The Last Judgement By Michelangelo Bounarroti

Over the course of this semester, we have discussed numerous pieces of art from a wide range of differing artists and mediums. The two pieces that have intrigued me most are both created by Michelangelo Bounarroti and include La Pietà (426, Figure 13.9) and The Last Judgement (431, Figure 13.15). Both pieces are from the Italian Renaissance, which lasted from roughly the 14th century to the 17th century. I chose these two pieces of art because of the attention to detail Michelangelo gives to his work. Michelangelo claimed to be a sculptor at heart, but no matter what his mode of art was, he breathed life in to any piece of art he crafted. Michelangelo sculpted La Pietà around 1498 completely out of marble. I like that in most of Michelangelo’s work he depicts humanistic philosophies, but he still brings an element of total perfection. He strives to make each person he sculpts look as similar to the actual human body as possible. The authors from the textbook explain …show more content…
Again, I admire the attention to detail that Michelangelo pays to his work, but with this painting I appreciate the deeper meaning and symbolic treasures he planted beneath his paint brush. The authors are quick to point out that not only does Michelangelo’s painting reflect the religiously-tense days he lived in, but also his own spiritual revelations (430). Michelangelo includes many individuals from the bible, but also figures from Greek mythology. Including people that are not from the bible into such a religious painting demonstrate the early days of the Protestant Reformation. The Last Judgement is not based off of a factual biblical events, but rather what Michelangelo believes will happen when Christ returns as the final judge of mankind. Not only did he paint a vividly terrifying scene, Michelangelo truly gave a picture a thousand