Michelangelo's David at the Sea Wall of Davao City

Sea Wall of Davao City - There is a little corner of Copenhagen in Davao City. They call it Davao Baywalk – or the Sea Wall. Others refer to it as “David’s Edge” for obvious reasons. The more-than-20-foot statue of Michelangelo’s David stands proudly to welcome the few local tourists who visit for their fix of fresh sea breeze! To it’s northern edge is a replica of the Little Mermaid, perched on her own rock!

Michelangelo’s David is the Renaissance Period’s finest work. It was inspired, not by some Roman mythological figure, but a biblical hero: the little David who killed Goliath with his slingshot!

At the age of 26, Michelangelo sculpted him (from a Carrara marble). This took him 3 years to finish – from 1501 to 1503 in Florence, Italy!

After its completion, influential artists like Da Vinci and Botticelli helped decide the rightful location of the statue. From the piazza, they later moved it to a (museum) gallery where David is its most favored resident! Several replicas have been commissioned all over Europe, the Americas and even in Jerusalem. I have encountered one in Kensington (London) whose statue has a detachable fig leaf to account for genital modesties of the late Queen Victoria. The plaster fig leaf is attached every time the queen visits Victoria and Albert Museum! V&A takes good care of their David, but I find Michelangelo’s other masterpiece “The Slave” a more elaborate piece of work. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:P1060319.JPG)

David is decidedly an anatomically inaccurate depiction: his head, hands and upper torso are bigger than they should be (for a reason, of course) and his genitals is uncircumcised whereas Biblical David should be "cut". But even this has a reason, as most works during the Renaissance are thematic (read: “uncut”). But there is no denying the eye-popping detail of human anatomy! Davao’s replica follows Michelangelo’s version, although it may be taller than the 17-foot original!

One more thing, Davao’s David is painted in gold. He shimmers in the morning sun, while most Davids are white to off-white!

Regardless of the differences, David, the Little Mermaid, the romantic promenade all provide a pleasurable diversion in the city!

For more info on the Sea Wall, click on the previous post! - http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2010/07/little-mermaid-finds-another-home-in.html

This is the Eye in the Sky!

The pond in front of David's gigantic statue. It is home to half a dozen sharks, which the locals call "iho".

Not quite there yet, but work is in progress. There were cranes nearby.

Copenhagen's David is not well maintained, but the replica still awes the unsuspecting tourist who only knew of Michelangelo's Renaissance statue in Florence (Italy)! I found the statue at a quiet avenue, just a few walks from Langilinie's the Little Mermaid. The Danish capital's pedestrian-friendly squares are a joy among those who love to see the sights on foot!