelangelo's David looks tense and ready for combat. His brow is furrowed, the tendons in his neck are taut, as are the muscles in his nose and lips, and his eyes are focused on something in the distance. Despite this mental concentration, he stands in a relaxed “contrapposto” position, with his sling casually thrown over his left shoulder. This combination of intense expression and calm pose is intended to capture the short period between the decision to fight and the fight itself. The statues hands and head appear to be disproportionally large for his body, possibly because they were deemed more visually important for viewers who would see the statue high up…