A Comparison of Two Great Artworks

Nathan Juno Art 162 Final Exam Dr. Serros 12-15- 11 (10:00 AM)

Michelangelo, Pieta, 1498-1500 Marble Cellini, Perseus and Medusa, 1545-54, Bronze and Marble Michelangelos Pieta, is one of the most gorgeous and realistic marble sculpture that Michelangelo created during his lifetime. This masterpiece showed exactly what he was capable of and paved the way for this up and coming artist. His At first glance its hard to take in all the technical details that Michelangelo put into this piece, as well as all the small details and flowing natural of the fabric and flesh. Its also hard to comprehend that this sculpture is made out of marble when the look of the fabric looks incredibly realistic. Each fold of fabric plays accordingly with the anatomic structure of the woman known as Mary.. In this artwork, Mary is in a sitting position looking downwards at the recently killed Jesus Christ lying in her arms. She has her right arm wrapped around him and the other brought outwards towards him. She looks saddened as she takes in the tragedy of the death of her son. Michelangelo does a tremendous job at creating the expression of Mary to be subtle, soft, loving, and caring. The details are amazing when viewed up close, for the face is smooth and flawless. The lips and nose of Mary look as if you can reach out and touch real flesh. The same can be said for Christs facial complexion as the beard and hair are subtly carved. Each lock of hair is finely sculpted and flows precisely as it would in actuality. Michelangelo sets the bar high with the Pieta because of its immense detail and stunning looks. He pays close attention to the way fabric flows and rests to such an extreme that if one were to look closely at the Pieta, the fabric could be mistaken for actual cloth. Such as the fabric was so gorgeously sculptured, the flesh and anatomic structures of Mary and Jesus were also well done. As Marys right hand wraps around her son and presses against his skin, there are

noticeable indentations where he hand rests as in a real life situation. Jesus can be seen with the punctured holes in his feet and hands where the nails struck him but are not heavily noticeable. In this sculpture, Michelangelo pays very close attention to the way the arms, the legs, the head, and all the anatomical structures are meant to flow; Its hard for one to distinguish a mistake among the his Pieta. He does such an outstanding job of sculpting the legs and arms, making sure they look precise and accurate. The facial expression of Jesus shows him in a relaxed, dreamlike state as Marys looks soft and saddened. He was proud of this masterpiece, as shown when looking upon Marys fabric, the name Michelangelo appears on it. This was an after effect and was presented into the artwork because the artist wasnt as well known at the time and wanted to show everyone that this was accomplished by him, this masterpiece was his creation. Cellinis Perseus and Medusa, is a breathtaking sculpture that really shows the capability of Cellinis artistic nature. Perseus can be seen standing upright with the head of Medusa raised above his head and a sword in the other hand which is dropped down below his waist and pointed outward. There is also the body of Medusa lying lifeless beneath Perseus feet. He looks downwards toward the body away from the head; the look on his face shows an expression of both humbled accomplishment and pity for the death of Medusa. Cellini does a fantastic job at creating lifelike hair, flesh, and look of perfection out of his bronze and marble masterpiece. The body of Medusa extends past the perch that Perseus stands upon and gives the look of space and helps the artwork look balanced. The hair of Perseus is perfectly curled around his head as small wings protrude behind him. The head of Medusa looks raw and lifeless as seen on the mouth as the bottom lip drops only a little and hangs giving it an intensely lifelike feel. Cellini also gives the artwork a grotesque side to it as he leaves the innards of Medusa to fall out

from the removed head. He reveals it quite plainly and doesnt try to hide the horrid nature of the split head. As Perseus raises his arm high above his head to show the head, veins can be seen popping out of his arm as it would in a real life situation. Cellini must have studied the nature of veins when an arm is raised for a period of time, and the blood begins to drain and show the lines of the veins very distinctly pressing against the skin. The muscles of Piraeus right leg are also extremely well sculpted. The weight of the body pivots onto the right leg and shows the strain of the leg as it supports the body. The knee cap and muscles bulge out and reveal themselves as they would when one leans on it. The knee of the left leg extends out just a tad, the foot is placed back behind the other body and the torso pivots to the left giving the artwork an atomically correct posture. The anatomical structure of Perseus is outstanding and must have been an amazing sight to see back in 1554. When comparing these two masterpieces, both have great strengths and detail but are entirely different emotionally, as well as structurally. In Michelangelos Pieta, Mary is in a sitting position with the dead Christ lying across her lap and has a deep emotional impact when viewed upon. In Cellinis Perseus and Medusa, the mood is violent and victorious as Perseus stands upright with his sword and showing the slain Medusa with her head high above so all may see. When viewed up close, the facial expressions and positioning of the heads of Perseus and Mary are almost identical; Perseus looks down towards the ground eyeing his victorious feat against Medusa and Mary looks down towards her slain son as both have an almost look of sadness within them.

In terms of which artwork is greater, the edge goes to Michelangelo. The Pieta was showcased to the masses in 1500. It was instantly loved by the people of Rome and became Michelangelos best carved sculpture. The emotion shows more than just a simple artwork; people look upon the Pieta and see a powerful story and an important history for the Christian religion. The details on the Pieta surpassed any sculpture created at that time and showed Michelangelos true potential as an artist. Cellinis Perseus and Medusa, showcased to the masses in 1554 a half century after Michelangelos Pieta. Perseus has an Egyptian style feel to him as the right arm is placed downward and his body is placed in a vertical fashion. Cellini counters this feel by twisting the body ever so slightly and pushes a knee forward to create a more lifelike feel. This way the sculpture isnt boring or generic. The body of Medusa is severely twisted and contorted around Perseus and rarely been seen by in a bronze sculpture. The grotesque nature of Medusas head and graphic innards being shown was also a unique plus and has been rarely seen especially in a public showing for a statue. With all these amazing details from both artists, the more original and interesting artwork is Michelangelos Pieta for the sheer fact that what he sculpted was a breath of fresh air. His artwork was something new, interesting, and complex. Word Count: 1286