English
The artist as God
Excerpt from the book 'Michelangelo. Complete Works'
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When, in his epic poem Orlando furioso, published in 1532, Ludovico Ariosto described his contemporary Michelangelo Buonarroti as il divino, "the divine one", he thereby turned on its head the familiar comparison between God and an artist. For if the Middle Ages had likened God to an artist as a means of illustrating the creative power of the Almighty, the artist and his own powers of invention were now being compared with God. While the painters and sculptors of the Quattrocento were happy to view themselves as the representatives of divine forces, Michelangelo was the first to become the perfect embodiment of the idea of the artist as God. This simultaneously marked another paradigm shift: whereas the artists of the 15th century determined their position in society, their greatness and their rank by comparing themselves to the artists of antiquity and to contemporary men of letters, from the middle of the 16th century onwards Michelangelo served as the only yardstick.
Michelangelo achieved this status through his creation of outstanding works of art that not infrequently surpassed the normal bounds of individual ability. At the same time, he also demonstrated an unusual versatility not only in sculpture and painting but also in architecture. He even managed to earn himself a good press during his lifetime, in the form of the Life written by his pupil and friend Ascanio Condivi (c. 1525–1574), for example, which can be read for the large part as Michelangelo's autobiography. Crowning these biographical writings is the Life of Michelangelo by Giorgio Vasari (1511–1574), who makes the artist the end and the climax of the history of art. The idea of the uniqueness of Michelangelo and his work remains valid in essence even today. Although more recent authors also recognize the shadow side of his genius, namely his abrupt manner of dealing with his contemporaries, his tightfistedness, his outbursts of anger and his often unjustified tendency to complain, his monumental oeuvre repeatedly inspires astonishment from almost every point of view. In truth, Michelangelo was able, like no other artist before him, to liberate himself from tradition and contractual constraints and to follow his own creative impulses. He embodied the perfect artist of the modern era, one who brought virtually every facet of his personality to his work and thereby replaced the medieval artist who simply produced to order. In assisting in the emergence of a modern breed of artist resolved to express only himself, Michelangelo thereby completed a process of emancipation initiated by the artists of the late Middle Ages.
Michelangelo's talent and powers of invention are naturally founded not simply on his personality alone. The artist, who was born in 1475 not far from Arezzo and who died in Rome in 1564, grew up within a force field of fertile social, political and personal tensions. He was a member of a venerable Florentine family which, although part of the nobility, lacked the economic means and political influence this normally implied. As an artist he also fell into the category of craftsman, with its comparatively low social status. Through his voluntary membership of a profession still defined as working-class he thus occupied an unusual position within the upper echelons of society, and as an aristocrat amongst artisans the role of outsider. He felt truly close only to his family, in particular his father, brothers, nephews and nieces, to whose financial security and social betterment he pledged the large part of his vast wealth. He amassed this wealth over the many decades of his career, often enduring great personal privation, living like a poor man for most of the time.
Page [1] [2] [3]
Page [1] [2] [3]
When, in his epic poem Orlando furioso, published in 1532, Ludovico Ariosto described his contemporary Michelangelo Buonarroti as il divino, "the divine one", he thereby turned on its head the familiar comparison between God and an artist. For if the Middle Ages had likened God to an artist as a means of illustrating the creative power of the Almighty, the artist and his own powers of invention were now being compared with God. While the painters and sculptors of the Quattrocento were happy to view themselves as the representatives of divine forces, Michelangelo was the first to become the perfect embodiment of the idea of the artist as God. This simultaneously marked another paradigm shift: whereas the artists of the 15th century determined their position in society, their greatness and their rank by comparing themselves to the artists of antiquity and to contemporary men of letters, from the middle of the 16th century onwards Michelangelo served as the only yardstick.
Michelangelo achieved this status through his creation of outstanding works of art that not infrequently surpassed the normal bounds of individual ability. At the same time, he also demonstrated an unusual versatility not only in sculpture and painting but also in architecture. He even managed to earn himself a good press during his lifetime, in the form of the Life written by his pupil and friend Ascanio Condivi (c. 1525–1574), for example, which can be read for the large part as Michelangelo's autobiography. Crowning these biographical writings is the Life of Michelangelo by Giorgio Vasari (1511–1574), who makes the artist the end and the climax of the history of art. The idea of the uniqueness of Michelangelo and his work remains valid in essence even today. Although more recent authors also recognize the shadow side of his genius, namely his abrupt manner of dealing with his contemporaries, his tightfistedness, his outbursts of anger and his often unjustified tendency to complain, his monumental oeuvre repeatedly inspires astonishment from almost every point of view. In truth, Michelangelo was able, like no other artist before him, to liberate himself from tradition and contractual constraints and to follow his own creative impulses. He embodied the perfect artist of the modern era, one who brought virtually every facet of his personality to his work and thereby replaced the medieval artist who simply produced to order. In assisting in the emergence of a modern breed of artist resolved to express only himself, Michelangelo thereby completed a process of emancipation initiated by the artists of the late Middle Ages.
Michelangelo's talent and powers of invention are naturally founded not simply on his personality alone. The artist, who was born in 1475 not far from Arezzo and who died in Rome in 1564, grew up within a force field of fertile social, political and personal tensions. He was a member of a venerable Florentine family which, although part of the nobility, lacked the economic means and political influence this normally implied. As an artist he also fell into the category of craftsman, with its comparatively low social status. Through his voluntary membership of a profession still defined as working-class he thus occupied an unusual position within the upper echelons of society, and as an aristocrat amongst artisans the role of outsider. He felt truly close only to his family, in particular his father, brothers, nephews and nieces, to whose financial security and social betterment he pledged the large part of his vast wealth. He amassed this wealth over the many decades of his career, often enduring great personal privation, living like a poor man for most of the time.
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Michelangelo
Hardcover 11.4 x 17.3 in., 768 pages
$ 200.00
$ 200.00
Michelangelo's complete work — sculpture, painting, architecture, drawings
Ignudo, detail from the Sistine Ceiling, 1511. (c) Archivio fotografico Musei Vaticani. Per gentile concessione dei Musei Vaticani, Roma
The Last Judgement (details), 1534–1541. (c) Archivio fotografico Musei Vaticani. Per gentile concessione dei Musei Vaticani, Roma