Pietá
A pietá is a piece of artwork depicting the Virgin Mary holding the dead body of Jesus Christ. Micheangelo's take on the pietá design shows a very young looking Mary, cradling Jesus similar to how one might hold a baby. There are several different ways to interpret Michelangelo's means of making Mary young and somewhat calm-looking in his Pietá. One of which being Michelangelo wanted to show how the purity of Mary kept her young. Another is that Mary is seeing Jesus as a child, and us, the audience, are seeing a foreshadowing of what is to come at the end of Jesus's life. Despite what interpretation Michelangelo originally intended, the Pietá that he brought to life shows the gruesomeness of the day that Jesus died so strongly and realistically that I think that's the reason it is still talked about today.
Michelangelo
Michelangelo was born on March 6, 1475 to a family in the banking business. He began studying sculptor after his apprenticeship to a painter. He spent most of his life in Rome and made such works as the David and the Pietà (pictured above). He also painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
|
Why I Chose this Artwork
I chose the Pietá because I remembered seeing this sculpture before, and I always thought it was very beautiful. From a Christian's point-of-view, I think it really captures what Mary was feeling after seeing her son humiliated and put to death in front of a crowd of people that hated him.
Modern Art Comparison
Name: "Pieta"
Artist: Elisabeth Frink
Date: 1956
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
I chose this artwork because it displays Jesus Christ's death, in a vivid way similar Michelangelo's Pietá. I thought it displayed the kind of suffering that Jesus went through just as good as Michelangelo's Pietá, and I had the same feelings when looking at the two. Both share the tone of death and suffering.
Artist: Elisabeth Frink
Date: 1956
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
I chose this artwork because it displays Jesus Christ's death, in a vivid way similar Michelangelo's Pietá. I thought it displayed the kind of suffering that Jesus went through just as good as Michelangelo's Pietá, and I had the same feelings when looking at the two. Both share the tone of death and suffering.