What was new about Michelangelo's treatment of religious themes in sculpture?

What was new about Michelangelo’s treatment of religious themes in sculpture?

During his lifetime, 1475 – 1564, Michelangelo was arguably the most representative artist of the Italian Renaissance. Like Leonardo da Vinci he was extremely versatile, being equally capable not only as a painter and sculptor, but also in the art of poetry, music, engineering and architecture. He lived to the extraordinary age, for the time, of eighty-nine. He was not only a great master of the High Renaissance but was also responsible in part for the development of Mannerism, a style that became predominant in Europe during the last three-quarters of the 16th Century. Although monumentally gifted in the art of painting, it is Michelangelo’s chosen medium of sculpture for which he will forever stand alone. The most impressive of Michelangelo’s religious themes, examples being the ‘Pieta’ and ‘David’, are universally hailed as some of the greatest works of art ever produced by mankind. However, it was Michelangelo’s imagination in composition and readiness to break from tradition in subject matter that first brought him notoriety in the field of sculpture. Even from his very earliest works, it is this never seen before ability to “lay bare his soul to the spectator’s gaze” that provides the intense emotion within the Michelangelo religious themes. It is this ability to project his emotion onto the stone that must be examined in a response to this question.

Even during his earliest and least sophisticated works, Michelangelo’s sculpture was noted and distinguished due to his unusual interpretation of the subject choice. It is a mark of Michelangelo’s talent as a sculptor that after just his first year as an apprentice with the artist Ghirlandaio, and despite a relatively late start as an artist at the age of thirteen, he came to the notice of the renowned Florentine artist Lorenzo de’ Medici. Within the esteemed circle of Medici, Michelangelo had the freedom to absorb the work of many masters of the early Renaissance period, giving him the opportunity to develop his highly individual style of work. He was liberated from having to work around the style of any one particular artist, a key factor in the individuality of his later treatment of religious themes.

A very early example of the individuality and emotion that would go hand in hand with Michelangelo’s work may be seen with ‘the Virgin of the Steps’, a piece completed whilst working in the Medici circle. The influence of the work is clearly that of Donatello, carved as it is using a shallow relief, a technique invented by the artist who died two years after the birth of Michelangelo. Despite Michelangelo’s early stage of artistic development, the piece was completed between the ages of fourteen to seventeen; the piece is remarkable for the emotion and expression of the ...

This is a preview of the whole essay

The subject matter of Virgin and child is commonplace, having been explored by countless earlier works. In ‘the Virgin of the Steps’, the Virgin is shown in profile, sat at the bottom of a flight of steps, the Christ child asleep upon her lap. The composition is very much that seen in ancient Greek tombstones. Although sophisticated, Michelangelo is clearly at a very early stage in developing his technique. Critics have described the hands and feet of the Virgin as almost club like, whilst it may be noted that the artist clearly had difficulties in the perspective of the stairs. However, it is the emotion of the piece that is overbearing. The Virgin is composed but distracted by some overwhelming emotion, the atmosphere one of apprehension and sorrow. It is obviously intended to portray the Virgin’s prior knowledge of the fate of her child. The child is slumped asleep in the arms of his mother, very much in the style of the Pieta theme. Although asleep, the Christ’s face is turned away from the spectator, his shoulders hunched and lifeless as if in death. The piece is extremely unusual, clearly demonstrating Michelangelo’s readiness to break form artistic norms to create a new and unique individuality and emotion within his work.

Although it can be argued that Michelangelo’s treatment of religious themes broke the mould in nearly every instance, this individuality was often criticised for its lack of reverence and the human nature of its content. An example of this may be seen with the carving of the ‘Bacchus’, a Roman God of wine. Michelangelo’s work, although magnificent, is almost comic in its nature. The work undoubtedly shows the drunkenness of Bacchus, as the figure staggers uncertainly and the dilated pupils show undisguised intoxication. The figure uncertainly raises a goblet in a toast to the spectator. The work is a complete contrast to earlier works upon the theme, such as Sansovino’s Bacchus, which demonstrate a reverence that was deemed appropriate to the treatment of such a figure. That Michelangelo’s work is not so again demonstrates the imagination and innovative nature of the artist.

Arguably the greatest example that can be given of the individuality of Michelangelo’s religious themes in sculpture can be seen with the ‘Pieta’ of St Peters, Rome. Argued by some critics to be the greatest work of art ever produced, the ‘Pieta’ was Michelangelo’s first important religious commission. The composition of the piece is individual to Michelangelo. The piece is remarkable for the easily overlooked lack of literal realism. In scale and proportion the piece is physically wrong in nearly every dimension. The figure of the Christ lies limp and lifeless across the Virgins lap. The figure is very human and very inglorious, the twisted body lying heavily and uncomfortably. If scale were correct, there is no way that the Virgin would be able to hold the body in such a way. This is only achieved in stone by the manner in which the ‘exquisite’ sharp chiselled flowing drapery seems to increase the size of the Virgin, so as to allow her to bear the burden.

The piece has been criticised and acclaimed for the personal treatment of the piece and the lack of reverence that goes hand in hand with it. The Virgin appears young and beautiful, her face pure and innocent. In age, she barely appears to be out of her teens. This would be impossible considering the Christ was in his mid thirties at his time of death. The Christ seems small and vulnerable. He is cradled in the arms of his mother as if he were a child, in a very similar manner to that seen in ‘the Virgin of the Steps’. The Virgin appears saddened and melancholy, but not bereaved. Her lift hand signals to the spectator, as if drawing them into the scene. It again shows the prior knowledge of the Virgin concerning her son’s life.

The ‘Pieta’ is amongst Michelangelo’s most finished works of art. It is undoubtedly one of his greatest. However, once again Michelangelo can be said to be ground-breaking in terms of his treatment of religious themes. The ‘Pieta’is remarkable for its composition, its lack of literary realism and the personal treatment given to the figures of the Virgin and the Christ. It typifies the revolutionary treatment of Michelangelo in his religious themes.

In sculpture, Michelangelo can be described as creating imaginations. His usual method in confronting a work was to outline his figure upon the face of the block and, as he himself wrote, “to liberate the figure imprisoned in the marble”. This is a very apt description of the sculpture of Michelangelo. Such is the emotion, expression and personality of Michelangelo’s works that they do appear to be the physical embodiment in stone of the artist’s imaginations.

Examples to be seen of Michelangelo’s technique with regard to his religious themes may be given with his late treatments of the Pieta theme, particularly with the ‘Rondanini Pieta’, although the most unfinished of the late works is arguably the most powerful. The work is so incomplete that it is hardly possible to interpret the expressions upon the faces of the Christ and the Virgin. The bodies of the two seem to merge into one another and into the actual stone of the piece itself. However, the emotion of the piece and its intention is arguably clearer than that of the original ‘Pieta’. Like the original ‘Pieta’, the dimensions of the Rondanini are impossible. The scale cannot be correct with the vast, lifeless and heavy corpse of the Christ supported by the frail and feminine form of the Virgin. The scale is so impossible that it could not exist even in stone. Without the support of the unfinished marble at the back of the piece, the composition could not stand unaided. However, the static calm of the Rondanini is the same as that of the original, despite the universal differences of the two in their final forms. It is this that again marks the Michelangelo religious theme, with the intensely personal treatment of the subject creating the emotion of the piece. Michelangelo again ‘lays bare his soul’ to the spectator.

One final example to be given of Michelangelo’s treatment of religious themes can be given with what is again argued by many critics to be his greatest work. Michelangelo’s ‘David’ is a colossal marble work and undoubtedly one of his most physically impressive works. It was this statue that firmly established Michelangelo’s reputation as a great Florentine artist. Although the subject matter was not original, a strikingly similar David having already been produced by Donatello, the piece is remarkable for the conveyance of “an eternal image of spiritual courage and physical energy.” The personality of the piece is striking. Unlike the Donatello David, Michelangelo’s work does not carry the sword; the easily overlooked sling over the shoulder the only real indication as to the identity of the figure. However, it is the overbearing dignity of the figure that lends such personality to the piece. In comparison to the afore mentioned ‘Bacchus’, the ‘David’ is stood upright and alert, his face set in determination. The personality is distinct. It is this that once again distinguishes Michelangelo’s treatment of religious themes.

Many more examples could be given of Michelangelo’s work in confronting such a question. Works such as the ‘Christ Risen’ and the ‘Bruges Madonna’ to name but two are both remarkable for their treatment of religious themes. However, this is simply not possible in so short an essay. Michelangelo’s religious themes in sculpture broke the conventional mould and set the man aside in his medium of choice. His intensely personal treatment of the subjects led critics to describe him as opening up his soul to the spectator. This is a highly accurate description given the intense emotion and personality of the pieces. That Michelangelo’s statues were the physical embodiment in stone of his imagination is an accurate summing up of his work. It is this that was new about Michelangelo’s treatment of religious themes in sculpture.

Bibliography

Vasari, Giorgio. – Lives of the Artists – vol 1. Penguin (1965)
Baldini, Umberto – Sculpture ( The Complete Works of Michelangelo) MacDonald London. (1965)
Avery, Charles. – Florentine Renaissance Sculpture (1970) 1970.