RA - Visual Art

The enthymeme of Michaelangelo's David is that Florence could stand up to its more powerful rivals because David defeated Goliath.

The intended audiences were the people of Florence (in order to inspire hope and patriotism), and most likely the other states which may have had plans to attack the city. It was originally placed outside the city's government center facing out of the city.

The story of David and Goliath is well known. Most people at the time should have understood the reference. The statue not only depicts David as somewhat small, but also naked to show that he didn't have the armor and protection that Goliath had. However, no matter how vulnerable David may look, everyone knows that he came up victor and Goliath, in all his strength and shielding, fell and was killed by David.

Using this imagery for the city of Florence was a way to remind others that though small and vulnerable, Florence was a force to be reckoned with. They would not back down from a fight.

Was this argument effective?

I don't know the entire history of Florence. It is no longer a city-state, but it retains it's identity as Florence. The fact that this statue is a treasure not only to the people of Florence, but to the world suggests that it probably served its purpose sufficiently. Using art to make a political statement seems a fairly common thing to do. The fact that this statue was smaller than most at the time, and without clothing (especially armor), was a little different than the typical statue of a war hero. Considering the position of Florence to its possible enemies, the use of David and his appearance make perfect sense.