Michelangelo's David
turns 500
by J.A. Lopata
Not looking a day over 25, Michelangelo’s sculpture David
turned 500 on Sept. 8, amidst the unveiling of the statue’s
latest restoration and celebrations in his home town of
Florence, Italy.
Public speculation on the unmarried Michelangelo’s sexuality
has swirled since John Addington Symonds 1893 biography of
the artist. But what of David’s sexuality?
The famous image’s magnetic charms have made it a popular
adornment for gay household refrigerators, but could the
biblical King David, the statue’s subject, have been gay?
Some scholars claim that David had a same-sex relationship
with King Saul’s son Jonathan. Referenced frequently are a
couple of quotes from The King James Version of the Bible:
“[Jonathan and David] kissed one another ... until David
exceeded” (1 Samuel 20:41); and David’s elegy to his dead
friend: “Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy
love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women” (2
Samuel 1:26).
Some have conjectured that David killed Goliath not so much
with his military prowess, but rather he slew the giant with
his youthful beauty. Hmmm, was Goliath gay?
Michelangelo’s conception of David — as a striking young
man, wearing no armor, indeed without a stitch of clothing —
stands as testament to where the artist stands on the power
of beauty to kill.
This piece first appeared in "In Newsweekly: New England's largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender newspaper."
September 9, 2004