Notice the sling over the figure's shoulder, and the almost
perfect human proportions depicted. Michelangelo's David is
based on the artistic discipline of disegno, which is built on
knowledge of the male human form. Under this discipline,
sculpture is considered to be the finest form of art because it
mimics divine creation. Because Michelangelo adhered to the
concepts of disegno, he worked under the premise that the image
of David was already in the block of stone he was working on --
in much the same way as the human soul is thought to be found
within the physical body. It is also an example for the
contrapposto style. The proportions are not quite true to the
human form; the head and upper body are somewhat larger than the
proportions of the lower body. While some have suggested that
this is mannerist stylization, the most commonly accepted
explanation is that the statue was originally intended to be
placed on a church fascade or high pedestal, and that the
proportions would appear correct when the statue