Art History - Michelangelo - Assignment Example

MICHELANGELO What was Michelangelo’s main subject in Sculpture and painting and why? How is that revealed in the Sistine Chapel ceiling paintings? Michelangelo Buonarroti, born in 1475, exerted a remarkable influence on western art, as well as on his contemporaries as an architect, sculptor, poet and painter. According to Wallace (23), Michelangelo attended a humanist academy where he studied sculpture. However, after completing his first works in 1492, he grew an immense interest in human form and; hence, decided to study human anatomy where he enjoyed dissecting bodies and even drew them in order to understand the complexities of human posture, as well as movement. Thus, Wallace (23) argues that the human anatomy was the main subject in most of Michelangelo’s painting and sculpture. This aspect of Michelangelo’s paintings is clearly brought out in one of his most celebrated paintings; the Creation of Adam on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. The painting shows how Michelangelo understands the human anatomy, as well as movement. This painting has two figures, on the left side; there is a figure of Adam while the right side has a figure of God held by angels. According to Wallace (26), the figure that surrounds God and his angels resemble the shape of the brain, which is part of the human anatomy. Therefore, it is clear that Michelangelo used the skills that he studied in human anatomy as the main subject in the creation of Adam, as well as the rest of his paintings. How is Michelangelo’s Fall of Man similar or different from Masaccio’s treatment of this theme in the Brancacci Chapel? The Fall of Man is part of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling. The painting portrays how Adam and Eve were tricked into eating from the forbidden tree, which made them lose the Garden of Eden. Wallace (56) states that Michelangelo expresses the effects of this transition through his painting. The tree and the snake in the painting are used to divide between sorrow and Eden. One side of the tree is green, and Eve seems quite relaxed, which shows happiness and lack of essential needs while the other side is dry and barren and Adam and Eve are walking, which portrays unrest after eating the forbidden fruit. The treatment of this theme is similar to the Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden by Masaccio in the Brancacci Chapel (Wallace 56). In the painting, Eve has her breasts covered just like in Michelangelo’s painting while Adam covers his face as they are being expelled from Eden (Wallace 57). Thus, both paintings depict the effects of transition that Adam and Eve went through after sinning. How do the composition and figure style of this painting differ from Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings? What is the mood, and how is it conveyed? Give specific examples. Just like all Michelangelo’s paintings, the figures in The Last Judgment are nude. However, unlike other paintings on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, Michelangelo was condemned by several cardinals and accused of obscenity and immorality for painting such nude figures in a chapel. Wallace (77) argues that the mood of the painting is different in that a lot of fear portrayed. For instance, in the painting there is a soul that is showed being pulled to hell by his testicles, which conveys a lot of pain while those that are waiting to know their fate are full of fear. RAPHAEL How does the subject matter and composition of this work reflect the interests and style of the High Renaissance? Think about the style of the figures and their poses and groupings, the architectural setting, and how the figures relate to the architecture. Raphael Sanzio was considered one of the greatest High Renaissance Italian painters. School of Athens is known to be one of the best paintings whose composition portrays the High Renaissance ideas. For instances, the figures in the painting are well smoothed, and there is a linear prospective, which directs us to the two great thinkers at the center who are chatting in the painting. Moreover, the perception of naturalistic expression, beauty and perfection among other noble principles are illustrated in the painting. Also, all the figures in the composition are actively involved in the discussion, in the painting. Galatea, 1513, Villa Farnesina, Rome In terms of the building this painting decorates, its subject matter and composition, how is it similar or different from the School of Athens? The Galatea painting differs from the School of Athens in several ways in terms of the theme, composition, as well as the building that it decorates. For instance, unlike School of Athens, Galatea has a playful, light pagan theme. The composition of the figures is also quite different from that of School of Athens. For example, the cupids in the painting form a triangle while the figures at the bottom; form a circular rhythm and movement. However, the twisting, turning and movement of the figures in the painting portray high renaissance, which is similar to the School of Athens painting. Pope Leo X with Cardinals Giulio de' Medici and Luigi de' Rossi, 1517 - In your opinion, is this a satisfying dynastic portrait of the Medici popes and cardinal Luigi de’Rossi? Why or why not? Support your opinion with specific references to the style of the painting (color, composition, etc.) Yes. This because the style that Raphael used in the portrait especially the color scheme conforms to the traditional color used by the Medici Popes. For instance, the color scheme in the painting shows various shades of red, which was the color that cardinals and popes mainly used for their robes and table covering. According to Doak (20), although color scheme changed depending on the liturgical seasons and ceremonies, the traditional papal color was red. There is also a shade of gold, which was also a color used to cover furniture especially the chairs that the pope used in the chapel. Also, the composition of the portrait is satisfying. MANNERISM PONTORMO, Entombment of Christ, 1525-1528, Santa Felicità, Florence The figures in this portrait are in a circular manner around a canvas with a dark hole at the center where the figures are holding hands. This differs from the high Renaissance in that the artists used the center of the canvas as a vital point to their portraits. Also, the figures are crowded at the center of the portrait, and the figures seem to be floating instead of being behind the others. The figures are elongated, and the torso of Christ is twisted and extended with short legs, which is common style used in mannerism. BRONZINO, Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time, 1546 The subject matter in this portrait is about fraud, lust and envy. The figures are crowded into a foreground, which is compressed. There are silky textures, masks and jewels in the portrait and Venus seems to be a treasurable object in the luxurious setting and seductive. This is different from the figures in the High Renaissance. Also, all the three figures are twisted, which is a mannerist characteristic. PARMIGIANINO, Madonna with the Long Neck, 1534-1540, Santa Maria dei Servi, Parma The subject matter of this painting came from medieval hymns. The figures i.e. Madonna and the child are elongated just like in all mannerists’ paintings. The figure of Madonna seems open and relaxed with a sense of movement. Also, there are several columns in the background of the portrait, which symbolize the religious significance of the painting. There is no equilibrium balance in the portrait since all the angels are packed to the left of Madonna. Andrea PALLADIO, Villa Rotonda, near Vicenza, Italy, ca. 1550-1570 What kind of building is this (purpose)? How is its style characteristic of High Renaissance? The Villa Rotonda is a Temple made of a circular room, which is capped with a dome and located in Vicenza. Its style reflects the characteristics of High Renaissance. It has four facades, which are identical. Giovanni BELLINI, Madonna and Child with Saints (also called: San Zaccaria Altarpiece) 1505, Church of San Zaccaria, Venice. - What is a sacra conversazione? What characteristics of High Renaissance style Venetian painting style are visible here? of Venetian High Renaissance art? Sacra conversazione is derived from the words ‘holy conversation’ in Italian, which is mainly applied to an altarpiece where the saints are placed in an integrated space surrounding the Child and the Virgin in one panel. The figures are placed symmetrically to the frame axis in a traditional way. The saints are behind the Madonna and the Child, which is a characteristic of the high renaissance style. Also, there is a dark, solid column on the left and a tree on the right that forms part of the style. Works cited Wallace, William. Michelangelo: The Artist, the Man and his Times. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2011. Print. Doak, Robin. Pope Leo X: Opponent of the Reformation. New York: Compass Point Books. 2006. Print. Read More