Forced to quit because of an image of Michelangelo’s David shown in a class, a headmistress from Florida was invited by the mayor of Florence, Italy, to show her students that the work is not of “pornography”.
“To confuse art with pornography is simply ridiculous”, tweeted the mayor of Florence, Dario Nardella, on Saturday, inviting “personally” the main interested party to come and visit the city to be honored.
“Art is a civilization and whoever teaches it deserves respect,” he continued.
Last week, the principal of the Classical School of Tallahassee in Florida, Hope Carrasquilla, was forced to resign after receiving several complaints from parents, following an art lesson during which an image of Michelangelo’s David allegedly shown to sixth graders, The Globe and Mail reported.
This Italian Renaissance emblem, which measures 5 feet and dates from 1504, represents the biblical character of David who goes to face the giant Goliath, armed only with his faith in God.
According to the ex-director, two parents would nevertheless have complained of not having been informed in advance that a naked person would be shown, while a third would have described the work as “pornographic”.
A policy requires the school to notify parents in advance when a “controversial” topic comes up.
“To think that David might be pornographic really means not understanding the content of the Bible, not understanding Western culture and not understanding Renaissance art,” said Cecilie Hollberg, director of the Galleria dell’Accademia where resides the David, in an interview with the Canadian media.
Faced with the controversy, the museum thus invited, on Sunday, parents and students of the American school to come and visit the statue to understand its “purity”.
For his part, the president of the school council, Barney Bishop, said that the image was not the only factor in the resignation of the principal, however refusing to elaborate.
“Parents have the right to know whenever their children learn about a controversial subject or image,” he insisted in an interview with “Slate” magazine.