Michelangelo
Renaissance Man by Anitha Machupalli
Biography of Michelangelo
Michelangelo was one of the greatest artists of all time. He was the most celebrated artist in Italy. He was born on 6 March 1475 in Caprese, Italy. He spent most of his life in Rome, although he was a Florentine. Because Michelangelo was a great artist, he disliked going to school. If his father sent him to school, he would go and watch the painters. Seeing that his son did not like seeking education, his father sent him to apprentice Domercio Ghirlandaio. There he learned the style of fresco. Later, Ghirlandaio sent Michelangelo to Lorenzo the Magnificent to study sculptures. He then went to Bertoldo di Giovanni who opened him to humanism. However, everything began going downhill for Michelangelo after Lorenzo died. Because of political strife, Michelangelo went to Bologna, and then went to Florence to work as a sculptor. He was a renaissance man because he was skilled at painting and sculpting. Some of his works consist of the Last Judgment, the Pieta, David, Cupid, and the Sistine Chapel. In order to create any kind of art, the artist needs money. Michelangelo received many patrons, those who give money to the artist to create art. The most important ones are the Medici Family, Cardinal Riario of San Giorgio, and Jean Bilheres de Lagraulars who was the representative of the French King Charles VIII. There are multiple "isms" that link to this person; however, the closely linked two "isms" are humanism and individualism. Humanism is linked to Michelangelo because he was not focused on god. Most of his works are known to be humanistic. Also, he learned with humanists, which could be a factor as to why humanism is closely linked to Michelangelo. Another major "ism" is individualism. Individualism is the celebration of the individual. Michelangelo is closely linked to this "ism" because he takes pride in himself, as well as his work. He created pieces that were amazing to the human eye. He created painting and sculptures that were praised by many during the renaissance period and today. Because of this, Michelangelo was the greatest artist of all time and he will be well appreciated by future artists.
Citation:
- "Michelangelo." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Jan 25 2013, 05:34http://www.biography.com/people/michelangelo-9407628.
- WALLACE, WILLIAM E. "Michelangelo Buonarroti." Europe, 1450 to 1789:Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World. Ed. Jonathan Dewald. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2004. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 25 Jan. 2013.
The Pieta
Wish. "Art Dish." Art Dish. Art Appetizer, 18 Jan. 2011. Web. 25 Jan. 2013.
Art Work by Michelangelo
The piece pictured above is known as the Pieta. The Pieta was created between the years 1497 and 1499. The exact date is unknown. The Pieta is located, today, in the St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. The piece shows us Jesus's mother, Mary, and Jesus. Mary holds Jesus in her arms after the crucifixion. The Pieta clearly shows us a mother's love toward her child. Mary weeps, as her son is lying in her lap, dead. I find this piece very interesting because although many people were humanistic at the time, Michelangelo constructed a piece that was close to religion. He was brave enough to create the Pieta that was far from humanism. This piece is significant because Michelangelo finished this piece in less than a year and he made the piece out of a single slab stone. The theme and the story behind this statue make this piece even more significant. Some new techniques used in the Pieta are that Michelangelo uses different shapes to make Mary's face and Jesus's body. Also, he uses light to make an illusion. This shows us how Michelangelo uses his surroundings to make a sculpture even more significant. Because the Pieta is closely linked to religion, we can declare that the Pieta is not secular. Secularism means that something is moving away from religion. The Pieta is definitely not secular. This is because the Pieta deals with Jesus, who starts a religion and gets crucified for doing it. And so, this piece is not secular considering it talks about religion. The Pieta shows the relationship between a mother showing affection toward her son. Michelangelo shows us this theme very clearly in the Pieta.
Citation:
- "Michelangelo." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Jan 25 2013, 05:34 http://www.biography.com/people/michelangelo-9407628.
- WALLACE, WILLIAM E. "Michelangelo Buonarroti." Europe, 1450 to 1789:Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World. Ed. Jonathan Dewald. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2004. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 25 Jan. 2013.
- Terry, Rachel. "The Elements of Design Used in Michelangelo's Pieta." EHow. Demand Media, 04 June 2011. Web. 25 Jan. 2013.