Renaissance Analysis
Background:
This sculpture was created by Michelangelo in Rome the year of 1498. This was made after he was commissioned by Jean de Billheres to make a piece of art for the St Peters Basilica. The sculpture is named Pieta and is carved with marble. ("Michelangelo’s Pieta")
Story of Pieta:
Michelangelo said the story of the art is that it is the Virgin Mary depicted holding the body of Christ after his crucifixion, before being placed in his tomb. This is known as The Seven Sorrows of Mary and was said to be a key event within her life. ("Michelangelo’s Pieta")
I think this artwork is absolutely beautiful. I love his choice in media, using a stone as hard and beautiful as marble. There is so much emotion within Mary's face and it's amazing to think he was able to carve something as hard as stone and make it look soft like skin. Michelangelo said he sculpted Mary to be larger than the body of Christ and used the drapery around her legs to help that. ("Michelangelo’s Pieta") This is such a different technique that I don't see often. The details in the art piece are immaculate.
Humanism in Pieta:
The sculpture is a great depiction of humanism as it was intertwined with the art of the Renaissance, depicting natural human beauty. Michelangelo spent a long time perfecting every muscle and vein into making this sculpture naturally beautiful, making it divine beauty. ("Michelangelo’s Pieta")
I think his ability to carve this stone into natural, soft beauty is breathtaking. To create dimension within the solid piece of stone, he used light and dark tones by creating shadows within the drapes and clothing. The art tells a story whether you know the information about the sculpture or not. You are able to connect yourself to the art and the emotions depicted in stone. Taking a natural material that is so hard, often you'd feel like the art shown would be filled with hard edges and an overall tone that may feel darker, but Michelangelo was able to turn it into a story of light and redemption.
Fun Facts:
1. This was the only piece of artwork that Michelangelo signed his name, and it is believed he signed it twice after finding an "M" within the palm of Virgin Mary ("Michelangelo Pietà - Analysing Michelangelo's Vatican Pietà Statue")
2. The sculpture has been restored multiple times, one of which was reattaching four of Mary's fingers in 1736. ("Michelangelo Pietà - Analysing Michelangelo's Vatican Pietà Statue")
3. A man named Laszlo Toth damaged the sculpture in 1972, causing them to protect it with 3 layers of bulletproof glass. ("Michelangelo Pietà - Analysing Michelangelo's Vatican Pietà Statue")
4. One of the longest restorations done on the sculpture was Mary's eyelid which took over 20 attempts to perfect. ("Michelangelo Pietà - Analysing Michelangelo's Vatican Pietà Statue")
References:
"Michelangelo Pietà - Analysing Michelangelo's Vatican Pietà Statue". Art In Context, 2021, https://artincontext.org/michelangelo-pieta/
"Michelangelo’s Pieta". Italianrenaissance.Org, 2012, http://www.italianrenaissance.org/michelangelos-pieta/.
I really love this piece. I have always been fascinated with sculptures but it is so far out of any type of art I can accomplish that I’m intimidated by it. I love that you chose this in the relationship to the theme. I didn’t think to use sculpture as a Renaissance piece but it totally is. I was really focused on oil and thank you for doing a blog on this one.
ReplyDeleteThe top part of Mary’s dress is amazing with the rolls and crinkles of the fabric. The deep groves cut into the piece. Michelangelo must have been on his back and hanging upside down to carve this. I can guess where the fingers on Mary might have broken off on her left hand. I also really like how detailed the legs and arms of Jesus look especially around the ankle and the forearm.
I really wanted to see Jesus’s face so I had to Google that. It’s that whole fascination of wanting to know what Jesus really looked like even though I know Michelangelo was also guessing. There is just so much to look at with this sculpture. I’m totally awed, I just don’t know how anyone can carve this out especially in 1498. What a gift to have. I had to read more about this piece. It took him 2 years to sculpt this. You could sit me in a room for 10 years and make my life depend on it and I still couldn’t do this. I can barely cut a straight line.
When I look at the piece I think about what it depicts. A mother that is holding her dead adult son. She seems sad but also faithful. The way her hand is outstretched feels like she is opening herself up to the holly spirit. To me this piece represents the power of faith and one of the worst things a mother can go through.
http://www.statue.com/site/michelangelo-pieta.html
I love how you pointed out the fact that he used marble and was still able to make it look soft. I can't imagine how you would manage to make such silky smooth clothing with rock, but he managed it. It is very interesting that humanism is portrayed through the veins and human-like features. You really get to see the motherly love portrayed by Mary and I think that some of that comes in the size comparison of her and Jesus.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a beautiful sculpture with such a sorrowful theme. I agree with you that Mary’s face is some how so serene and soft it just doesn’t seem like stone it literally looks like skin. It really is amazing that there is so much detail in this piece. I really like the point you made about how you can take something rugged like rock and turn it into such a delicate sculpture.
ReplyDeleteI love to look at the movement of the fabric in this sculpture. As it flows downward, I forget these figures are made from stone. As I follow the folds of Mary's clothes, my eyes find themselves drawn back to the lifeless body of Christ on Mary's lap. I find the way Michelangelo uses shadows in this piece interesting. Christ's body is in a position where it casts several shadows, but none are projected onto it, while Mary has many shadows present on her throughout the sculpture. There is an influence of ancient Greece and Roman sculpture present with this sculpture. The definition of the human forms and the folds of Mary's clothes are the most apparent visual clues for me.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that I love the way the anatomy of the people in the sculpture looks. I myself am an artist and something that I am eternally struggling with are poses and anatomy. However I must say that I am not the biggest fan of the color of the marble though that’s just my opinion. What stands out the most to me though is the way the sorrow of the moment is communicated through Mary’s face. Her head is tilted downwards and her face appears almost defeated or accepting like she’s too tired to fully react in her grief. It almost looks like she’s asking “why” as so many of us do when we are faced with the loss of a loved one. I also think the way she’s holding him is meant to mirror the way a mother holds her newborn but instead it’s some twisted mockery of that moment of joy.
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