michelangelotherenaissanceman

[michelangelotherenaissanceman]

Works Cited

Biography.com Editors, & A. (2017, August 28). Michelangelo. Retrieved October 04, 2017, from https://www.biography.com/people/michelangelo-9407628

Burke, P. (2014). The Italian Renaissance: Culture and Society in Italy. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Chapman, H. (2006). Michelangelo. New Haven: Yale University Press.Harris, 

B., & Zucker, S. (2014). Michelangelo: Sculptor, Painter, Architect and Poet. Retrieved October 04, 2017, from https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/renaissance-reformation/high-ren-florence-rome/michelangelo/a/michelangelo-sculptor-painter-architect-and-poet

History.com Staff. (2010). Michelangelo. Retrieved October 04, 2017, from http://www.history.com/topics/michelangelo

Michelangelo's Painting of the Sistine Chapel Ceiling – ItalianRenaissance.org. (2014, May 29). Retrieved October 04, 2017, from http://www.italianrenaissance.org/a-closer-look-michelangelos-painting-of-the-sistine-chapel-ceiling/Michelangelo.net. (2017). 

Battle of Centaurs. Retrieved October 04, 2017, from http://www.michelangelo.net/battle-of-centaurs/

Mifflin, H. (2014). Renaissance Man. Retrieved October 05, 2017, from http://www.yourdictionary.com/renaissance-man-or-woman

Mindel, F. L. (2015, September 02). Michelangelo's Laurentian Library in Florence. Retrieved October 04, 2017, from https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/michelangelo-florence-laurentian-library-slideshow/all

Sparknotes. (2015). Italian Renaissance (1330-1550). Retrieved October 04, 2017, from http://www.sparknotes.com/history/european/renaissance1/section1.rhtml

[michelangelotherenaissanceman]

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarotti

Michelangelo is well known as the most famous artist of the Italian Renaissance. He was a painter, sculptor, architect, and poet, excelling in all four art forms over the course of his life. Born in Caprese, Michelangelo had a humble upbringing, living the majority of his childhood in Florence, and adulthood in Rome. Being the second of five sons Michelangelo never stood out with his family until he became interested in the arts while his father served as a magistrate in Caprese, before moving the family to Florence when the children were young. According to earliest biographers such as Vasari, Condivi, and Varchi, Michelangelo was always more interested in watching painters at nearby churches than he was interested in school (Biography.com Editors, 2017). At the age of 13, Michelangelo’s father agreed to apprentice him to Domenic Ghirlandaio who exposed him to the unique technique of fresco. From 1489-1492 he studied classical sculpture in the palace gardens of Lorenzo the Magnificent, studying under the respected sculptor Bertoldo di Giovanni who exposed him to prominent poets, scholars, and humanists. An interesting event in Michelangelo’s life was when he was granted permission from the Catholic Church to study cadavers for insight into the anatomy. This exposure to corpses had an adverse effect on his health, however, he did learn many valuable things such as muscular precision and how to combine reality with lyrical beauty (History.com Staff, 2010).“Battle of the Centaurs” and “Madonna seated on a step” are testaments to his unique talent, showing how precise and knowledgeable he was at such a young age. Following the death of Lorenzo the Magnificent, there was much political stress that caused Michelangelo to flee to Rome where he continued to study. After studying in Rome for a few years he returned to Florence in 1495 to work as a sculptor. A prominent event in Michelangelo’s life was when Cardinal Riario of San Giorgio purchased Michelangelo’s “Cupid” sculpture and was so impressed that he invited him to come back to Rome, where Michelangelo lived and worked for the remainder of his life. Michelangelo died on February 18th, 1564 at his home in Macel de’Corvi, Rome following a brief illness. He was laid to rest at the Basilica di Santa Croce, while his legacy lived on as becoming synonymous with the best of the Italian Renaissance (Chapman, 2006).

[michelangelotherenaissanceman]

(Ficken, 2014)

[michelangelotherenaissanceman]

Geography of the Italian Renaissance

Michelangelo lived the entirety of his life in Italy, spending the majority of it in Rome and Florence. Cities of Italy prospered during the late middle ages, serving as trading posts connecting Europe to the Byzantine Empire and Muslim world via the Mediterranean sea. The most prosperous cities were Florence, Venice, and Milan because commerce enriched regions where the feudal system had not taken a stronghold. These regions became the most prominent during the Renaissance as they began to undergo political, economic and artistic changes. The Renaissance in Italy is marked by the turn from medieval life and values dominated by the Church toward the philosophical principles of humanism. Where life after death was once the main focus of common people’s lives, individual achievement and life in the real world began to become more emphasized (Sparknotes, 2015). Famous Renaissance thinkers such as Francesco Petrarch and Michelangelo himself saw medieval life as primitive, urging themselves to look further back into history towards Ancient Greeks and Romans for inspiration. Geography gave Italy an advantage for the potential to acquire wealth and break free from the feudal system. This advantage was due to Italy being located between the majority of Europe and the Byzantine Empire, giving Italians no choice but to participate in International trade and the market economy (Burke, 2014). Feudalism also played a role in the Italian Renaissance because it did not take hold in Italy as it did in the rest of Europe (subsequently causing Italy to be able to maintain its market economy). History and ideas of the ancients remained close to the surface because of the Italian cities which had been built on top of the ruins of the Roman Empire. The Italian Renaissance impacted Michelangelo as an artist because he found inspiration in the developing world around him. With the newfound appreciation for history and art, Michelangelo would have felt more accepted and willing to share his art with the world. It can also be assumed that the religious artist felt torn between the Catholic value of self-denial and enjoying the pleasures of the world. Study and learning was highly valued although Michelangelo felt conflicted concerning his worldly knowledge preventing him from achieving salvation. The Renaissance introduced Michelangelo to humanism and greately changed his artistic techniques and the manner in which he viewed art and the world as a whole. 

[michelangelotherenaissanceman]

(Renardson, 2015)

[michelangelotherenaissanceman]

Humanism

Humanism is the concentration of profound thinkers on concepts that illicit emotion within the present world. It finds inspiration in history and art, using both to discover the hidden intricacies that most fail to notice in regular life. Humanism is the acceptance and interest in what we all are regardless of differences. Human.

[michelangelotherenaissanceman]

(Piombo, 1520)

[michelangelotherenaissanceman]

(Ivanov, 2016)

[michelangelotherenaissanceman]

Sistine Chapel Paintings

The Sistine chapel’s immaculate paintings remain to be one of the most famous painted interior space in the world. In 1508 Pope Julius II hired Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the chapel, believing him to be an artist incapable of the task at first, however being proven wrong as the art progressed. The paintings on the ceiling are centered around several scenes from the Old Testament beginning with the Creation story and ending with the story of Noah and the flood. The entire process of this unimaginable feat took from the year 1508-1512. One notable aspect of the ceiling as a whole is the fact that Michelangelo incorporated fake architectural molding painted in grisaille (greyish coloring) to give the appearance of concrete fixtures around the painting. The painting in itself incorporates connections to Christ as well as Old Testament prophets and pagan sibyls, the sibyls acting as who foretold the coming of Christ the Saviour. Prophets from the Old Testament and classical culture depicted the same Messiah coming and this can be seen clearly through the paintings in the chapel (ItalianRenaissance.org, 2014)

This piece is distinctively renaissance because it mirrors the development of philosophical and liturgical concepts through the depiction of pagan figures as well as Catholic figures in the same place. This art reflects the coming together of many concepts and ideas that helped shape the development of past beliefs and traditions.

[michelangelotherenaissanceman]

(Newren, 2010)

[michelangelotherenaissanceman]

Battle of the Centaurs Sculpture

This sculpture was sculpted in 1492 when Michelangelo was 17 and under the patronage of Lorenzo de Medici. It is currently displayed in Casa Buonarroti, Florence. This sculpture features the mythic battle between the Lapiths and the centaurs, a popular subject in Ancient Greece and Rome. Centaurs in classical literature are associated with the uncivilized side to human nature. The battle depicted through Michelangelo’s sculpture symbolizes the battle between order and chaos. It has also been speculated to represent the victory of reason over brutish, animal force. The figures in the sculpture appear to be fluid and alive, carved in complicated overlapping positions, these dynamic positions giving the subjects a vigorous, lively mood. This definition and detail display Michelangelo’s mastery of the human form. Michelangelo also achieved the appearance of depth by contrasting areas of shadow with highly polished figures (Michelangelo.net, 2017). This piece is distinctively Renaissance because it reflects classic literature as well as pulling depictions from Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece as the Renaissance itself also has. Michelangelo also utilized a new technique called “nonfinito” as he worked on this sculpture, meaning he left the work as appearing to be unfinished. This new artistic technique also came about during the Italian Renaissance.

[michelangelotherenaissanceman]

(HiddenItaly, 2017)

[michelangelotherenaissanceman]

Laurentian Library Architecture

The building of the Laurentian library in Florence shows Michelangelo’s reordering of ancient forms in entirely new ways. This was a singular achievement by Michelangelo and was a pivotal example of new building aesthetics. The library was built in the 1500′s, containing a reading room and vestibule built atop an existing structure at the church of San Lorenzo. Many features of the library convey a sense of movement such as the staircase when seen as a whole. Every detail is, in itself, a work of art (Harris & Zucker, 2014). Architects in this time period tended to stay close to classical rules of proportion, therefore, the dominant, curved steps that Michelangelo designed to serve as the first hint that he was intentionally playing with tradition. The facade on top of the stairs also shows many familiar architectural forms in unusual configurations. These inventive breaks from tradition are considered the beginning of Mannerism in architectural history (Mindel, 2015). Michelangelo’ s designs that came to life through the Laurentian library are distinctively Renaissance because they brought rise to a new technique of artistry (mannerism) while also giving life to inanimate objects and buildings, introducing new ways to perform old things, a distinctively Renaissance characteristic.

[michelangelotherenaissanceman]

The great ruler of Heaven looked down and ... resolved ... to send to earth a genius universal in each art... He further endowed him with true moral philosophy and a sweet poetic spirit, so that the world should marvel at the singular eminence of his life and works and all his actions, seeming rather divine than earthy

Vasari (One of Michelangelo’s earliest biographers

[michelangelotherenaissanceman]

Michelangelo as a Humanist

Michelangelo can be considered to be a humanist because he exhibited the three most prominent characteristics of humanists; humility, patronage and the attainment of a classical education. Michelangelo can be seen displaying humility when his humble upbringing is taken into account, seeing that he came from the family of a moderately successful banking business with a magistrate for a father. This humble and often unstable (due to the frequent relocation of the family) childhood can be seen as a drive behind Michelangelo’s lifelong humility and uncertainness in his own art. Despite being the greatest artist of the Italian Renaissance, Michelangelo did not see himself as such due to his deeply rooted humility. Throughout his life Michelangelo had experienced patronage on two occasions, having two men who were above him at the time take him under their wing due to their beliefs that he had potential. His first patron was Dominic Ghirlandaio who exposed him to works of art as well as the unique technique of fresco, which Michelangelo would use in his painting of the Sistine Chapel. His second patron was the prestigious member of the Medici family, Lorenzo the Magnificent. While also allowing Michelangelo to study sculptures in his palaces gardens, Lorenzo introduced him to Bertoldo Giovanni who then exposed him to poetry, knowledge and the concept of humanism. These acts of patronage tie into the last characteristic of a humanist, which is attaining a classical education. Throughout his life, it was clear to see that Michelangelo had no burning interest in school, as he was too enamoured by the world around him. He studied classical sculptures in the palace gardens of the Florentine ruler as well as studying art and literature under his first patron Dominic. This classical education played a significant role in shaping Michelangelo into the humanist he became as well as impacting his many works of art in whole. Through his humble upbringings, patronage under Dominic Ghirlandaio and Lorenzo the Magnificent, and classical education in sculpture and literature it is clear that Michelangelo was not only a world-renowned artist, but more importantly, a humanist.

[michelangelotherenaissanceman]

Michelangelo as a Renaissance Man

The definition of a Renaissance man is “a man who is well-educated and sophisticated, having talent or knowledge in many different fields of study” (Mifflin, 2014). When taking this definition into account it is very clear to see that Michelangelo himself is a Renaissance man. Throughout his 88 years of life, Michelangelo educated himself on many different types of art and literature such as painting, architecture, poetry, and sculpting. In his years spent under the teachings of those more knowledgeable than him, Michelangelo learned many valuable techniques that carried out in his artwork in later years. Through his painting of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, sculpture of “Battle of the Centaurs” and construction of the Laurentian library it is clear to see that he has excelled in not only painting, but in sculpting and architecture as well. He also displays some of the key characteristics of a Renaissance man as through his biography it is clear that he was curious, a risk-taker, creative and self-disciplined. If he did not possess any of these key character traits he would not have been able to accomplish all that he did accomplish in his lifetime. This fact makes it obvious that Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarotti is an excellent example of an Italian Renaissance man.