Michelangelo: The Heart’s Image
Throughout the centuries, art has proven to change eras, to change perspectives, and to change lives. It takes someone of extraordinary ability to see past the surface and force their heart to see for them. Michelangelo had done exactly so. He had allowed his artwork to speak for him and emphasized the importance of human emotion and strength. During his lifetime, Michelangelo defined the true meaning of Renaissance art through his magnificent pieces which include the Pieta, the Statue of David and the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel.
At the young age of 28, Michelangelo abandoned the traditional outlook on the death of Jesus Christ, and therefore, created an entirely new viewpoint and masterpiece known as the Pieta. For years, interpretations of the Pieta, an Italian word for pity, were especially gruesome and designed to emphasize the enormity of Christ’s sacrifice. However, when the French cardinal employed Michelangelo to carve a “Pieta of marble… a Virgin Mary clothed, with a dead Christ in her arms, of the size of a proper man,” he surpassed all expectations (Pettit 32). Michelangelo challenged himself to concentrate on what he called the “the heart’s image,” and he did so all within one year. Successfully, he completed both challenges. His Christ figure did not accentuate the finality of death, but was rather portrayed in a quiet repose, a sleeping savior who completed his promise of eternal life. The Virgin Mary had been given an expression of peaceful acceptance, seeming to know the inevitable death of her son and moving beyond the tragic death (Pettit 33). The overall structure is pyramidal due to the fact that the lap of the Virgin had to be sculpted much wider in order to support the weight of the full grown Christ (Pieta). When the sculpture was completed and appreciated by many onlookers, Michelangelo overheard his work attributed to another artist. Enraged he broke into the basilica in the night and carved his name onto the Virgin Mary’s sash. He had done so to prove his confidence in his ability, but today, it also firmly verifies his great genius.
Currently standing nearly fourteen feet high in the Florence art gallery, the statue of David continues to bring fame to Michelangelo’s name and further confirms his extraordinary artistic abilities. The political leaders of Florence wished to celebrate the new peace that reigned in the city, and asked Michelangelo to sculpt the biblical hero, David (Adriani). For centuries, Florence had been threatened numerous times by tyrants but was able to remain free with courage and determination. The young David served as an appropriate symbol for the city, because he had managed to slay the giant, Goliath, with only a slingshot at hand On September 13, 1501, Michelangelo began one of his greatest life’s works. He began by building a timber shelter around the large marble block and an adjustable scaffold in order to reach all parts of the block (Di Cagno 24). For two and a half years, he worked with hammers, chisels, rasps, and files, removing chips as thick as three or four fingers with one blow (Pettit 41). Michelangelo took much pleasure in making his work look almost effortless. It is easily visible that the hands and head are much too large for the body, but this had not been a mistake. As an expert on human anatomy, Michelangelo wished to emphasize that David was still a young boy, many of whom grew disproportionally at his age. In September 1504, the statue was revealed and from then on, it symbolized courage, justice, and good government (Di Cagno 24). Valiant and vigilant, David expresses the striking power the Italians call terribilita.
With what had been once painted as a dull starry night, Michelangelo transformed the Sistine Chapel ceiling to not only a series of biblical portrayals, but also a harmony between color, passion, and perspective. Open to put forth his own ideas,