The Pieta by Michelangelo

 


The Pieta
            This is one of the greatest art work's by the famous artist Michelangelo and it was made during the Italian Renaissance during the years 1498-1500. Michelangelo created this art work after the cardinal Jean de Billheres asked him to create a sculpture that would go into the side chapel at Old St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. He created it by, according to himself, one of the greatest Carrara marble block he ever worked with and has been used by ancient Roman builders and was priced to be one of the best materials to use during the Renaissance. 
            The Pieta itself shows the Virgin Mary who is holding up the dead body of Jesus Christ after his death and his removal from the cross. For me, this art piece reflects sadness in Virgin Mary by the shape and structure of her head. A slight down-tilted head makes me think of sadness and devastation and with knowing of what the art represents I can imagine that the emotions I am feeling are "correct" to what Michelangelo tried to show. 
            Personally, I have a difficult time relating to this art work and I would probably have to say no regarding owning this art work. My reasoning behind this is that a lot of other people probably wants it more than me. I would rather find some other art work that I can relate to better. Do not get me wrong, I have huge respect for Michelangelo and his works but I also believe that another person that can relate to this art piece would enjoy it more than me. 
            I could definitely connect this art work by Michelangelo to the humanism which was a major thing during the Italian Renaissance. The example I have for this is how he clearly and precise he is trying to show the physical beauty when sculpting both Virgin Mary but even more clear for Jesus. 
            According to the website My Modern Met the author Kelly Richman- Abdou explains that this sculpture perfectly some of the renaissance ideals. Richman- Abdou says that the Pieta has a great balance since it is formed as a pyramid. This was a popular technique during the renaissance and it means that the artist are placing an imaginary triangle, or pyramid, and makes the painting or art piece with that in mind. It helps us, the viewers, to observe the work and the composition around this beautiful art piece. Richman- Abdou also suggests that this kind of silhouette creates stability. This is a great example of how some of the art elements in the Pieta connects to the italian renaissance and how much it means to the renaissance. 

Sources:

“Michelangelo's Pieta.” ItalianRenaissance.org, 23 July 2012, http://www.italianrenaissance.org/michelangelos-pieta/.

Richman-Abdou, Kelly. “Exploring Michelangelo's 'Pietà,' a Masterpiece of Renaissance Sculpture.” My Modern Met, 21 Oct. 2019, https://mymodernmet.com/michelangelo-pieta/.

            

Comments

  1. GarrettSeptember 29, 2021 at 11:23 AM

    Hi Filip,

    The statue which you chose is very powerful with what looks to be a mother holding a dead boy. It wasn't until I read your body paragraph that I learned that this statue represents the Virgin Mary holding the deceased body of Jesus. I enjoy sculptures over paintings since I feel more of a connection with the artwork itself. Michelangelo is a well-known artist during the Italian renaissance timeframe and I chose a piece done by Michelangelo as well.
    Great post.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Roberts KalkisSeptember 30, 2021 at 1:30 AM

    Hi Filip,
    I found the sculpture really inspiring and a work of art that arises quite a lot of emotion. I agree with you, that it is more of the sad emotion that is taking over when admiring this work, but I am also astonished by the craftsmanship of the work - just look at the detail and all of it carved in marble. Since Michelangelo was an Italian Renaissance artist it is obviously relatable to the topic about which we had to do our posts, so good job on that!
    Overall I really enjoyed your post and I am looking forward to the next ones.
    -Roberts

    ReplyDelete
  3. AdelineOctober 3, 2021 at 5:43 PM

    Hi Filip,
    I found the sculpture you chose was beautiful and inspiring work of art that sends a powerful message. This statue of the Virgin Mary holding the deceased body of Jesus is sculpted with a lot of detail. I like how you mentioned that you can feel sadness from the statue by the head tilt of the Virgin Mary. Michelangelo was a well known artist during the Italian renaissance era, I wasn't aware that this sculpture was done by him until reading your post. I think this is a beautiful piece of art you chose and if I had the opportunity I would own a piece like this. Great job Filip!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Taylor LewisOctober 4, 2021 at 3:19 PM

    The technique that is used to create this piece is pretty interesting. I do not think I have ever heard of this before! This is my first time seeing this sculpture and it is stunning. The attention to detail is amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  5. ladyracerOctober 4, 2021 at 8:19 PM

    Hi Filip, the artwork ‘Pieta’ shows the emotion that the Virgin Mary had when her son Jesus was crucified on the cross at Calvary. It reflects her emotion and it also shows Humanism, which was a movement of the scholars during the Italian Renaissance. I like this piece of artwork done by Michelangelo. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Markuss KomulsOctober 4, 2021 at 8:55 PM

    Hello Filip,
    In my opinion, you chose a great piece of art for this assignment. This sculpture shows a lot of emotion and meaning behind it. I agree with you that it reflects devastation and this sculpture also has amazing details. The Pieta definitely relates to our theme this week as Michelangelo was truly one of the best artists of Renaissance. In my opinion, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Da Vinci were the greatest artists of Renaissance. I can relate to you saying that other people would have much more interest in the sculpture than I would. Just like you, I would like to own it but there could be many other people who would appreciate it more than I can.
    Great Post!

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownDecember 22, 2021 at 3:47 AM

    The appeal I have for this piece is the humanism in Mary's face. Only she can express what is happening to her and I think Michelangelo did great job conveying that. This post is very much related to the theme of the renaissance. I would love to own this piece since it is part of history.

    ReplyDelete

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