Michelangelo’s Pietà | Renaissance History and Characteristics

Artist: Michelangelo Buonarroti

Title: Pietà

Period: High Renaissance

Date: 1498-1499

Historical context:

The Italian Renaissance was a period of old and new; it was a time of artistic and intellectual rebirth where the classics of antiquity were rediscovered and transformed.

The Early Renaissance

Beginning in 14th century Florence, Italy, Early Renaissance scholars and artists began to study their Classical Greek and Roman foundations—reincarnating language, texts, and art—while explorers and scientists continued to forge ahead.

And thanks to the availability of information due to Gutenberg’s printing press, the Early Renaissance saw a shift from centuries of heavily religious political and philosophical thought to a new conversation of humanism.

With a new, human-centered approach, coupled with the advances in science and mathematics, artists now held the knowledge and aspiration to focus on anatomical realism within their work.

Whether through drawing, painting, or sculpture, the human form was being depicted with a more realistic attention to detail. The artists employed shading to illustrate light and shadow or lines to show depth and perspective—the imagery of fabrics rendered in stone and paint started to take on an illusion of reality. Painters and sculptors also took care to reveal the expressions of emotion in their subjects, honing in on their humanity.

The height of human realism in Renaissance art, however, did not see its peak until the end of the 15th century.

The High Renaissance

Following the death of Lorenzo de Medici in 1492, Rome replaced Florence as the center for artistic achievement, thus marking the transition from the Early Renaissance to the High Renaissance.

During the High Renaissance, spanning between the early 1490s to 1527, artists further sought to reinterpret the techniques and styles of classical antiquity, highlighting the importance of intellect, order, and sophistication in their works.

This time period is referred to as “high” because it was considered to be a culmination of the expression of renaissance ideals: proportion, naturalism, realism, precision, and beauty—all parts creating a harmonious whole.

Contrapposto, a technique from Greek antiquity was now commonly being used again in sculpture to represent balance and movement. As a result, sculptures began to take on a more lifelike form, moving past head busts, stiff posture, and stiff fabrics.

However, High Renaissance artists, perhaps feeling that they had sufficiently mastered the mathematical proportion and realism that generally marked Renaissance art, were now more willing to forgo technical perfection and give themselves the liberty of “artistic license.”

High Renaissance artists sought to express what could be called ideal naturalism—-creating works that dared to capture the essence of life both as it was but also as it idealistically could be.

PietÀ Overview:

Pietà is one of the most significant works of Michelangelo’s early career and is notably the only work that he ever signed. It was commissioned by the French Cardinal of St. Denis to be his funeral monument and is currently housed at St. Peter’s Basilica.

Pietà depicts the body of Christ sprawled over Mary’s lap following his crucifixion in a piece truly representative of High Renaissance ideals.

Witness the triangular composition in this piece—a popular style during the High Renaissance.

Interestingly, Pieta is unique for its time as a two-figure sculpture. But even more so, the sculpture further stands apart as a masterpiece with its intricate detailing and realism.

Christ’s skin is realistically marked with the bruises and punctures from his crucifixion, and Mary, as a divine matron, appears young and supple with the defined folds of her garments flowing softly down and out.

16th-century historian, Giorgio Vasari, details Michelangelo’s ability to make the marble look like flesh, noting the muscles and veins on Christ’s body and the gentle expression on Mary’s face. In his book, The Lives of Artists, he goes on to enthuse over Michelangelo’s genius craftsmanship, calling the drapery “inspired,” and referring to Pietà as the perfect expression of harmony.

Truly, this work is an emblem of High Renaissance style firstly in the intellect of its conception, but further in the naturalism and balance of its outcome.

Mary’s calm expression is similarly relevant for its time. Instead of depicting her in emotional ruin over the loss of her child, Michelangelo chose to carefully craft her face to represent the calm, orderly ideals of High Renaissance art.

The thought and labor that went into this piece can only be indicative of Michelangelo’s genius as Vasari suggests; however, while many highly praised Michelangelo over Pietà, he was also criticized for its seeming lack of historical accuracy.

In fact, critics disapproved of Michelangelo’s decision to depict Mary as a young woman since Christ was an adult at the time of his crucifixion, but Michelangelo argued that he did so to represent the eternal virginity of her soul. He was quoted by the painter Condivi in John Symonds, The Life of Michelangelo Buonarroti, saying, “do you not know that chaste women maintain their freshness far longer than the unchaste?”

In true High Renaissance fashion, Michelangelo sought to create idealized figures while still rendering the intricacies that make them seem so real one might desire to reach out and touch to confirm whether they are, in fact, human, or truly marble.

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