Breifly...
When searching for online, general information (i.e. biographies, pictures, reviews, etc.) about Michelangelo, a typical search on any engine will yeild a google of pertinent sights, many of which deal with Michelangelo the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. However if you are interested in such information about the Sculptor and not the Turtle, follow the links on provided by this site :This site will lead you to online galleries (such as the Planet Italy) and online informatation sites (such as the WebMuseum). This web page assumes that the viewer will follow this link for such information; as it is already available online, such information is not included on this page.
- http://elvis.rhodes.edu/home/97/espek/art485/links.html
The Idea Behind the ImagePlatonic philosophy asserts that the natural world reflects the absolute idea or, in other words, that the natural world is, in itself, Beauty. Therefore, in trying to capture Platonic ideals, an artist produces an image of an idea already actualized in Nature. And Michelangelo, for the most part a Neoplatonist, was driven by this platonic scheme to create artwork and literature that reflects his infatuation with the natural ideas of love and beauty, which he apostrophized:
- In you is my life, in me my death.
Though he had a diverse artistic background, Michelangelo viewed himself primarily as a sculptor. He was interested in unlocking the inherent spirit from ordinary materials. In particular, he was interested in exploring the body as no other artist before him had : he did not treat the body as an object or as a symbol. In his artwork, the human body is, instead, often a realization of a singular and intense feeling. E.g., in his famous Pieta, Mary's entire figure is calm and relaxed. What Michelangelo captures in the marble scupture is her overwhelming feeling of peaceful acceptance : her body is not a symbol of acceptance, it is acceptance. Similarly, in David, David's entire stance and expression realize his apprehension.
SourcesHibbard, Howard. Michelangelo. New York: Harper and Row, 1974.
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