Tourists flocked to see Michelangelo’s David sculpture in Florence on Tuesdayfollowing an uproar over a Florida school’s decision to force the principal out of office over complaints about a class teaching the Renaissance masterpiece.
The tourists, many of them Americans on spring break or studying abroad, posed for selfies in front of the giant marble sculpturewhich represents the biblical David, naked, with a sling on his shoulder and a stone in his hand, ready for battle against Goliath.
The Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, which houses the sculpture, reopened on Tuesday after the weekly closing on Mondayand both tourists and locals couldn’t get over the controversy.
“It’s part of the story,” said Isabele Joles of Ohio, who studies French and Italian art with her school group. “I don’t understand how you can say it’s porn.”
The Florida controversy
That’s how Joles and other visitors reacted to the Tallahassee Classical School board’s decision to pressure principal Hope Carrasquilla to resign last week after a photo of David was shown to a sixth-grade art class.
Hollypaw believes the advice has turned to her after three parents complained because they had not been informed in advance that a nude image would be shown, while a third called the iconic sculpture, considered the pinnacle of Renaissance sculpture, pornographic. The school has a policy that requires parents to be notified in advance of “controversial” topics being taught.
During the weekend, both the mayor of Florence and the director of the museum They showed their disbelief at the uproar and invited the ousted principal and the school community to see the sculpture for themselves.
“We’re talking about the roots of Western culture, and ‘David’ is the pinnacle, the pinnacle of beauty,” museum director Cecilie Hollberg said in an interview Tuesday as tourists walked past her to take selfies next to the sculpture.
The controversy was not only a topic of conversation in Florence. A large crowd showed up for a school board meeting in Tallahassee Monday night, where public comment on the David statue controversy lasted more than an hour, the Tallahassee Democrat reported. Some parents and teachers have criticized the council and have even called on President Barney Bishop to step aside.
‘Given the discontent of all these parents with your leadership, would you be willing to follow us in integrity by stepping down?’ asked Professor Ben Steigner.
Bishop declined, saying he plans to remain president until his term ends in May and then another year on the board, the newspaper reported. The five administrators are chosen by themselves, not by their parents, and remain in office for three years. The new principal, Cara Wynn, notified the school board nine students had dropped out of school since the David controversy had started, but those three had signed up.
Tallahassee Classical is a charter school. Although it is taxpayer-funded and free, it operates almost completely independently of the local school district and is in demand by parents looking for an alternative to the public school curriculum. About 400 students, from kindergarten through twelfth grade, attend this three-year institution, which now has its third director.
It follows a curriculum designed by Hillsdale College, a conservative Christian Michigan school often consulted by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on educational matters.
The Florida Department of Education, however, distanced itself from the controversy and the school’s decision.
“David’s school has historic and artistic value. Florida encourages the teaching of the classics and classical art and would not prohibit their use in education,” the department said in a statement. “The Problem at Tallahassee Classical School takes place between the school and an employeeand is not the effect of a state law or regulation.”
At the museum on Tuesday, tourist Brian Stapley of Seattle, Washington said he was sad for the kids at the school.
“It’s one of the most amazing parts of our history,” she said as she waited in line to enter the museum. I’m so sorry for the kids who can’t see it”.
Source: AP
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.