Michelangelo and Humanism

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Michelangelo and Humanism
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Michelangelo Tomb of Giuliano de' Medici.
1526-1531. Marble.
Giuliano de' Medici. (detail).
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• 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.

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Michelangelo Tomb of Giuliano de' Medici
(detail). Night. 1526-1531. Marble.
Michelangelo Tomb of Giuliano de' Medici
(detail). Day. 1526-1531. Marble.
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• 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.

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• 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.

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Michelangelo The Creation of Adam. 1508-1512.
Fresco. Sistine Chapel, Vatican.
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• 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 Adamthe positions
  of God's right leg and Adam's right leg are, for
  instance, nearly identical.

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• The Creation of Adam
• Reflect the fact that, according to Genesis
  127, 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.

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• Task
• 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.
• 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.
• You need only apply it to three works.
• 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.
• You may refer to your notes and your classmates,
  but you must all have your own notes for this
  task.
• If possible evaluate the significance of Humanism
  for the art of Michelangelo.

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Michelangelo, Pietà 1499 Marble 174 x 195 cm
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Michelangelo, David 1504 Carrara Marble 4.34
meter (14 ft)
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Michelangelo, Moses, 1515 Carrara Marble
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Slave (Rebelling), 1513
Slave (Dying) 1513
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Michelangelo, Doni Tondo (Doni Madonna) circa
1503 Oil and tempera on panel 120 cm diameter