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"Art In Rome"

Rome Tourist Guide Living Culture  

Michelangelo Buonarrotti

Many consider Michelangelo Buonarroti the ultimate artist and the best example of a true Renaissance man. He was born in Caprese in 1475 and died in Rome in 1564. His life's work produced art that continues to move, impress and inspire legions of admirers and still serves as a model for painters, sculptors and architects today. Michelangelo was one of those rare geniuses whose talent lent itself equally to each of these three artistic forms. His work was the zenith of renaissance art, giving the movement such a fine, immaculately rendered aesthetic that it is said to have augured the birth of the baroque style.

Although Michelangelo completed several important pieces in Rome, his career began in Florence, the home turf of the Medici Family, one of the great art patrons of the time. At the young age of 22, Michelangelo travelled to Rome to study the classic art of the ancient world. Youth seemed no hindrance to his talent - it was during this time that he sculpted one of his finest, most moving pieces. The Pietà has become as much a symbol for Rome as his statue of David has for Florence. Michelangelo's depiction of an ethereal, youthful Virgin Mary cradling Christ's dead body in her arms achieves a profundity of emotion that has never been matched by any other work of art. This sublime, indescribable marble sculpture can be seen at the Vatican, close to the entrance to the San Pietro Basilica. (The impressive cupola that adorns the Basilica is an example of Michelangelo's equally fine architecture).

Around 1505 Michelangelo completed another extraordinary sculpture, Moses, under commission from Pope Julius II. The sculpture was supposed to form part of a tomb Michelangelo was building for the pontiff. But the pontiff died before it was ever finished, leaving only the sculpture. The immense power exuded by the sculpture, however, didn't require any embellishments. In the end, the tomb wasn't necessary from an artistic standpoint, because the sculpture is sufficiently masterful to stand alone. The statue of Moses can be seen at the small San Pietro in Víncoli Church, located close to the Coliseum.  

Listing all of the artwork Michelangelo created or supervised is almost impossible, considering his prolific nature and the longevity of his career. One of his most revered achievements, however, is the Sistine Chapel, a piece of religious art that goes far beyond mere decoration. Michelangelo was selected to complete the chapel, which already featured the work of contemporaries like Botticelli and Ghirlandaio. The ceiling and the western wall were still empty, and Pope Sixtus IV thought Michelangelo would be a good addition to the chapel's illustrious roster of artists.

Michelangelo's unparalleled dedication and creative enthusiasm resulted in what is perhaps his finest work, exemplified by the episodes from Genesis and the astonishing Last Judgement, two pieces that attract most of the visitors that flock to the Vatican Museums each year. The experience of seeing these paintings cannot be put into words. It isn't necessary to be an art expert or a fan of Renaissance style painting - the genius reflected in these pieces is unmistakable, shining through in the perfection of the figures and the vivid expressive quality. The power and intensity of these paintings continues to speak to successive generations, unchanged by the passing of time. It is quite simply the highest creative expression of a master, an artistic genius who forever changed the course of art history.