The Last Judgment
The Last Judgement - Michelangelo
Background:
The Last Judgement is among the most iconic pieces of Renaissance artworks and is a quintessential member of Michelangelo's long body of works. Originally commissioned by Pope Paul the Third in 1536 as a part of the Sistine Chapel's expansive fresco artworks, it was a marked shift from Michelangelo's previous style of work with a shift towards monochrome coloring with the figures much more intimidating and muscular with more brutality shown. This would incur controversy as it was seen as too brutal with excessive nudity. However, the brutality that is show in some aspects of the fresco make sense given that it was to depict the Second Coming of Christ and the Final Judgement of God, so it makes sense.
Elements:During the era of which it was created, humanism and religion were commonplace within the society of the time. The painting itself is caked in religious elements with various crosses spread throughout and a demonic ferryman representing Charon from old Greek myths taking doomed souls away after their judgement. The shift from his, Michelangelo, to the more muscular appearance of the figures reflects humanism's emphasis on man blending with the more divine elements present. Everything about the piece puts emphasis on the relation between mankind and the divine, as those who pass divine judgement are being taken upwards by the angels while those who failed are doomed and sent with Charon and his ferry. Similar features were present in other works of the same era, such as the Crucifixion and Last Judgement diptych by Jan van Eyck which also focused on the Second Coming and Judgement. As a side note, the Crucifixion and Last Judgement by Eyck is probably one of my favorite pieces of art from a purely visual aspect and is a key piece of Gothic artwork.
Personal Thoughts:I am personally quite interested in The Last Judgement, I have found doomsday type stories to be quite interesting and the Book of Revelation, The 2nd Coming, and so forth are the ultimate doomsday type story. The Crucifixion and Last Judgement by Eyck and The Last Judgement by Michelangelo are some of the more dark in tone of their era as most other religious art tends to be more bright, but those two decide to divert from the trend and go with a much more grim subject matter and the use of much darker shading helps convey that point in its entirety.
Sources:Michelangelo's Last Judgement.
10 Secrets of the Last Judgement
Michelangelo's Last Judgement - Post-Restoration
Hi Eric,
ReplyDeleteAfter reviewing the art piece you selected I find myself consumed with all of the different aspects of this artwork. As you mentioned in your background, there is an increasing amount of nudity and violence within the artwork which could be too graphic for some individuals. I think we learn about the past and the struggles which they encountered through vivid art pieces like this one. The piece you chose ties well to our renaissance theme and the story that this piece provides.
Great work.
This is a very impressive and slightly terrifying work of art. The technical skill involved is absolutely incredible. Just thinking about the amount of work involved in creating something like this is overwhelming. The number of anatomically proportionate figures alone is a true mark of mastery, and shows why Michelangelo has been remembered for centuries.
ReplyDeleteOh, interesting, you did "The Last Judgement" by Michelangelo and mine was by Bosch, a bit earlier around 1482. These pieces predicting the end of the world are rather dark, although this one seems a bit less brutal than Bosch's. Although, Bosch was kind of known for his imagination when it comes to hellish creatures.
ReplyDeleteI find this work to be pretty interesting, people really were obsessed with the end of man during those times.