L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 4 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS T he news that the p r i n c i p a l o f a Florida charter school was fired after a Renais- sance art lesson featuring Michelangelo's David, has rightfully caused a stir. Two parents of 11-year-old students complained of not being informed beforehand, and a third parent in partic- u l a r d e e m e d t h e m a s t e r - p i e c e o f w o r l d s c u l p t u r e " p o r n o g r a p h i c . " S i m i l a r p r o t e s t s h a d a l r e a d y occurred during Hope Car- rasquilla's 27 years of teach- ing at another school. "But there's nothing inappropri- ate about it," she explained in various interviews. "This is Renaissance art. If you study the Creation of Adam and you dress him, you're c h a n g i n g t h e n a r r a t i v e . W h e n G o d c r e a t e d h i m , A d a m w a s n a k e d . I f y o u cover him up, you automati- cally make nudity a shame- ful thing, but that's not the original story." L ' I t a l o - A m e r i c a n o thanks Cecilie Hollberg, d i r e c t o r o f t h e G a l l e r i a dell'Accademia in Flo- rence, which has been home to the David for 141 years, for the valuable contribu- tion she gave us on the sub- j e c t b y g r a n t i n g u s t h i s interview. Director, how can we explain such an offense t o t h e v e r y s y m b o l o f the Italian Renaissance, one of the most recog- nizable masterpieces of world art? Honestly, there is only o n e e x p l a n a t i o n : t h e absolute ignorance of who- ever confuses the David and his nudity – a symbol of the innocence and purity of this boy chosen by God – with pornography. Only a twisted type of fantasy can see this in a biblical figure, in a stat- ue that is also an icon of the Renaissance and the most famous statue in the world. It's not only absurd, it's a worrying sign of sheer igno- r a n c e , i n i t s m o s t l i t e r a l sense: a lack of knowledge of history – religious histo- r y , o f C h r i s t i a n i t y a n d Judaism, and art history. What's the meaning of Michelangelo's David, and why is it unaccept- able to mistake art for pornography? The David is not just any sculpture but the most icon- ic, well-known, and admired in the world. It was the first statue since ancient times to b e t r u l y m a j e s t i c i n i t s dimensions. Michelangelo created it when he was only 26 years old and spent three years on it. The perfect body of the David corresponds to t h e R e n a i s s a n c e c a n o n , w h i c h p l a c e d M a n a t t h e heart of all, in agreement w i t h t h e C r e a t i o n s t o r y where God makes Man in his own image. The sculp- ture is an exceptional exam- ple of beauty, innocence, balance, and perfect propor- tions. Continued to page 6 Michelangelo's David: culture deserves respect The David at the Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence, which has been its home for the past 141 years (Photo courtesy of Galleria dell'Accademia) BARBARA MINAFRA The David is not "sim- ply naked." It is a semi- n a l p i e c e o f W e s t e r n artistic expression that worked as a reference for much of our art. Do w e n e e d t o d e d i c a t e m o r e t i m e t o a r t i n s c h o o l s i f w e w a n t t o truly fight against igno- rance and against what m a y b e , p e r h a p s , a weakening of our very sense of culture? I t s h o u l d b e s a i d t h a t , from what I read, it was only o n e m o t h e r w h o , o u t o f ignorance, mistook nudity for pornography, and I can- n o t a n d d o n o t w a n t t o believe this is the way most people think. Florence is full o f A m e r i c a n s , t h e r e a r e about forty American uni- versities here, and there is the very important reality of t h e F r i e n d s o f F l o r e n c e , which finances – often with- out wanting to be named, simply out of love for the Renaissance, the city, and Tuscany – restorations of very important works of art and buildings that no one else would take care of. We certainly need to be careful, because we are losing touch with our roots and our cul- ture. Renaissance and Clas- sical art, where nudity is absolutely natural, are both p a r t o f W e s t e r n c u l t u r e . M e d i e v a l h i s t o r y , R o m e , and ancient Greece are at the very root of it. We can- not deny our past, especially when it is this perfect. This episode upset me so much b e c a u s e s u c h i g n o r a n c e physically hurts. That's why we created a hashtag called "David against ignorance" to provide information so that it does not happen again: to share knowledge, beauty, a n d c u l t u r e , a s w e h a v e always done, while trying to involve more and more peo- p l e t h r o u g h o u r s o c i a l media. To us at L'Italo Amer- icano, it seemed outra- geous that the founda-

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