Michaelangelo Western Civilization II Marshall High School Mr. Cline Unit Three BA * Michaelangelo • Working for the Medici • The Medici were bankers and patrons to many artists of Florence. • A patron is a person who gives financial or other support to a person, organization, cause or activity. • In simpler terms, it's a person who wants some piece of art created, so he foots the bill for the artist's supplies and living expenses while the artist works. • As soon as the wealthy Medici got a glimpse of Michelangelo's talent, their loose connection grew into a full-blown bond. • In the early 1490s, Michelangelo left the apprenticeship of Ghirlandaio and actually moved into the estate of Lorenzo de Medici, a sculptor himself and the de facto ruler of Florence. • While studying in the Medici gardens, Michelangelo met some of the world's most respected poets, scientists and philosophers. • Their views rubbed off on the young Michelangelo's work, mixing religion with myth. • Two of his most famous works of this time are the Madonna of the Stairs, also known as the 'Madonna of the Steps,' and the Battle of the Centaurs. While working on his craft, it seems Michelangelo spent little time working on his people skills. Known to history as a rather moody, arrogant fellow, it seems he began gaining this reputation rather early. According to tradition, Michelangelo and a fellow student of the arts got into a quarrel, and the artist punched Michelangelo in the nose, breaking it and causing it to be crooked for the rest of time. Sculpting 'Bacchus,' 'The Pieta' and 'David' In 1492, Lorenzo de Medici, Michelangelo's patron, died. After his death, the Medici fortune began to dwindle. This, along with the outspoken words of Florence's new ruler Savonarola, a monk who radically opposed any sort of secular art and accused the Medici of heresy, caused Michelangelo to return to the home of his father. Upon his return, Michelangelo became enthralled with the human form, even studying cadavers to improve his craft. By 1496, Michelangelo found himself in Rome, where he received a commission, or the hiring and payment for the creation of a piece. The cardinal himself wanted the young Michelangelo to sculpt a huge statue of Bacchus, the ancient god of wine. Although it seems the cardinal wasn't fond of the finished product, this didn't stop Michelangelo. Just a short time later, he sculpted the Pieta, which still stands in Saint Peter's Basilica of Rome. Of this magnificent sculpture, a fellow Renaissance artist wrote, 'It is a miracle that a shapeless block of stone could have been carved away to make something so perfect that even nature could hardly have made it better, using real human flesh!' After the death of the radical monk Savonarola, Michelangelo returned to Florence. With Florence in political upheaval, Michelangelo was commissioned to turn a damaged piece of marble into the biblical hero David. This masterpiece of the human form shows the naked David poised like a Greek god with his eyes determined to protect his land. Many art historians believe this work, more than any other, portrays Michelangelo's devotion for the Republic of Florence and his desire to see it be set free. The Sistine Chapel With his star rising, Michelangelo was invited back to Rome by the Pope himself! Pope Julius II, being rather up there in age, wanted Michelangelo to design an over-the-top tomb for him. From this project came the famous Moses, which is still in Rome today. However, before his tomb could be completed, the Pope turned his attention to a new project. In around 1508, Michelangelo was commissioned to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Arguably, this would become Michelangelo's most famous work. Ironically, Michelangelo considered himself a sculptor, not a painter, making him none-too-thrilled to receive this job. In true, moody artistic style, Michelangelo finally agreed to the job but refused to adhere to the Pope's vision. Instead, he created his own. By the time this awe-inspiring work was complete, it depicted the story of the creation of Adam, the downfall of Adam and Eve and many other scenes, encompassing over 300 figures. The fact that this was all done in fresco, meaning a painting that is done rapidly in watercolor on wet plaster on a wall or ceiling so that the colors penetrate the plaster, makes this work even more impressive. Add to this that Michelangelo painted this high in the air while on his back, and the whole thing seems a bit supernatural. After the death of Pope Julius II in 1513, Pope Leo X of the infamous Medici family came to power. This Pope, also enthralled with the talent of Michelangelo, charged him to design tombs for the Medici family. For this, Michelangelo headed back to Florence. However, Michelangelo and the rest of Florence were no longer willing to accept the Medici as their rulers. Not ones to be messed with, the Medici took the city by force, inducing Michelangelo to leave his precious Florence forever! The Last Judgment In the 1530s, a new Pope, Pope Clement VII, called Michelangelo back to Rome to paint the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel. This would become the Last Judgment, a gruesome scene, which depicts some going to Heaven but many, many others going to Hell. Art historians believe this was Michelangelo thumbing his nose at the greed and immorality of the Church of his day. To the horror of many, Michelangelo chose to depict these figures in the nude. This angered so many that another artist was commissioned to paint drapes over the naked bodies. In his later years, Michelangelo expanded his talents to include designing the new dome of St. Peter's Basilica. Although it was not completed before his death, its beauty stands as a reminder of his talent. Personal Relationships Although Michelangelo was famous for his moods and his outbursts, he did have friendships that held his heart. Many believe he had an affinity for many of the male models whom he sculpted. However, the nature of these friendships has never been proven. Another relationship, which has been recorded by history, was his friendship with the noble widow Vittoria Colonna, a poet of the 16th century. Although many believe this was simply a friendship born out of a mutual faith and a love of poetry, the two of them wrote sonnet upon sonnet, which they penned to one another. Legend holds that Michelangelo once expressed of this relationship something to the effect of: 'My sole regret in life was that I did not kiss the widow's face in the same manner that I had her hand.' Although time may have added a bit of romance to something that was mere friendship, their many interactions prove they were dear friends. Elizabeth Comes to the Throne The Elizabethan Era of English history was a remarkable time now coined England's Golden Age. Queen Elizabeth I, from the illustrious Tudor dynasty, reigned for 45 years. During her reign, it was a time of relative political stability, exploration, and creativity in which art flourished. Coming to the throne in 1558 after the violent reign of her Catholic half-sister, Mary I - known infamously as Bloody Mary - Elizabeth worked to heal her land of the violent clashes between Catholics and Protestants. Though Elizabeth honored many of the Protestant reforms set up by her father, King Henry VIII, she also made significant concessions to the Catholics of her realm. In 1559, the Elizabethan Religious Settlement was enacted. In this legislation, Elizabeth was declared the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. This act also allowed for both Protestant and Catholic interpretations of church tradition. Due to her desire to unite her subjects under one throne, her reign is marked as a time of peace. During this peace, she encouraged self-sufficiency in England through the growth of agriculture and trade. This newfound wealth ushered in England's Golden Age. The Economy of the Golden Age At the time of Elizabeth's ascension, the feudal system, or the system of wealth based on land ownership, had greatly declined. Seeing these changes, Elizabeth very smartly encouraged the new, growing middle class to continue to engage in agriculture; however, it moved from peasants farming lands for wealthy nobles to independent citizens working for wage. England's wool trade also began to boom during Elizabeth's Golden Age. With the increase of wool, the face of farming changed, bringing about the process of land enclosure, in which the traditional open field system ended in favor of creating larger closed areas of land that required fewer workers. Although these new ranches of sorts were extremely profitable, the fact that they required less labor induced many workers to leave their villages for the employment found in towns. Thus, towns and cities burgeoned under Elizabeth's rule. The Arts Flourish These new towns and their new money were a perfect recipe for art to flourish. Just like in Italy, as money flowed, people looked for ways to spend it. While Italy turned to painters and sculptors, Elizabethan England turned to the theatre and, boy, did they love it! Elizabethan inn-yards were one of the first venues for English theatre. These inns, which provided lodging and entertainment, attracted traveling actors and troubadours, or poets who wrote verse to music. Soon crafty entrepreneurs realized there was money to be made by producing plays and then teaming with inn owners to charge for the performances.