This piece, David, is a reimagining of Michelangelo’s iconic sculpture, capturing the classical beauty of the original while infusing it with a modern, abstract sensibility. Measuring 36×36, this work focuses on a fragmented profile, presenting the viewer with a stark, close-up view of David’s face. The stark contrast of black and white highlights the sharp contours and shadows of the figure, emphasizing the strength and timelessness of David’s form.

The sharp line slicing through David serves as a metaphorical fracture, a visual representation of the tension between the ideals of the past and the fractured realities of the present. In Michelangelo’s original, David stands as a symbol of perfection, strength, and an idealized vision of humanity—an unbroken form carved from a single block of marble. But in this reinterpretation, the clean cut through David’s face signifies a break from that classical perfection, acknowledging that modern life is not as pristine or complete.

The minimalistic black and white palette enhances this concept, stripping away any unnecessary embellishments to focus purely on form and contrast. Black and white, often seen as opposing forces, here symbolize the divergence between the past’s rigid ideals of beauty and heroism and the complex, often contradictory nature of modern existence. Where once there was unity and clarity, now there is division, ambiguity, and a recognition of imperfection.

This fracture isn’t necessarily negative; it speaks to the evolution of thought, the acceptance that modern identity is multifaceted, layered, and sometimes fractured by experiences, challenges, and contradictions. The line doesn’t destroy David’s form, but it disrupts it in a way that reflects how time and society have shifted our understanding of beauty, strength, and humanity. It’s as if the classical ideal is being re-examined through a contemporary lens—one that recognizes both the grandeur and the fragility of the human condition.

In this sense, the break through David is not a flaw but a reflection of the times. It serves as a bridge between the idealized past and the complex, fractured present, asking the viewer to contemplate what it means to be strong, whole, or heroic in a world where those concepts are constantly being redefined.

It’s my way of showing reverence for the original while creating a version that speaks to modern audiences—an interpretation that acknowledges the imperfections, complexities, and challenges of today, while still paying homage to the beauty and strength that David represents.