Michelangelo: 9 works to know the genius of the Renaissance

Michelangelo was one of the greatest geniuses of the Italian Renaissance and his name is synonymous with one of the greatest and most important artists of all time. Here we will present the 9 most emblematic works of the artist that everyone should know:

1. Madonna of the ladder

The Madonna or Virgin of the ladder It is a marble bas-relief sculpted between 1490 and 1492. The work was completed before Michelangelo was 17 years old, when he was still studying in the Medici gardens in Florence with Bertolo di Giovanni.

This bas-relief represents the Virgin sitting on some stairs, holding and covering her son, who lies asleep, with a cloak.

Stairs complete the rest of the background and, in the background, two children can be seen playing, while a third child reclines on the handrail.

A fourth child stands behind the Virgin and seems to be helping the reclining child to stretch out a handkerchief (clear allusion to the shroud of Christ) that they both hold.

In this work the heritage of classical antiquity stands out. For this reason, the concept of ataraxia, typical of Epicurean philosophy, is well known, which consists of the absence of restlessness of spirit.

The difference between this concept and apathy is that in ataraxia there is no denial or elimination of the feeling, but rather promotes happiness by trying to find the strength to overcome pain and difficulties.

Thus, the Virgin is impassive in contemplating the future sacrifice of her son, not because this does not make her suffer, but because she finds a way to overcome that pain stoically.

For the realization of this bas-relief, Michelangelo made use of the technique of Donatello (Italian Renaissance sculptor, 1386-1466), called sticiatto (flattened).

2. Centauromachy

Made after the Madonna of the ladder, Centauromachy (Battle of the Centaurs) is a marble relief executed around 1492, when Michelangelo still haunted the Medici gardens.

In it the episode between the centaurs and the tombstones is represented, when, in the middle of the wedding of the princess Hipodamia and Pirítou, king of the tombstones, one of the centaurs tried to kidnap the princess, which resulted in a battle.

The bodies are twisted and tangled, making it difficult to tell who is who. Linked to one another, some defeated on the ground, all convey despair in the midst of battle.

With this work, the young Michelangelo already assumes his obsession with nudes, since for him human beauty was an expression of the divine. Thus, to contemplate a work that represents that beauty through nudity is to contemplate the greatness of God.

This relief is intentionally unfinished, something characteristic of the work of Michelangelo, who very early assumed the concept of the incomplete as an aesthetic category, the non finite.

Only some parts of the body (mainly the trunks of the figures) are worked and polished, while the heads and feet are incomplete.

3. The piety

Due to the impact of the death of Lorenzo de Medici in 1492, Michelangelo left Florence, headed for Venice and later on to Bologna. He returned to Florence in 1495 but immediately left for Rome.

It was in Rome that the French cardinal Jean Bilhères de Lagraulas entrusted the artist with a Pieta in marble for the Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican in 1497.

The Piety by Michelangelo is a marble sculpture executed between the years 1498 and 1499, and is one of the greatest approximations to complete perfection in the field of art.

In this work, Miguel Ángel breaks with the conventional and decides to represent the Virgin who is younger than her son. Incredibly beautiful, she holds Christ lying dead in his lap.

Both figures convey serenity, and the Virgin, resigned, contemplates the lifeless body of her son. The body of Christ is anatomically perfect and the details are worked to perfection.

In opposition to the concept of non finite, this sculpture is what finite by excellence. The entire work is exceptionally polished and finished, and with it Michelangelo may have reached true perfection.

The artist was so proud of this sculpture that he carved his signature on the ribbon that divides the breast of the Virgin with the words "Michael Angelus Bonarotus Florentinus faciebat", which means, "Michelangelo Buonarroti, the Florentine, what made".

4. David

In 1501 Michelangelo returns to Florence and begins the David, a marble sculpture with more than four meters made between the years 1502 and 1504.

The moment of the scene chosen by Michelangelo is just before the confrontation between David and Goliath. In this way, Michelangelo does not represent a victorious David, but a young man full of anger and will to face his oppressor.

The David It is a fascinating example of the force that drives the work of this artist, be it in the choice of the total nude, or in the inner confusion that the figure transmits.

See also more about:

• David sculpture by Michelangelo.
• 15 characteristics of the Renaissance.

5. Tondo doni

Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci were the two greatest and most representative names of the Italian Renaissance. Until today, his works inspire and cause admiration, but these artists, who were contemporaries, never agreed in life and clashed on more than one occasion.

One of the main reasons for their disagreements was Michelangelo's declared disdain for painting, especially oil painting, an art that he considered to be typical of women.

For this artist, the true art was sculpture, because only through physical force could excellence be obtained.

The sculpture, for Michelangelo, was masculine, it did not allow errors or revisions. Thus, he was opposed to oil painting, Leonardo's preferred technique, which allowed the work to be done in layers, allowing constant corrections.

For Michelangelo, the painting technique that could most approximate the superiority of sculpture would be the fresco that, due to its characteristics, requires speed and precision and does not allow errors or corrections, nor can it be repainted.

Thus, it is not surprising that in one of the few mobile pictorial works attributed to the artist, the Tondo Doni, Michelangelo has used a mixture of tempera and oil on wood in tondo (in a circle).

This work was carried out between 1503 and 1504. In it the Sagrada Familia is represented in a very unconventional way.

On the one hand, the left hand of the Virgin seems to be directed to the sex of her son. On the other hand, around the family in the foreground, several nude figures appear.

These figures, the ignudi, who are teenagers here, will once again be represented with a more adult aspect in another work by Michelangelo: the Sistine Chapel.

6. Frescoes from the Sistine Chapel

In 1508, Michelangelo began one of his most important works at the request of Pope Julius II, who had called him to Rome a few years earlier to project his burial mound.

Known for his contempt for painting, Miguel Ángel accepted the work under protest, which is why during the process he wrote several letters in which he expressed his discontent.

Hence, the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel are an impressive feat that still dazzles the world today.

Ceiling

From 1508 to 1512, Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the chapel. That was an intensive work in which a total mastery of the technique of fresco and drawing is demonstrated.

The fresco technique is applied on a wet base, which means that the process must be quick and without corrections.

Thus, it is impressive to imagine that for four years the artist painted colossal and colorful figures lying down, in a space of 40 x 14 meters, relying hardly on his drawings.

The paint runs affected his vision, and he also suffered the consequences of isolation and the discomfort of the position in which he worked. But these sacrifices resulted in one of the greatest works of painting.

The ceiling is divided into nine panels that summarize the book of Genesis, while evoking the Old Testament prophets and the Sibyls of Greco-Roman antiquity.

The final judgement

Everything is aimed at showing a connection between the so-called "History of Creation" and the "History of Salvation ", represented by Christ, who does not appear on the ceiling but does appear on the altar, in the famous scene known as the Final judgment, painted 20 years after the ceiling (1535-1541).

It is a pictorial composition with more than 400 bodies originally painted naked, including the Virgin and Jesus Christ, but which later had to be covered.

See also analysis of the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel.

7. Tomb of Pope Julius II

In 1505 Pope Julius II summoned Michelangelo and entrusted his tomb to him in Rome. At first he wanted to make a large mausoleum, which pleased the artist.

But beyond the greatness of the work, the pope, with a fickle personality, decided that he wanted to be buried in the Sistine Chapel.

For that, the Chapel needed several transformations. Therefore, Michelangelo had to paint the frescoes on the ceiling and the altar first.

The project would undergo other modifications and concessions. First, after the death of the pope in 1513, the project reduced its dimensions, and, second, the vision of Michelangelo would come to collide with the expectations of the pope's heirs.

In 1516, a third contract was drawn up, and the project would undergo two more changes in 1526 and 1532. The final resolution determined that the tomb would consist only of a facade and that it would be located in the church of San Pietro in Vincoli, in Rome.

Moses

Despite all the setbacks, and despite the fact that little of the dream came to pass, Michelangelo worked intensively on the mausoleum project for three years.

Thus, from 1513 to 1515, Michelangelo sculpted some of the most emblematic works of his career, and one of them, the MosesToday it demands the visit of every traveler.

The Moses It is one of the sculptures comparable to the Pieta of the Vatican in technical perfection. This sculpture and the series of the Prisoners or Slaves they were intended to decorate the parietal tomb.

In this sculpture, the character and the terrible look of the character stand out (Terribilità). Just like the David, expresses an intense inner life, a force that transcends the stone from which the figure was extracted.

Imposing, while stroking his long and detailed beard, Moses seems to guarantee with his look and expression that those who break the law will be punished, for nothing escapes divine wrath.

See also analysis of Michelangelo's Moses.

Prisoners or Slaves

A series of sculptures known as Prisoners or Slaves, they came out of that intense time of work.

Two of these works are finished, the Slave dying and the Rebel slave. Both are currently in the Louvre Museum in Paris. They were intended to be placed on the pilasters on the lower floor.

The sensuality of the Slave dying, whose stance expresses acceptance, not resistance to death. Facing this, the Rebel slaveWith an unpolished face, a contorted body and an unstable position, he seems to refuse to subjugate himself and seems to struggle to get out of prison.

Four other works resulted from that period and glorified the concept of the non finite. The expressive force is impressive, as you can see how the artist freed the figures from the massive stone blocks.

By leaving the works unfinished, they function as allegories for one of the themes that accompanied and tormented the entire life and work of Michelangelo: the body as prison of the soul.

8. Tombs of Lorenzo and Giuliano de 'Medici

In 1520, Michelangelo was hired by Leo X and his cousin Giulio de Medici, future Pope Clement VII, to build a funerary chapel in San Lorenzo, in Florence, where the tombs of Lorenzo and Giuliano de Medici.

At first, the projects excited the artist so much that he fervently guaranteed to be able to carry them out at the same time. But several problems arose and the dream project was lost along the way.

The concept devised by Michelangelo had as its principle the integration of architecture, sculpture and painting. But the paintings were never made.

When he was working on the tombs, a revolution broke out in Florence against the Medici themselves and, faced with this scenario, Michelangelo stopped the work and stood for the rebels.

When the revolt was controlled, the pope forgave him on the condition that he resume the work, and Michelangelo continued the work.

When Michelangelo left Florence permanently in 1524 for Rome, he left the work incomplete and the sculptures that he had made were later placed in their proper places by other people.

What has reached us until today are two twin parietal tombs, placed face to face. On one side, the tomb of Lorenzo, represented in a passive, contemplative position, thinking, almost as if the real Lorenzo de 'Medici were alive.

On the other side, Giuliano, who in his time was a glorious soldier. He is actively depicted, in armor and endowed with movement. The left leg evokes the will to lift the colossal and powerful figure.

At the feet of both are two allegories, the Night and the Day (tomb of Lorenzo de Medici), the Twilight and the dawn (Tomb of Giuliano de Medici).

The Day and the dawn are male figures and the Night and the Twilight they are female figures. The faces of the male allegories are unfinished, unpolished.

9. The last Pietàs

Miguel Ángel reached the last years of his life endowed with physical strength and the need to work, but he carried many regrets and torments.

He came to the conclusion that during part of his life he had walked a wrong ideal, the ideal of beauty and perfection in art and the idea that through that art he would reach God.

Thus, in his last years he is oriented to his other passion, the divine, and perhaps that is why his last works have the same theme and were left unfinished.

The Pietà and the Pietà Rondanini are two unfinished marbles, very expressive and disturbing, especially the Rondanini.

As an allegory of all the suffering and turbulent spirit that Michelangelo carried all his life, especially in in recent years, he sculpted his own features on the face of the Virgin carrying the dead son in the Pietà Rondanini.

The artist thus abandoned the ideal of human beauty that marked him throughout his life, and made clear his conviction that only in total surrender to God can happiness and peace be found.

Michelangelo died in 1564 at the age of 89, in full use of his physical and mental capacities.

The pope wanted to bury him in Saint Peter's, in Rome, but before his death Michelangelo expressed his wish to be buried in Florence, from where he had left in 1524.

It may interest you: The 25 most representative paintings of the Renaissance

(Text translated by Andrea Imaginario).