Studying David's Face

This is a sketch I did at the end of our week in Florence. I sat on a cold stone step at the Loggia della Signoria where I could see the David replica about 50 feet away at the entrance of Palazzo Vecchio. The Loggia is an open-air sculpture gallery of antique and Renaissance art.

The eyes of David, with a warning glare, are turned towards Rome. Michelangelo's original David statue was moved from the Palazzo Vecchio location to the Academy in 1873. It was later replaced at the original location by a replica. (I cannot find any information about who made the David copy.)

David's expression is intense, but obscure: confident, and yet, perturbed. The pose of his body is relaxed, but his brow is strained.

“David's Face Study” (after Michelangelo)
Charcoal and chalk on Canson 12"x9" Unframed
©2013 Diana Moses Botkin

Nearby, outside the Uffizi, where crowds were waiting in line to get in were live street performers posing as sculptures, along with numerous artists set up to draw portraits and show their art.

I bought a couple of tiny engravings from Dorotea Muller (at left), a Florence native, who told me she studied at The Academy.

I also got a miniature watercolor from another woman artist who wrote her email address on the back. Unfortunately, I cannot decipher her handwriting.