Characteristics Of Michelangelo Buonarroti

Michelangelo Buonarroti is one of the most famous Italian Renaissance artists in the world. He’s got his fame for being a sculptor, but he’s also a painter, poet, and an architect. He has made many sculptures and used numerous types of materials. And he once said that the Block of Carrara marble he used to make La Pieta was the most “perfect” block he ever used, and he waxed this specific block of marble more than any other sculpture he created to make it extra shiny. The sculpture presents the Virgin Mary holding the deceased body of Christ in her arms after he was put down from the cross, then later was placed inside the tomb. The most common form being sculptured at that time was the Pietas. Michelangelo’s version of Pietas is a lot less …show more content…
This may also be the purpose why the Virgin Mary appears to be larger than Christ. His and her heads are proportional, but she appears to be so enormous that if she stands up next to him, the Christ would only be up to her chest. Her body had to be bigger so she could support her son’s body in her lap. It would look very awkward for a middle-age woman to carry an adult male in her lap. Michelangelo purposely covered her body with a cloth to cover her unproportioned body. Other than the changes in how the Virgin Mary is presented, the Christ is presented different too. The wound he received is his hands, feet and sides are there like the usual Pietas, but they are not as noticeable as how the Gothic way would show it. The Gothic sculpture shows Christ’s wounds that will get everyone’s’ attention and be completely aware of suffering the injuries would have produced. The gothic statues also show Christ as a skinny and weak. However, Michelangelo wanted to show him stronger looking, somebody who looks courageous and someone who was at peace when he …show more content…
Michelangelo’s sculpture inside of St Peter’s Basilica called La Pieta is a scene of Christ laying on Virgin Mary’s lap, presenting the result of the crucifixion of Christ. The purpose of this piece is to show Virgin Mary’s love for her son. To support his interpretation of his sculpture, Michelangelo developed texture, realism and mass. Michelangelo’s Pieta is one of the most significant pieces of art because of the way he chose to design La Pieta and the meaning he chose to express using it. Michelangelo’s Pieta is calm and peaceful as a replacement for the usual gruesome Pietas. The meaning expressed in Michelangelo’s Pieta are peace and faith. His Pieta follows the principles of naturalism so great that so when you mix it with accurate textures and details, it reaches a stage of realism that hadn’t been witnessed for centuries, without really considering his choices on the precision of the scale of the Virgin Mary’s body. By choosing to show Christ’s death as one of peace and peacefulness, Michelangelo is telling the viewers that leaving this earth is not the end of their existence. This sculpture will always be one of the most cherished sculpture in the religious