Michelangelo and Humanism

Michelangelo Tomb of Giuliano de' Medici. 1526-

1531. Marble.

Giuliano de' Medici. (detail).

Tomb of Giuliano de' Medici• Giuliano de' Medici (1479 - 1516) was one of three sons of Lorenzo the Magnificent.

• His brother was Pope Leo X.

• Michelangelo was commissioned to created these tombs at the age of 45. This was a dark period in the life of the artist.

• The political turmoil in Florence, which eventually forced him to leave the city, was painful for Michelangelo. The death of his mentor, his father and his brother during this time added to the melancholy expressed in the work produced for this tomb.

• Two figures that are widely discussed on the tomb are the figures of Night and Day.

Michelangelo Tomb of Giuliano de' Medici

(detail). Night. 1526-1531. Marble.

Michelangelo Tomb of Giuliano de' Medici

(detail). Day. 1526-1531. Marble.

Night and Day• Day is a powerful man in his prime. His reclining muscular body is twisted into a pose that shows tension and energy.

• He seems full of energy and ready to overcome any enemy, even death. Yet his unfinished face shows sockets that suggest blindness.

• Night is a pensive woman. Her attitude seems to convey a mixture of grief and acceptance. The statue of Night folds upon itself with the right arm crossing the updrawn left leg. The right leg is extended downward and the left arm is pulled back. There is a conflict of protest and resignation here.

• The owl sitting in the shadow of the bent knee closes the space that would permit access. In the medieval world the owl was seen as a symbol of doom, magic and death. Throughout Europe, the owl was identified with Lilith and witchcraft.

Night and Day• Another symbol which Night leans against is a mask. The Florentines were famed for the masks they produced used both in festivals. In pagan roots of this symbol, Death and rebirth are frequently given visual form in the mask. In a primitive rite of passage, an earlier identity ceases to exist, and is symbolically replaced with a new and entirely different identity. A complex symbol, this can be interpreted as a hope for renewal or a casting off of youth and life.

• The statue of Giuliano de' Medici is so highly idealized that it bears little resemblance to the person. This statue probably represents the life of activity - political and physical - in contrast to the contemplative life represented by the Lorenzo statue. Michelangelo saw these as two distinct characteristics of the human spirit.

Michelangelo The Creation of Adam. 1508-1512. Fresco. Sistine Chapel, Vatican.

The Creation of Adam• God is depicted as an elderly bearded man wrapped in a swirling cloak that he shares with some cherubim.

• His left arm is wrapped around a female figure, normally interpreted as Eve, who is not yet created and, figuratively, waits in heaven to be given an earthly form.

• God's right arm is outstretched to impart the spark of life from his own finger into that of Adam, whose left arm is extended in a pose mirroring God's.

• Adam's finger and God's finger are separated by a slight distance.

• It took about three of the four years to paint.

• The similar poses of God and Adam—the positions of God's right leg and Adam's right leg are, for instance, nearly identical.

The Creation of Adam• Reflect the fact that, according to Genesis 1:27, God created man in his own image. • God, who is airborne and appears against ovoid drapery, is contrasted with earthbound Adam, lying on a stable triangle of barren ground (Adam's name comes from a Hebrew word meaning "earth").• The background figures and shapes portrayed behind the figure of God appeared to be an anatomically accurate picture of the human brain, including the frontal lobe, optic chiasm, brain stem, pituitary gland, and the major sulci of the cerebrum. • It has also been observed that the red cloth around God has the shape of a human uterus and that the scarf hanging out, coloured green, could be a newly cut umbilical cord.

Questions for understanding:1. You have had a look at two works of Michelangelo that we have

not seen before, the following slides will show you works we have seen.

2. In four points, explain what the main features of Humanist philosophy are. Then relate this theory to the works that you have just seen and the other works by Michelangelo.

3. You need only apply it to three works.

4. Keep in mind that you are to try to not only demonstrate how the theory is evident in the art works, but also to explain the relationship between the theory and the art.

5. If possible evaluate the significance of Humanism for the art of Michelangelo.

Michelangelo, Pietà1499

Marble174 x 195 cm

Michelangelo, David1504

Carrara Marble4.34 meter (14 ft)

Michelangelo, Moses, 1515 Carrara Marble

Slave (Dying) 1513

Slave (Rebelling), 1513

Michelangelo, Doni Tondo

(Doni Madonna)circa 1503

Oil and tempera on panel120 cm

diameter