Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 – 1564) was twenty-six when he was commissioned to create a statue representing the biblical hero of David. He was offered a colossal block of marble, previously worked by two other artists, Agostino di Duccio (in 1464) and Antonio Rossellino (in 1475). Both artists had subsequently abandoned their work after discovering imperfections in the grain of the marble. Despite this not inconsiderable drawback, Michelangelo took up the monumental challenge of carving the figure and worked on it for over two years.

His interpretation of David differed somewhat from that of earlier Florentine Renaissance artists. The latter had depicted David as youthful hero, triumphant in his victory over Goliath. Michelangelo saw David quite differently, choosing the moment before David went into battle, thereby showing him as alert and thoughtful, poised for the fight to come.

The resulting figure, one of the most recognised works of Renaissance sculpture and renowned the world over, not only embodies the aesthetics of High Renaissance art, the politics of Renaissance Florence, and the technical virtuosity of Greek sculpture, but is also a lasting symbol of strength and youthful human beauty.

https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/the-story-of-michelangelos-david