
So, as the title says, this is Pieta by Michaelangelo (there should be a fancy accent above the a) and it is without question one of my favorite pieces we've studied so far in my art history class. I don't think you have to be religious in order to understand it's beauty, however speaking from someone who is Catholic, I may be bias, who knows!
The first amazing thing is that this was created around 1510. 1510! I'm not trying to single out Michaelangelo though; it's amazing to see any work of art created and when it was. (Leonardo, Raphael...you know, all the turtles ;) ).
Obviously this is a scene of Mary lamenting the death of Christ. Maybe that's why I like it so much. Everytime you hear about it in church, or in general, you just get told the story. Jesus died on the cross, he was buried, and finally ressurected. I guess you never really stop and think what it must have been like to be Mary, and watch your son die. Just the image of Mary having her dead son draped over her lap is terribly tragic to me, and I do have a lot for all things tragic (hello Titanic! - in the words of Joey Tribbiani "Those two only had each other!").
Michaelangelo depicted Mary to be much younger than she would actually be to symbolize her purity and innocence. It might be hard to see from this angle but her arm is a little awkward because the statue was attacked by a man shouting "I am Jesus Christ!" and they had to put it back in place (I believe it fell off...though I'm not sure).
It's one of Michaelangelo's few completed pieces. Boy liked to start something and then never finish it, not that I'm one to talk..heh..heh...moving on! The draping is very heavy and realistic and reminiscint of Roman structureswhich made a comeback during the Renaissance. Michaelangelo believed that all of his sculptures were already in the marble (or whatever he was working with) and he was releasing them from a prison. I just find it all terribly impressive.
Mary's lap is a little exaggerated in size in order to fully hold Christ, and I love how it's such a peaceful, calm moment between the two of them. Almost as though you're intruding on a very private moment.
Michaelangelo started creating another pieta that he wanted for his own tomb however he was unhappy with it, for reasons unknown (two cookies for those who got that Killers reference), and attacked it with an axe.

You can especially see it in Mary that it was never finished, and if you look closely you can see axe marks. From other angles it becomes more obvious that Christ is missing a leg also (perhaps this is why he didn't like it?) and it is believed it was left out because it would be inappropriately close to Mary's leg. Anyway, this image was obviously a favorite of Michaelangelo for him to want it for his own tomb, and I think it's gorgeous, so I thought I'd share :)
Hope you enjoy these posts, they're good for me to study from as well!
xoxo
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