St. Peter's Pietà Analysis

After Michelangelo moved to Rome, one of the cardinals within the catholic church commissioned him to create a sculpture called ‘‘La Pieta.’’ ‘‘La Pieta’’ was sculpted from a single piece of marble stone and it was a representation of Christ and his mother Mary. This 6 foot by 6 foot sculpture only took 1 year for Michelangelo to complete it. The sculpture quickly became known for all the details that included the folding of the cloths, the ribs, and the bones which are incredibly difficult to sculpt.

The European Renaissance is the revival of Cicero and the rebirth of ancient ideas (Williams). The way of thinking will be counter to church ideology. It was the era of intense artistic creativity that was inspired by intense social and spiritual stress (Boyer

Gorgeously. Striking. Grace. The golden painting is taking up by the two most iconic symbols of Christianity: Jesus Christ and Virgin Mary. Christ gently placing a golden grown on the inclined head of the Virgin Mary, who is sitting on the right side of Jesus; her hands crossed over her chest symbolist of humble, reverent and loyalty. This position was purposely set by Fabriano. In Christianity art, position is significant in dividing between good manners and malefactors. For instance, in The Last Judgment by Giotto di Bondone in 1305, heaven was placed on right of Christ, and hell was on the left. This ideology was clearly stated in the bible “...before him shall be gathered all nations:

The transition from Middle ages to Renaissance for art changed dramatically. The Art in the Middle ages was usually 2 dimensional and had a religious subject. When the renaissance came around art changed a lot. New artistic styles would echo the broader movements and interest of the new age. The art produced in the renaissance was more 3d and focused more on individuals and landscapes (Doc A). Paintings such as the Mona Lisa are what the Renaissance focused on, as well as landscapes such as the wedding at Cana. The works of art changed man’s view of the world

Michelangelo’s art, which relied heavily on the human body reflected the Renaissance Period’s interest in humanism and the individual experience. Michelangelo often studied the human anatomy, and even looked at and dissected corpses. Great examples of this are two of his earlier sculptures; the Pietå and the David, revealed his true talent and also his disposition to bend rules of anatomy and proportion i the service of greater expressive power. His ability to portray humans in the Renaissance Period, which was his great talent, showing the values of the period though his sculptures and paintings, which appealed to the people of this period. Arguably his most well known work, the painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which was painted to show humanity’s need for salvation offered by God through Jesus.

The intellectual and artists flowering in Europe during the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries sparked by a revival of interest in classical antiquity.

Between the 1300s and 1500s, Europe experienced a period of cultural rebirth known as the Renaissance, marking the transition from medieval times to modern times. The Renaissance brought new importance to individual expression, self-consciousness and worldly experience.

the Renaissance, the first period, emerging as a distinct style in Italy in about 1400, in parallel with developments which occurred in philosophy, literature, music and science. Renaissance art, perceived as a royalty of ancient traditions, took as its foundation the art of Classical antiquity, but transformed that tradition by the absorption of recent developments in the art of Northern Europe and by application of contemporary scientific knowledge. Renaissance art, with Renaissance Humanist philosophy, spread throughout Europe, affecting both artists and their patrons with the development of new techniques and new artistic sensibilities. Renaissance art marks the transition of Europe from the medieval period to the

Michelangelo painted a Holy Family on a round shape panel for the rich Florentine merchant Doni in approximately 1506. This painting is the only panel unanimously attributed to Michelangelo and it is best known as “Doni Tondo”. The traditional Florentine generally celebrated the birth of the child by using round panels. It was painted after the sculpture of “David”. It clearly reflects the experience of Michelangelo as a sculptor in the colors which shaped the volumes. The figures of this painting are almost like sculptures with clear outlines of the bodies. The use of the colors in this painting is perfectly coherent with the bright colors of the Sistine ceiling.

The Renaissance was a rebirth of the ideas of ancient Greece and Rome that began in the City States of Italy during the 14th century. The cultural resurgence began a new style of living in Europe after the horrors of the black death, and is seen as the beginning of the culture of the modern world. As Wassace K. Ferguson put in his book The Renaissance, the Italian artists grew tired of the darkness of Medieval Times and began to turn to the brighter times found in the classical ages (Doc 7). The Renaissance served as the evolutionary bridge between the Middle Ages and the 17th century through art, education, and religion by bringing a rebirth of the ancient Greek and Roman classics that would later define the world’s culture, while continuing the underlying beliefs of Medieval Times.

"The Renaissance was a rebirth that led to new ways of thinking in the sciences, philosophy, and architecture, as well as painting and sculpture" (Spence 6). This period of European history, beginning in the fourteenth-century, saw a renewed interest in the arts. It has been characterized by

Another one of Michelangelo’s Renaissance masterpieces known as Pieta was created between 1498 and 1499. This masterpiece was displayed in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. The Pieta depicts the Virgin Mary holding the body of her son, Jesus Christ after His crucifixion. Like Michelangelo’s famous sculpture David, his masterpiece Pieta has also been re-created many times by other painters and sculptors.

He took the body of Michelangelo’s Pieta (1500) and used it to create the body of Saint Teresa. However, Saint Teresa is clothed in flowing garments that depict her inner turmoil whereas Jesus is only wearing a cloth. The limp body of Saint Teresa demonstrates that she is giving her life over to God as the angel prepares to pierce her heart with the arrow. It represents that she is passing from one life into the next, a life full of God and the Holy Spirit, much as Jesus is passing from life on Earth into Heaven. Bernini also uses light to illuminate the body of Saint Teresa just as Michelangelo has done with Jesus. They both use light from the surrounding scene, but the difference is that Jesus is reflecting the light from around him due to the polishing and smoothness of the marble while in Bernini’s sculpture, the light comes from a window above to illuminate her face rather than her body that is clothed and creates shadows and

The piece of art is a statue that portrays Jesus’ body laying on his mother Mary’s laps at the time after the crucifixion having been removed from the cross (Lewis & Lewis, 2008) which is evidenced by the marks of small nails and the indication of the wound located in Jesus’ side. It revolves around the major theme of Northern origin which during that time was present in France but not in Italy. According to (St. Peters Basilica, 2009) Michelangelo offered a unique interpretation of the pieta to the models since it is a significant piece of work that balances the ideals of a new beginning incorporated in typical beauty and a touch of naturalism which is illustrated by the relationship exhibited by the figures. This is made possible by his skill to prove to both the viewers and himself of the supernatural beauty.

The high renaissance time period introduced the world to arguably its best artists. Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Titian ruled the grand community of artists at the time. Da Vinci and Michelangelo further succeeded because of their versatility. The high renaissance was marked by rival city-states and a continued trend of lavish spenders. Religious and political leaders spent great quantity of money to have their chapels, or any setting appear better than their rivals. Michelangelo’s artwork dominates over any other in the Sistine chapel. The Sistine chapel is the ideal place of where new popes are elected. Michelangelo brought along his love for sculpting in his paintings. There are about three hundred figures on the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling, and no two appear the same. Michelangelo’s artwork has an enormous variety of expression. Arguably Michelangelo’s best painting; The Creation of Adam perfectly represents his ideas. God is shown flying through the sky; while Adam is bound to the earth. Beneath the Lord’s left arm appears to be Eve, waiting to be born. The viewer’s eye follows the entire arm motion perfectly, which ends up pointing at Christ’s child face. Michelangelo’s figures differ greatly from Leonardo Da Vinci’s formal poses and gestures. Michelangelo’s figures include