12/4/2023 0 Comments Michelangelo bronze julius ii![]() ![]() Classical sculptures such as these deeply fascinated Michelangelo and his contemporaries. Discovered in 1506, Michelangelo spent weeks reassembling its pieces. He observes that Michelangelo never bothered with these “distracting graces of art,” as to do so would abase his genius. Commenting on Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Pauline chapel (the last major painting commission he would undertake), Vasari notes the lack of any trees, buildings, or landscape. Michelangelo’s works are full of bodies, from the foreground to the background. Few, however, were as obsessed with the human figure as Michelangelo. Often in an artist’s workshop, only the master would paint human figures, delegating other elements of a work (still life, landscape, animals, etc.) to apprentices. The depiction of the human form was long held to be one of the highest and most difficult things an artist could undertake. Let’s begin with the first item that set Michelangelo apart – his desire to create a new type of figure. As the Renaissance came to a close, however, Michelangelo’s art evolved to reflect the more intense piety of the Counter-Reformation years.ĭelving into both of these will tell us much about the art of Michelangelo and its evolution over time. ![]() Early in his career, his paintings and sculptures reflected the optimistic outlook of Renaissance humanists. This evolved over the course of his lifetime. Second, his works uniquely reflected the intellectual climate of the day. In this, he sought not only to emulate the artists of classical antiquity but to surpass them. First, he aimed to create a whole new type of figure – one that was original, dramatic, and bold. Michelangelo, however, would distinguish himself from his predecessors in two ways. In fact, it was quite in fashion particularly in Florence, where artists had long studied classical sculptures depicting nude male figures. Today, it may seem an odd subject for an artist to build his career around, but it wasn’t so peculiar during the Renaissance. Michelangelo’s art, though varied, is best known for one subject – his depiction of nude, muscular men. Portrait of Michelangelo by Daniele da Volterra (c. Today, his art stands as a testament to Renaissance optimism and aspiration, epitomizing the period that gave birth to the modern world as we know it. Michelangelo was an accomplished sculptor, painter, architect, draughtsman, and poet. The accomplishments of Michelangelo, as Vasari suggests, span the arts. His achievements – from David, to the Dying Slave, to the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel – are regarded as among the greatest works of art ever created. He recounts how God – pitying mankind’s vainglorious artistic efforts – sent to Earth Michelangelo, a man “genius universal in each art.” Thus, according to Vasari, humankind was shown “perfection of line and shadow… sound judgment in sculpture,” and architecture that is safe, pleasant, and “enriched with various ornaments.” In the intervening 500 years, our view of Michelangelo has barely changed. Giorgio Vasari begins his famed biography of Michelangelo not on Earth, but in the realm of the divine. 1513-16 ) on the tomb of Pope Julius II at the Church of San Pietro in Vincoli in Rome. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |