Demetrius Darmond II

The Masterpiece of Michelangelos La Pieta

Could you imagine losing the life of one of your closest loved ones and not crying, and could
you imagine making masterworks at the age of 16.The Pieta is a masterpiece because its a
superb piece of design such as how it expresses subtle emotions, The Pieta is the work of an
artist of genius this is shown when Michelangelo at the age of 16 makes two great pieces of art,
Michelangelo is deeply involved in the understanding of his fellow men and women The Pieta
portrays this by using by using the aftermath of Jesus Christs death.
Its a superb piece of design as in how it expresses subtle emotions. While observing The Pieta
I seen that Jesus was at rest and that he appeared to not be hurting at all. While in a weird way
mary appeared to be nonchalant. In my observation I noticed that neither mary nor Jesus had
strongly expressed their pain and suffering. While looking at the face of mary its seen that she
is looking down at her son not in sorrow but to admire him. But this is shown to be true by other
sources. one of them is Michelangelo.com This shown when Bonner says Instead of revealing
extreme greif, Mary is restrained, and her expression is one of resignation(Bonner, Par. 17).
This shows the subtle emotion of this piece of art by revealing in depth the feelings of mary.
The Pieta is a superb piece of design compared to other pietas and other works of art at the
time in which The Pieta was at the time. This can be shown when comparing Gregorio
Fernandeds Pieta to Michelangelos. During an observation of Gregorios Pieta I seen that Mary
was mourning badly. Also that Jesus was hurting badly. But also this sculptor showed very little
detail. In Gregorios Pieta compared to Michelangelos there were some big differences that
proved Michelangelos to be superb. One of these differences was that in Michelangelos he
show every flexing or moved piece of tissues or muscles.
Even the artist Giorgio Vasari stated in his most famous writing that the Pieta is the greatest
sculpture ever created. He does this in saying It would be impossible for any craftsman or
sculpture no matter how brilliant ever to surpass the grace or design of this work
(EarlyPar.17). Through saying this Vasari proved how much of a superb piece of art The
Pieta was. Also this shows how it couldnt be compared to.
The Pieta is the work of an artist of Genius, this is shown when Michelangelo at the age of 16
made 2 great pieces of art. Also this is shown when he was named the father and master of all
arts.This is displayed in his biography when it says ... Battle of the Centaurs and Madonna
seated on a step are testaments to his unique talent at the tender age of
16(MichelangeloPar.25). This explains how intelligent Michelangelo was at such a young age.
So as he furthered his life he would continue to further his education.
The Pieta is the work of an artist of genius this is displayed when Michelangelo was named the
father and master of all arts. This is stated in a document that said Michelangelo died on
February 18th, 1564 at his home in Macel de Carvi, Rome... where he was revered by the
public as the father and master of all the arts (MichelangeloPar. 25) This shows that so many
people seen him as a genius. So they chose to name him the father of all arts.

The Pieta is the work of Artist of genius this is displayed when he made his work The Pieta out
of stone and brought it to life. This is portrayed when a source states Michelangelo worked the
piece in the round using a drill for speed and achieving a highly polished sheen that made it
fairly impossible to the sumptuously sculpted figures began as a block of cold stone
(MichelangeloPar.4). This shows how extravagant he was at using his materials and how well
he understood how to use them.
It is again shown that the Pieta is the work of an artist of genius when he carves it to perfection.
this is shown when a document says Michelangelos mastery of composition is evident in the
unique triangular shape that conveys a stunning grandeur, and a profound knowledge of human
anatomy served him well in his creation(MichelangeloPar.4). This shows how knowledgeable
he was of the work he did. Also it shows how well he knew he was doing.
Michelangelo is deeply involved in the understanding of his fellow man/ woman throughout the
event of his understanding of the aftermath of the crucifixion of Jesus. Thi is shown when a
source says The lamentation of Christ was at home popular in Northern European art...BUt
Michelangelos interpretation of Mary holding a dead Christ in her arms is remarkable in its
devotion to the Renaissance Humanist ideas of physical perfection and beauty
(Michelangelos Par.3 ). This displays how well Michelangelo's knowledge was of The Pieta
and what it meant.
It is shown again how deeply involved in the understanding of his fellow man/ woman by
showing his understanding of the crucifixion of Jesus. This is shown when a source says When
we gaze upon this masterpiece its as though Marys outstretched left hand beckons us to share
with her, the profound grief caused by the death of her son. Such a subtle and effective
compositional device is even more remarkable when we remind ourselves that Michelangelo
was only 24 years old when he finished The Pieta (Michelangelos Par.3 ). This displays how
even throughout using subtle emotion, Michelangelo still show how many felt so much pain.
Michelangelo is deeply involved in the understanding of his fellow man/ woman by
demonstrating it in his education/ works. This is shown when a source states ...Michelangelo
began to study anatomy for permission to study copses the prior of the church of Santo
Spirito, Niccol Bichiellini, received a wooden Crucifix from Michelangelo(EarlyPar.8). This
shows how serious and knowledge Michelangelo was of the human body. So in his studies he
learned lots of aspects of the human body.
Michelangelo is deeply involved in the understanding of his fellow man/ woman by
demonstrating it in his education/ works. This is again shown when it is stated by him that
Already at the age of 16, my mind was a battle field: my love of pagan beauty, the male nude,
at war with my religious focus(EarlyPar.9). This showed how at an early age Michelangelo
had great understanding of the human body. Also he was so in touch with it the human body
that he challenged his religion.

Just as Michelangelo challenged his religion the Pieta challenges the art world in order for it to
be a genuine masterpiece. The Pieta is proven to be a masterpiece because it was created by a
genius who understood the structure of the human body. Also because it is a superb piece of art
and design that was made to daringly be different. Michelangelo himself had a very different
from from the normal life. His mother died when he was 6, he made the decision himself to do
studies with the arts at the age of 13, and went off to school. By the age of 16 he had made 2
magnificent pieces of art, and at age 25 he made one of, if not the greatest piece of art of all
times, in which was the Pieta. So as you see his whole life was different. So maybe, just maybe
different isnt always bad.

Work Cited
Fernndez, Gregorio. Piet. 1619. Polychrome wood. National Sculpture
Museum,Valladolid
Buonarroti, Michelangelo. The Pieta. 1499. Marble. St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City.
"Michelangelo's Pieta." Rome.info. Partnerships For Sustainable Development, 20032014. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.
"Michelangelo." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2014. Web. 23 Nov. 2014
"Michelangelo." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 21 Nov. 2014.
Bonner, Neil R. "Early Life." Michelangelo Buonarroti. Michelangelo.COM, Inc., 14 Dec. 2001.
Web. 24 Nov. 2014.