Today I am grateful for Art.
I love art. I always visit art museums when I travel and I have seen many, many famous pieces. But I have never seen the two pieces that have always stuck with me ever since studying them in one of my art history classes at University.
And since it is Sunday...what better subject for a post then art work inspired by Christ.
Michelangelo sculpted this Pieta in the late 1400's when he was still in his twenties. The sculpture resides in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City and was built to be used as part of a funeral monument. But what interests me the most about this piece is the incredible detail and fluidity of the stone. I could stare at a picture of this sculpture for hours; I find it to be that aesthetically beautiful.
It is said that, Michelangelo, upon overhearing some visitors attributing the sculpture to a different artist, carved his name in the sash on Mary's chest in a fit of pride.
Understandable I suppose for someone so young. Yet, one can only assume after hearing such a story that he was motivated by worldly pride and wealth, rather than divine inspiration in carving this masterpiece.
Michelangelo would take on the subject of the Pieta a few more times in his life, in fact...he spent years at the end of his life working on this last Pieta - better known as the Rondanini Pieta.
It was not finished before he died, but one has only to look at it once to tell that it is completely different in tone than the sculpture he finished in his twenties. I would like to think that towards the end of his life, Michelangelo learned to set aside pride and the things of the world, in order to truly tap into his spirituality.
When I look at the first Pieta, I get a sense that we are seeing Jesus as a feeble man, with Mary completely supporting his weight - both mentally and physically. When I look at the Rondanini Pieta I see Jesus as a strong man, helping to support Mary in her time of great sadness.
Do I like one more than the other? No. I like them both for different reasons. What I LOVE though is that a truly inspiring work of art can change how I think and feel. Because after seeing it I have grown as a person and therefore think differently than I did before.
Even though I have never had a great desire to visit Italy (not that I would pass up a free trip or anything), I do hope that I will get to see these works of art in person some day.
0 comments:
Post a Comment