The Idea Of Beauty In Michelangelo's Sculptures

There are many definitions of beauty around the world and through the years. During the fifteen hundreds the term “beauty” was seen as simplicity in the classical sense. Similar to Plato’s sense of ideal beauty, which consists of symmetry and exactness, classical beauty appears simple. Michelangelo’s sculptures and his process of making them were influenced by Plato’s ideals. Michelangelo incorporated the use of symmetry and exactness throughout many of his sculptures to achieve objectivity. By choosing his subjects, learning the correct proportions, having a choice of materials and having his own sculpting technique, Michelangelo embodies the influences of Plato. To begin with, Michelangelo’s choice of subjects consists of humans, mainly the male body. For instance, his sculpture, …show more content…
He believed he was freeing the human beings from their material trapping and would begin with the torso where most of their power reigns from. Michelangelo’s Awakening Slave, Young Slave and The Atlas are unfinished sculptures that are still intact to a block of marble. He believed the sculptor was a tool of God to reveal the powerful figures already contained in the marble and his only task was to chip away the excess. Michelangelo gave his figures motion and emotion, creating sculptures of simplistic beauty. In conclusion, Michelangelo incorporated Plato’s ideals of beauty into his sculptures by learning the anatomy of the human body to create proportionate figures and exactness in the motion of the body from standing to lying down on their side. Michelangelo achieved objectivity by choosing to portray human subjects and shape the soul from a block of marble. By freeing his subjects and sculpting the human body as a simple form, Michelangelo was able to achieve a classical sense of beauty. Michelangelo incorporated Plato’s ideals and presented beauty with