Pietá by Michelangelo
In 1499, Michelangelo took on a different kind of medium than what he was used to working with. Everyone knows that Michelangelo painted the exquisite ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, but another beautiful piece is the Pietá. Michelangelo started working on the Pietá when he was 21 years old and finished when he was 24. It is the only sculpture he ever signed in his lifetime.
The Pietá was created for the tomb of Cardinal Jean de Billheres in St. Peters. The Pietá illustrates Mary holding the dead body of Christ. Unlike most sculptors who “[depict] the Virgin with the dead Christ in her arms as grief stricken,” Michelangelo produces a “sweetness [about Mary’s face]… and a majestic acceptance of this immense sorrow” (Chapel of Pieta). Mary has her left hand outstretched almost as if inviting people to share her sorrow, or as if she is still in shock as to how she had just lost her son.
Each fold in Mary’s clothes is not shallow, but is deeply carved and actually looks real. The details that Michelangelo shows in Christ’s body are so human to the point of actually seeing his muscles, veins, and rib cage. At the spot where Mary is holding Christ with her right hand underneath his right shoulder, you can see the skin being pushed up and the details in both of their hands. “It is said that Michelangelo had been criticized for having portrayed the Virgin Mary as too young,” but he said that “he did so deliberately… [signifying] the mother’s face [as] a symbol of eternal youth” (Chapel of Pieta).
The entire piece of artwork is 5.7 feet high and 6.4 feet wide at the base of the sculpture. It is created entirely out of one piece of Carrara marble, which is what makes this piece of artwork absolutely extraordinary. Michelangelo is highly praised for this piece and people continue to say it is one of the best sculptures ever created.
Columnist: C.J. Akin
Citation
Chapel of the Pieta. St Peters Basilica.org, n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2013. <http://saintpetersbasilica.org/Altars/Pieta/Pieta.htm>.
The Cave 