what are some of the key characteristics and themes of michelangelo's work?

Question

how did michelangelo feel about sculpting in particular and himself as a sculptor versus a painter?

Answer 1

eMichelangelo's philosophy of art was Neoplatonic, and represented a departure from other theories of the time. Michelangelo believed that the artist's function was to bring preexistent forms out of the material at hand: "the greatest artist has no conception which a single block of marble does not potentially contain within its mass, but only a hand which obeys the intelleto can accomplish that" (Clements 16). Art forms, or the concetto, exist independently of the artist, and are implanted in matter by nature. The artist's function was to draw these forms out of the material.

Neoplatonism, as a school of thought, had its origins in the work of Plotinus in the third century. Plotinus argued that there were three hypostases: the One, the Intelligible, and the World Soul. The One was the highest, most perfect realm. The One was completely undifferentiated and, therefore, nothing could be said about it. It was, then, even beyond being; the One transcended all categories which could be applied to it. The other two hypopstases "emanated" from the One. They were not created, but rather, came into being as a result of a corrupt desire to be other than the One. The Intelligible was the Divine mind for Plotinus, and took its form by reflecting back on the One. The realm of the Intelligible was populated by divine ideas, which were the perfect exemplars of sensible objects. The physical world came into being as a result of the emanation of Soul from the Intelligible. Some souls become corrupted and associate with matter. Matter was a complete negation, neither good nor evil in itself, but utterly formless. Soul informs matter, and makes it what it is. Matter, while not evil in itself, is, however, the source of evil. Being bound up with matter corrupts the soul; some souls forget their divine origins and become too concerned with sensible things. . All souls, however, eventually seek to return to the One. Plotinus argued that the soul can become reunited with the One through contemplation. The life of the philosopher, for Plotinus, was the best attempt to free oneself from the bonds of matter and achieve a vision of the One.

Michelangelo was famous for his ability to harmonize the design of a statue with the proportions of the block of marble.

Michelangelo differed in this respect from many Renaissance theorists, who argued that art should reproduce nature. He was often criticized for not faithfully representing his subjects.According to Vasari, his figures "were often nine, ten, and twelve heads long; he departed not a little from the work regulated by measure, order and rule which other men did according to a common use and after Vitruvius .. . to which he would not conform" (Blunt 75). Michelangelo also violated the rules of perspective, often making objects in the background appear larger than they should be.
Michelangelo did not, then, stress the literal imitation of nature. Michelangelo disliked this trend in art, since this was an area where "one cannot make fixed rules, making figures as regular as signposts" (Blunt 75).
For Michelangelo, the function of art was to represent ideal beauty. As such, Michelangelo portrayed figures which are not engaged in any particular activity -- the stance of the David is twisted, and the manner in which he holds his slingshot would make any action impossible. The Virgin is portrayed as a young woman because her beauty is timeless. The David and the Virgin are ideal types, not particular individuals.

Michelangelo's art consistently focused on human subjects. Da Vinci's portraits, such as the Mona Lisa, often included elaborate landscapes. Michelangelo rarely included such details in his paintings or his sculpture. This preoccupation with the human figure can also be attributed to Neoplatonic theories. Michelangelo saw the body as a reflection of the beauty of the soul. David's inner strength, for example, was reflected in a strong and beautiful body. Most of Michelangelo's figures were nude.The body was not only a reflection of the Divine, but it was a reflection of the human's inner self. The intense spirituality of Michelangelo's Moses was portrayed in a body of huge proportions and massive strength. Michelangelo's ability to depict this tremendous radiation of inner strength became known as his terribilita. Moses is portrayed "as the personification of the elemental forces -- the human volcano about to erupt with righteous wrath ... the dead center of a hurricane of emotional fury" (Fleming 190). This is revealed by the "the powerful musculature of the arms, the fiery mood, and the torsions of the body" (Fleming 191).


The awe inspiring quality of Michelangelo's figures was also due to his belief that the soul was continually in conflict with the body. The union of the soul and the body corrupted the soul by diverting its attention to sensual experience, rather than the higher realms.Michelangelo portrayed the struggle of the soul to return to the infinite in stone. The San Matteo, an unfinished work, seems to be struggling to free himself from the surrounding stone. Michelangelo's figures also express"action barely restrained" (Clements 175). This tension was accomplished by the use of the contraposito. Michelangelo encouraged his students to "always make a figure pyramidal ... and serpentine formed" (Clements 175). The use of contraposito dictates that "whatever action a figure is engaged in, its trunk [will] always appear twisted, so that if the right arm is extended forward or makes any other gesture designed by the artist, the left side of the body shall withdraw" (Clements 177). For this reason, "one sees in [Michelangelo's] paintings the most difficult movements...for this reason tending toward a certain savagery and terribility" (Clements 179).


Mihelangelo thought of himself primarily as a sculptor rather than a painter and attempted to turn down the Sistine Chapel commission. Here's how he felt about the work in his own words. "After four tortured years, more than 400 over life-sized figures, I felt as old and as weary as Jeremiah. I was only 37, yet friends did not recognize the old man I had become."

He also wrote this which would indicate his true feelings.
This comes from dangling from the ceiling–
I'm goitered like a Lombard cat
(or wherever else their throats grow fat)–
it's my belly that's beyond concealing,
it hands beneath my chin like peeling.
My beard points skyward, I seem a bat
upon its back, I've breasts and splat!
On my face the paint's congealing.

Loins concertina'd in my gut,
I drop an **** as counterweight
and move without the help of eyes.

Like a skinned martyr I abut
on air, and, wrinkled, show my fat.
Bow-like, I strain toward the skies.

No wonder then I size
things crookedly; I'm on all fours.
Bent blowpipes send their darts off-course.

Defend my labor's cause,
good Giovanni, from all strictures:
I live in hell and paint its pictures.

Michelangelo Buonarroti

Michelangelo thought that sculpure made things real whereas painting was simply an illusion.

Answer 2

He was a sculptor and painted reluctantly. He was a true Renaissance Man though and was also an architect and a poet. He painted the Sistine Ceiling and then the Last Judgement and as a sculptor he conceptualized in 3 dimensions which gave more realism and strength to his paintings. He was devoted to God and worked to glorify Him with his work much as the composers Handel and Bach were to do.