Michelangelo’s “David” meets David’s “George Bush”
While traveling on business through Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport, I was struck by this statue of George Bush (the senior George Bush) in one of the terminals. What struck me was the eerie similarity between this statue and Michelangelo’s David.
The 8 foot tall George Bush was sculpted by David Adickes, the Houston artist whose busts of all the Presidents grace two different Presidents Parks.
I can’t help but wonder if the similarity is intentional. Michelangelo’s David depicts the second King of Israel, with a sling over his shoulder that he used to slay the giant Goliath of the Philistine army who threatened to destroy Israel. With that in mind, if Bush represents David, who represents Goliath in this scenario?
Comments
The Bill of Rights.
Posted by: Dan | March 23, 2006 10:38 PM
The intelligent minority?
Posted by: Dan Merritt | April 16, 2006 10:07 AM
This is a simple use of Contrapposto:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrapposto
“Classical Contrapost (or Italian Classical Contrapposto) is a term most commonly used in the visual arts to describe a human figure standing so that its shoulders and arms twist off-axis from the hips and legs. This gives the figure a more relaxed and less stiff appearance. It can also encompass the tension as a figure changes from resting on a given leg to walking or running upon it (so-called ponderation).”
Posted by: chris sivori | January 22, 2007 11:21 AM
hey how are u doin i am a teacher at chester park and i hate this shit
Posted by: Megan Finneyfrock | February 6, 2007 5:04 PM
a Philistine army who threatens to destroy Israel, maybe?
Posted by: Francis | March 19, 2007 10:58 AM
I noticed the same thing & wrote about it a while back at http://www.silencedmajority.blogs.com
It’s amazing - I was in the Louvre and in the basement where they have the Egyptian stuff - thought of the Pharoahs & that the Bush dynasty wants to be like that - then went to see some of the stuff from Louis XIV - they actually think they’re in the same league.
*(only in terms of oppression & vindictiveness)
Posted by: slugbug | July 25, 2007 12:18 AM
@chris sivori - well, it’s a wrong use of “Classical Contrapost” (aka “ponderatio polyclaetea”) in the Bush statue, as if it was correct it would be holding the book with the other hand, on the side of the leg that seems to bear the weight, and have the other arm holding whatever it is it’s holding over the shoulder… :)
Posted by: Giorgia | November 28, 2007 3:00 AM
i think your stupoid
Posted by: Anonymous | December 7, 2007 2:59 PM
i think you’re stupid
Posted by: seymour butts | December 7, 2007 3:01 PM
Um… okay. The previous two comments were left by someone whose IP reveals that he’s using the gov.bc.ca domain. So someone in the Canadian government thinks I’m “stupoid,” calls himself “seymour butts” and has the improbable e-mail address lick_my_nuts_235 at one of the popular web-based e-mail sites. Does this Canadian government employee really have nothing better to do while at work?
Posted by: David | December 7, 2007 3:19 PM
Wow…pretty amazing what computers can reveal, eh?
I think this is great—I’m doing a project on Michelangelo, and this was a nice diversion from the rest of the articles on David. Definitely not “stupoid”. :)
Posted by: Lily | December 9, 2007 5:03 PM
I think that it’s a fasinating observation and someone should contact the artist to see if there is more to it then coincidence.
Posted by: Gwyn | February 19, 2008 5:05 PM
This is a grat site for people to see what other people think of artwork. It really helped me on an artproject.
Posted by: Mary-Ellen | May 8, 2008 1:16 PM