Michelangelo: Cinquecento’s Undisputed Genius

Cinquecento: The Rise of Rome

The Shift in Art Capitals

With the end of Florence’s dominance as the Italian Renaissance art capital in 1492, Rome emerged during the sixteenth century, giving rise to the Classical Renaissance. Popes Julius II and Leo X, significant patrons of the arts, used art to display their power and prestige. Julius II, a military leader and art enthusiast, notably championed archaeological excavations and the discovery of iconic works like the Laocoön, the Apollo Belvedere, and the Farnese Hercules. The study of these masterpieces allowed Cinquecento sculptors to surpass the achievements of the Quattrocento.

Michelangelo Buonarroti: A Multifaceted Genius

Michelangelo Buonarroti, the undisputed genius of Cinquecento sculpture, foreshadowed Mannerism in his later works. He excelled as an architect, planner, engineer, poet, and painter, but primarily considered himself a sculptor. His distinctive style is characterized by:

  • The stranglehold of art: Sculpting large blocks of stone without division, resulting in clean, uncorrected figures.
  • The colossal: Creating large-scale yet perfectly proportioned figures.
  • The terribilità: Imbuing his figures with powerful expressions of various emotions; figures with perfect features but terrible gestures.
  • Extraordinary anatomical studies: Exalting the physical strength of his figures, finding balance between physical and spiritual power.
  • Classic movement and closed compositions: Though he would later break with this feature in his Mannerist period.

Early Works and Florentine Influence

At the Medici court in Florence, Michelangelo studied ancient works collected by Donatello and Lorenzo the Magnificent. In this environment, he created the Virgin of the Stairs relief, inspired by Donatello’s schiacciato technique. After Lorenzo’s death, Michelangelo left Florence for Rome, where he sculpted a Bacchus, capturing the slenderness of young men and the roundness of female forms. He also created a Pietà for a banker’s tomb, which became a prototype for devout Christian imagery. This early work displays idealized beauty in the youthful Virgin, the gentle anatomy of Christ, and a pyramidal composition. The recumbent Christ is smaller than in reality.

Michelangelo’s Rise to Fame

David and the Tomb of Julius II

Michelangelo’s fame spread throughout Italy, leading his fellow Florentines to commission him to sculpt David from a gigantic block of Carrara marble. The sheer size of the stone had intimidated other artists. David, depicting the Hebrew shepherd boy with a sling, draws inspiration from classical sculpture and showcases Michelangelo’s anatomical knowledge. The enlarged head and right hand serve expressive purposes. This colossal figure, reminiscent of a Greek athlete, marks a transition towards the terribilità that would characterize his mature work.

Back in Rome, Michelangelo designed a grand tomb for Julius II. The planned three-story pyramidal structure was to feature a base decorated with niches flanked by slaves, a middle level with reliefs depicting papal events, and four large figures at the corners: Moses, St. Paul, Active Life, and Contemplative Life. Atop the structure, Julius II would be depicted in a gestatorial chair, supported by two angels. This iconographic program aimed to harmonize temporal fame with eternal salvation. However, Bramante’s envy hindered the project, resulting in six unfinished revisions. Of the planned 47 sculptures, only eight were completed: two Slaves (now in the Louvre), four Slaves (in the Accademia Gallery, Florence), Victory (Palazzo Vecchio, Florence), and Moses (the only one remaining in the tomb). Moses, portraying the leader of the Jewish people, embodies Michelangelo’s terribilità with his powerful gaze and monumental presence. The Moses and the Slaves exemplify two aspects of Michelangelo’s art: terribilità and non finito.

Later Works and Mannerist Influences

In his later years, Michelangelo revisited the Pietà theme, expressing compassion through a Mannerist lens. He broke with classical principles, creating elongated figures with dry anatomy, emphasizing the spiritual over the physical. He also moved away from the colossal scale. His later Pietàs include the Pietà for the Florence Cathedral (where he portrayed himself as Nicodemus), the Pietà of Palestrina, and the barely-begun Rondanini Pietà. Michelangelo died at the age of ninety.