A principal in the US was forced to resign from Tallahassee Classical School in Florida after some parents complained about an art lesson that featured Michelangelo’s David, one of the world’s most famous sculptures. However, the principal, Hope Carrasquilla, recently visited the sculpture in Florence’s Accademia Galleria with her family upon the museum director’s invitation.
Carrasquilla praised the gallery and expressed admiration for Michelangelo’s work, saying that there is nothing wrong with the human body and that it was sculpted wonderfully. She did not know the exact reason for her resignation, but she believed it was related to the complaints over the lesson.
The statue of David is a 17ft tall sculpture that portrays the Biblical character completely naked, killing Goliath. An art lesson was taught to 11 and 12-year-old students that included a depiction of the sculpture and mentioned two other artworks, Michelangelo’s “Creation of Adam” and Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus,” both of which also contain nudity. A parent complained that the material was pornographic, and others demanded to be informed about the lesson content in advance. The incident created an international uproar and caused confusion within the classical art community.
In response to the controversy surrounding the art lesson, Florida’s Department of Education released a statement acknowledging the artistic and historical value of the David statue. The museum director, Ms. Hollberg, expressed her delight in introducing the sculpture to the educator and referred to it as a masterpiece that represents a religious symbol of purity and innocence, as well as the triumph of good over evil.
Ms. Hollberg also stated that more than half of the Accademia Galleria’s visitors come from the US, indicating the sculpture’s significant cultural importance. Michelangelo created the David sculpture between 1501 and 1504, and it was widely recognized as a masterpiece from the start. Renaissance artist Giorgio Vasari even declared that the sculpture “surpassed” any statue that had existed before it.
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