Although he died over 450 years ago,Michelangeloremains one of the most famous artists of all time.
Whether working on mythological figures or a religious subject, he made unique creative choices that proved his genius.
Explore 8 famous sculptures by Renaissance artist Michelangelo.
The sculpture depicts David from the Biblical story of David and Goliath.
In Michelangelo’s version, David is cool, calm, and collected.
This was different from previous versions, which typically showed David after he slayed Goliath.
Photo:Michelangelovia Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
And it was Riario who commissioned this sculpture,Bacchus, from the young artist.
Ultimately, Riario rejected the sculpture for these reasons as he felt the sculpture was oversexualized.
Michelangelo also used a triangular composition.
Photo:Michelangelovia Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
While this causes the figures to be out of proportion, it ultimately creates visual harmony and balance.
The work is in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, where it sits behind plexiglass.
SlavesorPrisoners
(Left)Rebellious Slave.
Photo:Toby Jorgensenvia Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
(Photo:Jorg Bittner Unnavia Wikimedia Commons,CC BY-SA 3.0) / (Right)Dying Slave.
All of the figures are masterful in their depiction of anatomy and have dynamic poses.
Sculptures from the Medici Chapel
(Left)Dawn.
(Left)Rebellious Slave.(Photo:Jörg Bittner Unnavia Wikimedia Commons,CC BY-SA 3.0) / (Right)Dying Slave. (Photo:Jörg Bittner Unnavia Wikimedia Commons,CC BY-SA 3.0)
(Photo:eos1via Wikimedia Commons,CC BY 3.0) / (Right)Dusk.
The New Sacristy is located in Florence’s Basilica of San Lorenzo.
Sculptures that symbolizeDuskandDawnsit on Lorenzo’s tomb, while other sculptures that are metaphors forNightandDayadorn Giuliano’s tomb.
Photo:Livioandronico2013via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Michelangelo worked on all of the sculptures from around 1524 until about 1534.
He drew on ancient sculpture to create the posts for the oversized sculptures of men and women.
Rippling and muscular, they appear strikingly similar to some of thepainted figuresin the Sistine Chapel.
(Left)Dawn.(Photo:eos1via Wikimedia Commons,CC BY 3.0) / (Right)Dusk.(Photo:Michelangelovia Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Interestingly,DawnandNightare the only female nudes he ever made.
The sculptures have been extremely popular since their creation, withcopies and castsfound in different museums around the world.
Michelangelo was well into his 70s when he began the sculpture.
Photo:Marie-Lan Nguyenvia Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY 2.5)
Vasari wrote that he started the piece to keep his mind active in his later years.
It must have been a deeply personal piece.
In fact, it’s widely accepted that he included a self-portrait on the face of Nicodemus.
Photo:Paolo da Reggiovia Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
There are many theories behind why he would have damaged his own sculpture after eight years of work.
Nicodemists agreed with Protestants, except they wished to stay with the Catholic church instead of breaking away.
Luckily for us, the servant who received Michelangelo’s gift sold it to a man named Francesco Bandini.
The elongated figures stand in stark contrast to the robust, muscle-bound figures Michelangelo depicted in his youth.
In this version, Mary is standing behind her son and gently takes on the weight of his body.
A sketch Michelangelo created for the sculpture is now in the collection at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
From this sketch, we can see that he improvised greatly with the marble.
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