Michelangelo's Mosess

The Birth of a Strong, Older Man The Moses is a statue made by Michelangelo Buonarroti in the early 16th century. From 1513 to 1515, Michelangelo sculpted the Moses for Pope Julius II’s tomb in St. Peter’s Basilica but it now sits in San Pietro in Vincoli in Rome. The sculpture is one of many famous works from Michelangelo where he used marble, gave it realistic and in-motion aspects, and used historical references to give the statue life. I think this sculpture is a unique and underrated work of Michelangelo’s. “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.” Michelangelo said this about his methods of taking away from the stone, rather than adding on and eventually freeing the person inside …show more content…
He is the same colors all over, the whitish and grayish hues of the marble that was used. More color may have taken away from the expression or “movement” being made by the statue. Most of the texture found in the sculpture is in the curly hair and beard, but even then there isn’t much, making the hair on the head and in the beard look soft. The deeply carved robes and beard give contrast to the rest of the body, making it stand out with its light and smooth look. The Moses is asymmetrical; this gives off more of an impression of movement and realness. The biggest contrast is between the two stone slabs Moses is carrying and everything else on the body. The slabs are perfectly flat and made of hard, straight lines while the rest of the sculpture is rounded and …show more content…
If he were to stand, it would spell trouble for anyone around; you can see his tense muscles and the look of anger and what I think is disappointment on his face. Most everything about the Moses is smooth, fluid, and at attention. Moses is sweeping most of his beard to the side with the arm that is also holding two pieces of stone. His robes fall over his legs but do not cover his feet, which are both in different positions. The right foot is planted on the ground and the left is lifted so that only the ball of his foot and toes touch the ground, giving off the impression that he could stand at any moment. Moses back is slightly rounded but mostly upright even though there is no back to the chair he is sitting on. A surprising factor to most people are the horns seen on Moses head, though they are there due to the Latin translation of the Bible at the time, where the horns are in place on Moses after meeting God. The horned head is looking to the left with that disapproving