Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel was a work of truly epic proportions that really defined the artist as an auteur. Today, a filmmaker for example is often described as an auteur (French for "author") if he is given or wields total control over the film from the visionary stages through to planning, production, shooting and editing: the work is considered the total product of his or her vision. Such recognized auteurs are rare and are considered not just as "authors" but also as authorities (the short list includes filmmakers like Terrence Malick, Paul Thomas Anderson, Christopher Nolan et al.). Their works are sprawling, complex, inventive, and original. Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel (both the ceiling and the Last Judgment painted on the altar wall) was truly one of the greatest works of epic proportions ever painted by a Renaissance artist ("Sistine Chapel Ceiling") -- a work that essentially set the bar for what it meant to be an auteur.
Michelangelo was given complete control over the painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling -- and the result was that it took nearly 20 years for him to complete it. Like the works of many auteurs today, Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel was a labor of love that turned into something of a life project. His vision was so grand and encompassing that it sought to express the whole of Christian philosophy, theology, history, and truth in painting while creating a unique architectural effect (the painting is framed by painted columns and contoured to address the effect of the curvature of the ceiling) ("Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel"). Michelangelo sought to represent in
He also incorporated the pagan visionaries into his narrative, suggesting that their prophecies add and support the overall Christian story of history. The result was a work that was inclusive, expansive, rich in detail and thought, and sumptuous in expression. Michelangelo's vivid recreation of the human form in painting was so unique that it inspired many other artists to learn in fine detail the anatomy of the human body so that they too could show their skills.
Part of what made Michelangelo's work come to life was the humanistic focus of the Renaissance: it was a time in Italy during which great wealth was pouring into the country and old, classical forms were being rediscovered (the works and myths of the pagan Greeks and Romans for example). Michelangelo turned his attention to the human ideal (he had already expressed this ideal form in his statue David): he wanted to show in painting what man was like before the Fall (Adam at the moment of creation) and how man was transformed after the Fall. He wanted to depict the effect of sin on man's soul and man's features -- which he did in the Last Judgment: there are images of men falling out of their skin -- their physical bodies separating from their metaphysical souls; demons from Hell reaching up and trying to pull souls down that are ascending towards Heaven. In…
Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel This work has been and truly is a beacon of our art, and it has brought such benefit and enlightenment to the art of painting that it was sufficient to illuminate a world which for so many hundreds of years had remained in the state of darkness. And, to tell the truth, anyone who is a painter no longer needs to concern himself about seeing innovations and
Michelangelo and the RenaissanceMichelangelo was one of the greatest artists of the High Renaissance. He began his career with the chisel and ended it with the paint brush. He was a master in sculpture, engineering, and painting. Had he excelled in poetry, politics and arms he would have been considered a true Renaissance Man�but his focus was always on art. He spent 20 years of his life on the Sistine
Wallace says, "If we consider the number of perspective problems attendant to painting on the curved and irregular surfaces of the vault, it is reasonable that Michelangelo entrusted some of the architectural painting to Aristotile, thereby fostering what became one of the latter's foremost talents" (327). Wallace also provides additional arguments regarding other assistants who stayed to help Michelangelo, as well. Since there is presently no way to go back
Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam The Creation of Adam (1512) as conceived and depicted by Michelangelo represents a significant moment in art history because it brings a humanistic style of expression and sense of realism to the art world that had not existed prior. The work is focused almost exclusively on the Body as a subject. The two figures—God the Father and Adam—represent the majesty of the human anatomy in its ideal
Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was painted by Michelangelo between the years of 1508 and 1512. The chapel -- built in the 1470s for Pope Sixtus IV (the chapel's namesake) -- includes the works of many different Renaissance artists -- but it is Michelangelo's work on the ceiling that stands out above all the rest. Commissioned by Pope Julius II, Michelangelo's ceiling tells the story
Michelangelo Biography and Detailed Information About One of His Art Works Michelangelo was one of the most influential artists of the Rennaissance and of art history. Painter, sculptor, poet and architect, Michelangelo dominated the art scene for almost the whole of the 16th century. Born in 1474, he lived to be almost ninety years of age, time in which he left an unparalleled creation to the world. In Michelangelo's time, the Renaissance
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