Michelangelo and his paintings:
As a master of the Renaissance, Michelangelo Buonarroti (475-1564) was known for his magnificence that transcended time and space. His masterpiece has had an unparalleled impact both during his lifetime and in later generations. He was as versatile as Leonardo da Vinci, a sculptor, painter, architect and poet. He was blessed to live to the age of 89 and spent more than 70 years in his artistic career. He experienced ups and downs in life and the harshness of the world, making the works he left behind in his life have dramatic effects, majestic momentum and human tragedy.
At the age of 13, Michelangelo entered the studio of the famous Florentine painter Domenico Ghirlandaio, where he first came into contact with the sacred career he had been engaged in throughout his life, and with his miraculous Speed ??mastered the art of painting. Later, he entered the "Free School of Fine Arts" founded by Lorenzo Medici, the ruler of Florence. Because of his extraordinary talent, Lorenzo valued and loved him a lot. A large number of artworks in the court became the objects of his study and research. The humanist poets and scholars who visited the palace also had a great influence on him. In just four years, he obtained all the conditions necessary for a great artist in the Medici Palace, which laid a solid foundation for his entire artistic creation.
In Lorenzo's mansion, there was a "Plato Academy" where scholars gathered to study knowledge. With Lorenzo's support, they created a new ideological system-humanism, their The idea is to return the world to people and return people to themselves. Return human art, literature and science, as well as individual independent thoughts and feelings to people. People must not be tied to dogma like a slave and die and decay in chains.
Michelangelo often listened to the religious reformer and monk Savonarola’s speeches exposing the darkness of the church. This monk who was not afraid of the trial of the Inquisition in order to save the fate of mankind left a legacy in his soul. It left an indelible mark.
After the death of Lorenzo Medici, Michelangelo lost his protector and Florence fell into chaos. He felt deeply that his hometown was no longer a place to stay for a long time, so he went to Venice and Bologna, and then to Rome. Look for development opportunities. There are ancient statues everywhere in Rome, which is like walking into a huge treasure house of ancient art. The 23-year-old Michelangelo was commissioned by the French Cardinal to make the Pieta Pieta statue for St. Peter's Basilica. The emergence of this statue made Michelangelo famous in Rome, and another sculpture star rose after Donatello. When the 26-year-old Michelangelo returned to his hometown of Florence with great fame, he immediately started working on the marble statue of David. It was completed three years later and placed in front of the main entrance of Palazzo Vecchio as the patron saint of Florence and the symbol of the democratic government. symbol.
In 1505, at the invitation of Pope Julius II, Michelangelo went to Rome to build a mausoleum for the pope in St. Peter's Church. The sculptor went through many hardships and left behind the famous sculpture "Moses" and slave statues for the mausoleum. Michelangelo's sculpture achievements made Bramante, the pope's artistic director, extremely jealous. He instigated the pope not to repair the mausoleum temporarily and forced the sculptor to paint the ceiling murals of the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo used his extraordinary wisdom to and perseverance to complete the world's largest mural "Genesis".
The 41-year-old master returned to Florence, and Pope Leo X, who was born in the Medici family, forced Michelangelo to make a statue for the tomb of his ancestor San Lorenzo. The famous "Day" and "Night" The statues of "Morning" and "Dusk" are placed on the sarcophagus of this mausoleum.
The 61-year-old sculptor was summoned to Rome by the Pope to paint "The Last Judgment" on the altar wall under the "Genesis" ceiling painting completed 25 years ago. Michelangelo is the crystallization of human genius, wisdom and courage, and his glory and achievements belong to all mankind.
"David" marble sculpture, 410cm high, made between 1501 and 1504, now in the Accademia Gallery of Florence
The Bible says that when David was still a When he was a shepherd boy, the Israelites often fought with the Philistines. One day, the two armies had just set up their positions. Suddenly, a general rushed out of the Philistine camp. He wore a bronze helmet on his head and armor on his body. He had a strong back and a strong waist, and was seven feet tall... This man was Goliath of Gath. Seeing this scene, no one in the Israeli camp dared to come out to fight. For 40 days in a row, Goliath continued to curse.
David had three brothers who were soldiers in the army of King Saul of Israel. One day, David was giving food to his three brothers. It happened to be that Goliath was yelling at the formation. David heard this arrogance. He was shaking with laughter and curse. When he saw his brother and King Saul of Israel, he insisted on going out to fight. David did not bring any armor or weapons. He was still wearing his usual shepherd's clothes, carrying the wolf-beating stick and slings he used when shepherding. He picked up 5 stones and came to the front of the formation. Goliath saw that he was just a shepherd boy and did not take him seriously at all. Just when Goliath came fiercely towards David with a steel knife and was about to approach David, David pulled hard on the sling he had prepared, and the stone hit Goliath right in the head. The Gath giant fell to the ground and could not get up again. The Philistines were stunned by this unexpected result. Suddenly, the camp was in chaos. The Israelites took advantage of the victory to pursue them, and the Philistines fled...
Michelangelo created this statue At that time, he was still less than 30 years old, but his artistic style had matured.
Artists in the past mostly showed David cutting off the enemy's giants and winning the battle. Michelangelo's performance is as follows: David raised his left hand, holding the "sling belt" on his shoulder, and his right hand drooped, as if making a fist. The head is slightly bent, staring straight ahead with angry eyes, in a state of preparation for battle. From the perspective of artistic effect, the state before the climax of this contradiction is more attractive. In terms of ideological effect, the statue fully embodies a tenacious, firm and righteous spiritual temperament. Michelangelo shaped David as a typical young warrior who defended a peaceful and peaceful city, which reflected his political thought. In terms of artistic skills, the artist is based on anatomy, showing the human body structure and the muscles of the whole body in a very reasonable and natural way. At the same time, the joints and thighs of the hands are exaggeratedly lengthened, and the hands and feet are slightly larger. This is for a teenager. is normal. The facial expression is also very realistic. His eyebrows are knitted, his eyes are bright, and he is concentrated, showing a majestic posture that overwhelms all enemies. This work became a model for later artists to learn sculpture and is one of the most outstanding works in the history of sculpture.
"Night" and "Day", "Morning" and "Dusk", marble statue, made for the tomb of the Medici family, created by Michelangelo from 1520 to 1534 AD, now in Rome .
The mausoleum of the Florentine magnates of the Medici family is located in a small chapel in the San Lorenzo Church. Construction has been ongoing intermittently for 15 years. Michelangelo produced several famous statues for this tomb, which were the works of his late creative period. The most famous among them are the pair of male and female human figures "Day" and "Night" located in front of the mausoleum of Giuliano Medici, Duke of Nemoore, and the pair of male and female human bodies in front of the mausoleum of Lorenzo Medici, Duke of Urbino. The statues "Twilight" and "Morning" are four symbolic sculptures derived from the ancient river god.
"Day" seems to be an unfinished male human body statue. He seems to have just been awakened from sleep. His right hand is supporting his body behind his back, his eyes are wide open, and he is looking forward over his shoulder. Staring; "Night" is a woman with a graceful figure, but the muscles of her body are loose and weak. She holds her head in her right hand and is sleeping deeply. The owl under her feet symbolizes the coming of night, and the mask behind her pillow symbolizes Troubled by nightmares, she seems to be exhausted, and can only find peace in her dreams; "Twilight" is shown as a strong middle-aged man, his flabby muscles hanging down feebly, and his elderly face is immersed in In the peaceful awakening, he may be in a daze due to depression; the image in "Morning" is the incarnation of a virgin. She is plump and strong, with youthful vitality and brilliance all over her body. She seems to be struggling to wake up from her drowsiness, but she does not. Joy, only physical and mental pain. These four characters are all endowed with special meanings and have a strong sense of instability. They toss and turn, seemingly disturbed by worldly affairs, and appear worried, which not only symbolizes the passage of time, but also represents life and death governed by time. fate.
The Medici Tomb and its sculptures are monumental masterpieces and an important turning point in Michelangelo's artistic career. In particular, the uneasiness, tension and bitter submission expressed by these four statues are a true reflection of the author's soul. Facing the real Italian society in turmoil, Michelangelo's humanistic ideals were shattered, and his thoughts began to become deep and depressed. All that remained in his works were worries about the fate of his motherland and sentimentality about the bright future of mankind. .
These sculptures indicate that the golden age of the Italian Renaissance has passed and became the forerunners of later "Mannerist" art works