The Genius of Michelangelo

There is much to be found on net about this Giant of Renaissance. I just wanted to say what i think about him. I met his works totally by accident. While on Europe trip,we visited Vatican. There we were totally swept off our feet by a statue Pieta depicting Mary tending for Jesus, who is dead, keeping his head in her lap. We just couldnt move from that marvel. We could actually see the veins and muscles of Jesus and the translucent garb of Mary, along with her face is something beyond description. It is there that my nephew told me that Michelangelo has painted the sistine chapel in Vatican, which should be visited. But it was not on the itinerary of the tour operator. My nephew too left from Rome, a day before the tour ended. So we just had a morning..as we need to catch up a flight at two in the noon.
So, just myself and my sister in law engaged a taxi and went around. It is almost one hour of drive from our hotel to the Vatican. So, when we reached around nine, we had just an hour to go about Sistine chapel. So we just rushed in blindly, to enter Sistine chapel, without even glancing at the works of Rafael or other artists en route.
When we entered the bare room with just a little ledge all along the four walls..We lifted our heads and saw a marvel. There were people there in different moods and postures..staring at us, ready to get down from their perches anytime..It was amazing..and we both just sat on the floor to watch the splendour...I never read anything about it, so it was the first time for me to regret that i havent done my home work before hand. Not only cameras but even conversations were banned in that pristine chapel. So, we just sat there and gaped for half an hour or so..and got up slowly and reluctantly to go back to the Hotel. That is when i realized that I am hooked for life.
So, when i returned, i turned to bookshops where i bought anything remotely connected to Michelangelo and his works. the sistine chapel was kind of punishment imposed by Brahms, the sculptor / Architect in the court of the Pope. He convinced Pope to give the contract to decorate the sistine chapel to Michelangelo because he hated the chapel, which was a huge bare shed. Brahms thought that it will keep Michelangelo engaged for atleast two decades of his prime life, there by effectively ending his career. But Brahms never did know the Zeal of Michelangelo, who reluctantly accepted the commission from Pope. He even got some assistants to do the Fresco work , by mixing colors.
Michelangelo, a man of immense penchant for work and total dedication, found the men to be so much short coming, that he send them out with in two months. Then, he set upon finishing the work all by himself. As if that was not enough, Pope used to visit the chapel frequently to pursuade him to accept assistants and finish the work instead of languishing in despair and always used to nag Michelangelo, which didnt add up to the positive things. Inspite of all this chaos, Michelangelo finished the Sistine chapel frescoes in Four years ! Unbelievable and insurmountable task by any standards. The work was taken up in 1504 and completed by 1508 which speaks the dedication and the tour de force called Michelangelo.
We are fortunate to visit the sistine chapel after renovation, so could see the true colors of the frescoes..as Michelangelo meant them to be...
The picture i posted shows the famous David sculpture of Michelangelo, which is in florence. It is a free standing statue of around thirteen feet. Florence was always the leader in culture, arts or original thinking. So, when the City committee wanted to have a monument depicting the indomitable nature of Florence, they called up artists from all over Italy. Then, Michelangelo was busy with some other work, so couldnt even visit florence. So another obscure artist took up the contract and started to work on the massive marble stone provided by the City council. After gouging the stone in the middle, he just left the work and absconded. So, when Michelangelo took up the work, he was handed over this damaged marble stone to work on. Now, if you watch closely, you can see that the David is depicted with his waist turned a little slew..which is hallmark of the genius of Michelangelo. He wanted to accommodate his imagination in the damaged , gouged marble..so he made david turn a litte, to make his waist fit into the narrowed down marble at that point ! I was aghast to read this anecdote...and elated too. Genius always surmounts difficulties...and so did Michelangelo..and How !
We have not visited that on our europe trip ! To think that i passed by without entering florence, which is Michelangelo's birth place is unthinkable today. But am sure to visit florence again, to relish the great works of Michelangelo.
When asked as to how He imagines sculptures in stones, He simply said that there are people trapped inside those stones, to be released by his chisel ! Amazing to say the least...
The book Agony and Ecstacy of Irving stone aptly came to my aid in understanding this Genius...so did the film by the same name, with Charlton Heston playing Michelangelo and Rex Harrison playing the Pope..
I quote from Edmund Burke " There is a boundary to men's passions when they act from feelings; but none when they are under the influence of imagination."
And Did Michelangelo Imagine !
We are a standing testimony to this Genius, whose works dating back to five hundred years still keep us spellbound...