“The Pieta” by Michelangelo Essay

Michelangelo was born on March 6, 1475 in Caprese, Italy. Michelangelo was known to be one of the best artists during the renaissance. Michelangelo never was interested in school work. He was always amazed by the painters and artist that were around him. Thus, igniting the flame and desire of him becoming a painter, artist, poet and sculptor. At the age of sixteen Michelangelo sculpted two reliefs, Battle of the Centaurs and Madonna Seated on a Step. Two of Michelangelo’s famous works was the Pieta and David. David is meant to symbolize a young, courageous warrior with a bow and arrow ready to take down his enemy. Michelangelo mad David out of discarded stone, a fact which most people are not aware of. Some other works that Michelangelo did

When Pope Julius II heard about the artist’s accomplishments, he commissioned Michelangelo to create his tomb. However, Pope Julius turns his focus in funding to rebuild St. Peter’s Basilica. Rome was overpassing a difficult time, and the Pope wanted to return it to its powerful roots. Michelangelo unhappy about the Pope not paying back for the stone, returned to Florence. Yet, the Pope

Created in 1489 this masterpiece is made out of pure marble. This sculpture is located in the Vatican City. At first glance this sculpture looks like child dead in a mother's arms, which is correct but there is more too it. The sculpture represents the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Its shows his mother Mary holding him and he lays there dead. A very little detail that usually goes unnoticed is that Mary is not touching her son directly, but a cloth is between the two. This signifies the Higher Renaissance belief in Neoplatonic, that the beauty on earth signifies God's beauty. This masterpiece is not only amazing by the meaning but the glorious detail that Michelangelo was able to go into with practically a hammer and chisel.

These sculptures were moved to the Musee de Louvre in Paris in the early 19th century for conservation, but the location is the only thing that has changed since the sculpture was created. The process of getting the sculpture into the Palace of Versailles was a difficult one for Puget. Pierre Puget moved to Italy at the age of 17 and worked for Pietro da Cortona on the ceiling of the Barberini and Pitti palaces and was skilled in sculpture, painting, and architecture. However his work was not accepted by the Court of the palace of Versailles, and they told Puget that his work was too personal and independent. However, when he came back with Milo of Croton and Perseus and Andromeda, Kind Louis XIV approved the works and appreciated their bold sense of tragedy although he hesitated for a

When thinking of sculptures, one of the first that comes to mind is David. This statue was created of marble between 1501 and 1504 and stands over 14 feet high. David is a symbol that represents strength and anger. The statue had intended political connotations for the ruling of the Medici family. Michelangelo used David as model of "heroic courage" to demonstrate that "spiritual strength can be more effective than arms". Michelangelo insisted that David should stand as a symbol of the republic and act as a warning that Florence shall be governed justly and bravely". This was the first time since antiquity that a large nude statue be exhibited in a public place.

Michelangelo Buonarroti was a sculptor, architect, painter, and poet. He was, perhaps, the most potent force in the Italian High Renaissance. His work exerted a tremendous influence on his

Michelangelo’s Pieta, and Max Ginesburg’s War Pieta both are pieces of art that portray a mother and son. Both Source 3 by Michelangelo and Source 4 by Ginserberg, showcase the theme of Pieta, which was an artistic representation that often depicted the Virgin Mary cradling her dead son, Jesus Christ. While, Pieta is a traditional renaissance sculpture by renowned artist Michelangelo, War Pieta is a modern take on the Christian symbol showcasing similar elements arranged in a different style, medium and manner, to alter the meaning. Although both sources contain the same religious symbol, theses artworks contain numerous differences between them. Therefore, Pieta and War Pieta can be both compared and contrasted.

The Pieta is a “sculpture of Mary holding the dead Jesus across her lap” (Biography.com Editors). Back in Florence, he created the statue of David. Two former sculptors attempted to create art out the 17 for piece of marble, but ended up abandoning it. “David” became a famous piece of art in the city of Florence. Pope Julius II asked Michelangelo to start painting instead of sculpting so he could paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. He finished the 65-foot ceiling single handedly on October 31, 1512. Other buildings he designed are the Medici Chapel and the Laurentian Library. All of these architectural pieces had a great impact on Michelangelo’s career, but he was glorified when he became the chief architect of St. Peter’s Basilica in

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.

Likewise, Donatello's marble sculpture of David also possesses a religious theme, as it depicts the biblical figure David and portrays his youthful courage and triumph over his enemies. This in itself aided in the projection of Florentine beliefs and dreams, both religious and secular, as Florence was often in conflict with other cities. Additionally, this pieces clearly exhibits Donatello's profound understanding of sculptural adornment and classic form through his use of naturalism, which gives the sculpture a sense of liveliness and emotion. Furthermore, the fresco displaying Saint. Peter healing the sick with his shadow, painted inside the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine by Masaccio, shares much of the same theme and reveals similar form as the two previously discussed artworks. Naturally, Masaccio's fresco revolves around the same central theme, religion, as it portrays a portion of the distinguished St. Peter's life and details a specific scene from the Book of Matthew. However, most notable is Masaccio's use of realism, which is most evident through the representation of life-like

The altar is decorated with extravagant scrolls at each end each decorated with winged lions. It has a relief depicting Vestal Virgins, animals being led in a procession, priests and sacrificial animals. This relief sculpture on the altar could represent the real sacrifices at the dedication of the Altar in the year 9BC after its creation.

His artwork often reflected the era and the people that lived at the time and was very relatable to many. Take for example his statue of David mentioned in the above paragraph. The statue was of David before his victory, and showed him in a calm and confident manner. It represented the way the republic felt ready to take on all its opponents (Sayre, 2015). In addition, the sense of self-containment and even its heroic individualism is believed to perfectly capture the humanist spirit (Sayre, 2015). Michelangelo was able to reach out to the people with his work. Furthermore, the nudity present in the figure of David and the contraposto stance are in connection with Medici’s celebration of all things Greek (Sayre, 2015). This is to show that Michelangelo was not only able to satisfy the people with his sculpture, he was also able to satisfy his patron Medici and connect him to Michelangelo’s artwork. This is not applicable to just David, but also the Pieta. When examining the Pieta, in supporting Christ, Virgin Mary’s right hand does not come into direct contact with his flesh, but instead it is covered with a cloth which then touches Christ’s side (Traykov). This was done by Michelangelo to represent the sacredness of the body of Christ (Traykov). Michelangelo was right in sync with the masses with this kind of portrayal. In addition, the two figures are beautiful and idealized, despite their suffering

In 1498, Michelangelo relocated to Rome, where he caught the attention of another cardinal, Jean Bilheres de Lagraulas, who was also a representive of the french King Charles VIII to the pope. Michelangelo during this time created his “Pieta”, which is now presently in the St. Peter’s Basilica, in Vatican City

El Greco (“The Greek”), also known as Domenicos Theotocopulos, was a painter, sculptor, and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. El Greco was born in Crete in 1541, which was then a part of the Republic of Venice, and the center of Post-Byzantine art. He had trained and become a master within that tradition and an icon painter. Among his great artworks, I would like to draw attention to “Pietà (The Lamentation of Christ)”, an oil painting. El Greco had painted this masterpiece about c.1565-70 in Italy, during the Cretan period.

Then from 1496-1498, while in Rome, he produced “Bacchus”, his first large scale sculpture and one of his few pagan works. At about the same time, he also produced one of his most famous works of art, the “Pieta”, which was finished before he was 25. In the “Pieta” he shows his influences from fifteenth century artists such as Donatello, while also combining them with the new Renaissance style(cgfa). It depicts the Virgin Mary seated majestically holding the dead Christ across her lap. Furthermore, this is his only signed piece of work ever. And is so because he overheard a pilgrim say that Cristoforo Solari created it. So that night in a fit of rage, Michelangelo inscribed “MICHEL ANGELUS BONAROTUS FLORENT FACIBAT”, saying “ Michelangelo Buonarrati, Florentine, made this”. Although he later resented this and swore to never sign any of his work again.