Michelangelo as a person
Michelangelo, also known as the Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, was a famous sculptor, painter and architect of the 15th century. He was born in 1475 in rural Tuscany. He belongs to the Renaissance period precisely but can never be termed as belonging to a period, but he is an evergreen artist. The art that he presented to the world was based on physical realism and psychological insights. He is considered one of the ‘true’ characters of his era. He contributed to the revival of classical Greek and Roman art. Most of his artwork was based on a great intensity of psychology and led to different conspiracies. His works have turned into masterpieces that are praised even today. Renowned patrons also supported the commendable art.
Michelangelo and his artworks
Michelangelo was trained under one of the renowned painters- Domenico Ghirlando. His artworks include the famous 17- foot tall, male nude of all time, which was designed to grace cities around the world. Other famous sculptures include the Victory, the Medici Madonna and the Bruges Madonna have stood out as the pioneers of Mannerist art. The dome of St. Peter’s influenced many buildings including churches like St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, Sant Andrea Della Valle in Rome and all the civic domes of many public buildings across the United States. The artists who got influenced by his works were, namely, Raphael, Sant Agostina and Pontormo. The massive paintings of the famous Sistine Chapel depicted the narration of the bible and the Pieta, increased a lot of tourism.
Michelangelo and the poet inside him
Despite being a sculptor, Michelangelo was a gifted poet in himself. His poetry explored the strong connection between visual arts and poetry as a form of self-expression. According to his personality, the subjects of his poems mainly consist of love, death, beauty, evil and good. The poetry has been well archived into letters and sonnets. These are compiled and translated into many languages. His work is also highly appreciated in the poem- The lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Elliot.
Michelangelo’s impact on film and television
The work of Michelangelo has had a huge impact on films and television life, such, as in 1965, a film called ‘The Agony and the Ecstasy’ was made which was based on the painting of the Sistine Chapel. Actor Charlton Heston portrays Michelangelo. Another film is known as ‘The Titan: Story of Michelangelo’ was based on the works of the artist in the context of the historical background of his time. A documentary film by BBC was also produced, which discussed his artistic development, religions, life and inner torments.
Michelangelo had a great impact on television. There was a show made, called, ‘The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. The characters originated in comic books which were published by Mirage Studios. Later on, those were expanded into cartoon series, films, video games and toys. All four fictional teenage anthropomorphic turtles were all named after Italian Renaissance artists, one of them being Michelangelo. ‘Michelangelo Revealed’ was broadcast by PBS, which discusses the darker side of the artist. One of the mysterious series, that is, ‘20/20 Secrets of the Sistine Chapel: Michelangelo’s mystery’ showed the investigation of how the artists had put coloured messages on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
Michelangelo’s impact on science and space
As today’s world runs on science, The ‘Michelangelo Hand’ is one of the sophisticated tools designed as a myoelectric prosthetic named after the artist. The prosthetic hand makes the use of electrodes to gather signals in the muscles and then the signals give the instructions to the processor which accordingly does the hand movement. Michelangelo’s impact was not only confined to science but also has a great impact on space, such as, the asteroid, named as 3001 Michelangelo, is a small main-belt asteroid discovered in 1982 and was named after the great artist. A crater was placed on the planet Mercury, which was situated in the Michelangelo quadrangle of the planet Mercury, named after the great artist himself.
Michelangelo was one of the most renowned artists to make skilled sculptures, even when it comes to using a chisel. He is a masterful painter and architect. Every project that he has worked on comes out to be monumental with all kinds of emotions like passion, anger and spirituality. He has done a lot for society as a responsible citizen, for example, he supported the humanist movement of the Renaissance period, through his amazing art and sculptures. He has been a great example and an ideal for all the people associated with art. Humanity is the best religion to follow and his contribution has been a life-like realism to portray the human form. Sculptor Bertoldo di Giovanni began working with Michelangelo and guided him well so that he can create the sculptures well showcased the message of humanity.
References:
- https://www.joelatimer.com/michelangelo-how-the-15th-century-artist-is-still-relevant-today/
- https://www.theartstory.org/artist/michelangelo/
- https://artradarjournal.com/2022/02/27/how-michelangelo-impacts-the-world-today/
