Michelangelo, Moses from the Tomb of Pope Julius II, 1512, San Pietro in Vincoli, Rome, Artwork in the Public Domain
The Italian Renaissance Master Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni was born on this day in 1475. He arguably is one of the greatest artists of all time. Before anything else, Michelangelo was a sculptor, his finest achievements in painting and architecture also having a … Continue reading
Piero di Cosimo,
The Discovery of Honey, c. 1499,
oil on panel, 31.2” x 50.6”,
Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, MA, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Don’t miss the retrospective exhibition of works by Piero di Cosimo, Florentine Renaissance master, at the National Gallery of Art. The last time there was an exhibition of Piero di Cosimo’s work in the United States was 1938. Piero di … Continue reading
Michelangelo, David, 1501-1504, Carrara marble, 17’, Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence, Photo by Rico Heil via Wikimedia Commons, GNU Free Documentation License.
This week, Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported that Michelangelo’s 17-foot tall, marble sculpture of the Old Testament figure David has weak ankles and is on the verge of collapsing. The National Research Council found cracks in the marble on the … Continue reading
Michelangelo, Jonah from the Sistine Chapel ceiling, 1508-12, fresco painting, The Vatican, Rome, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Prefiguration (Noun) The representation of an Old Testament figure as a type or foreshadowing of a New Testament figure. Michelangelo painted an image of Jonah just above the high altar on the Sistine Chapel ceiling because he prefigures Jesus in … Continue reading
Leonardo da Vinci, The Annunciation, c. 1472, oil on panel, 38.6
“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” Leonardo da Vinci
Michelangelo, Pietà, 1498-1499, marble, 68.5
Pietà (noun) A representation of a sorrowful Virgin Mary holding the dead body of Jesus, usually found in sculpture. The most famous example was sculpted by Michelangelo in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome for the French cardinal Jean de Billheres. The Pietà was an unusual … Continue reading
Michelangelo Buonarroti, The Holy Family with St. John the Baptist (the Doni Tondo), c. 1506, tempera on panel, 47 1/2
“Good painting is the kind that looks like sculpture.” Michelangelo Buonarroti
Michelangelo Buonarroti, The Creation of Adam, 1508-1512, detail of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, The Vatican, Rome, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
This is on the short list of the most famous images in the world. It is a fresco painting, which means that it actually is part of the ceiling itself in the Sistine Chapel. These are only two of more … Continue reading
Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa, c. 1503-1519, oil on poplar wood, 30” x 21, Musée du Louvre, Paris. Image via Wikimedia Commons.
This is arguably the most famous portrait in Western art; nevertheless, it remains shrouded in mystery, which may be the reason the image is so alluring. Of course, it also is appealing because it is a magnificent and beautiful object. … Continue reading