Day 307, Thursday, November 7, 2024
Reflections
Magnificence of nature and magnificent art, music, dance-drama performances turn me speechless. Words lose their meaning. Coming from a writer, this is a significant declaration. In silence, my eyes well, heart hurts (in a good way) and my ego self dissipates. I merge into what I’m beholding as the matter turns into spirit. The object can be as small as a flower or a bonsai arrangement. Or as marvelous as Michelangelo’s David.
Inspiration
A photograph of a great work of art is the mere memory of the original. In no way can it have the same impact as an in-person encounter. I experienced this when we visited the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, Italy. I had seen the reproductions of Michelangelo’s marble statue of David, but was clueless about how I would react to the original masterpiece.
A kilometer from the museum, in the Piazza della Signoria, stands a statue of David that I mistook to be the original. Its resemblance was uncanny. I looked at it from all sides, appreciating the work, but I did not feel its power – the youthful beauty or the vigor written about in essays I had read about the statue. Then I visited the museum and was charmed by other works of Michelangelo.
Suddenly a marble statue, its head almost touching the ceiling came into view. I immediately recognized it as David. I walked briskly, stopping close to it and stretching my neck to look up at the head of the 17-foot-tall young man!
Words such as magnificence, supreme skill, and the work of a genius lost their meaning. What was this other worldly wonder that I was facing? I circumambulated it three times as if it was the image of the God in sanctum sanctorum.
The male figure carved from white marble seemed to have come from the divine realm. I marveled at its exquisite details – feet, legs, thighs, hips, genitals, left hand holding a sling, chest, back, shoulders, right hand, head, hair. What a depiction of youth and strength! I felt my eyes welling. My heart hurt. My pulse beat faster.
Michelangelo was only 26 years old when he carved David from a discarded marble block. His David seemed to have come to life in that marble body. How could a mere mortal create a thing of such incredible beauty? The divine sculptor had turned matter into spirit.
Journal Prompt
Journal about an emotional experience you have had at a concert, during a movie, at an art show, or at the theater. What sensations did you have? How did you feel emotionally?
Today’s Practice
Meditation: “Body”
Read, reflect, and journal.
