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pasitheaA few days ago I was looking at "Dynamic Anatomy" ... Now that I'm a more experienced artist I see a lot of flaws in both his work and his teaching method. What instead kept catching my eye the most were instead the included photos of various renaissance pieces.
Of the well-known works, Michaelangelo's Creation of Adam really caught my eye. In some senses, it is no more technically proficient than many of his other pieces but there's some really interesting stuff going on in it. Take a long look at it:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Creation_of_Adam_Michelangelo.jpg (And be sure to look at the original, not cheap knock-offs like http://www.onlyoilpainting.com/the-creation-of-adam-by-michelangelo-buonarroti-italy-p-2525.html which I will come back to later.)
Adam's pose and his eyes. They don't say love or fear so much as casual indifference. His he reaching out to touch god or brushing him off? Submissive or bored? What really makes this piece so fascinating is exactly that. It is masterful expression. I think, looking closer, it really is Adam who is in power in this piece. He rests alone ont he ground, naked and unafraid. His body is firm and strong and he is very slightly larger than God.
God's hand is ever so slightly withered, showing his age. He is a bit doughy around the middle. God is clothed, though I suspect that was not the original design. It takes dozens of cherubs to keep him aloft and the cherubs look either disinterested or at Adam. They seem nervous even afraid of him, not filled with joy.
It's an interesting image. I don't think that Michaelangelo was a heretic. Far from it. I think the way he painted this is profoundly true to his faith. This is Adam in the bible. He is a god, created in God's image. Adam is not meant to be a lesser being or subject. He is meant to be someone God can talk with and better understand himself through. I think this is the greatest achievement of this painting. I think, in looking at it that Michaelangelo probably understood God better than the people in the building below because it's apparent in his work that he had no fear of God. Fear is the root of all evil and to fear God would in fact be to profane God. In this moment, Adam is perfect. He has no fear, no shame. He is a newly born god.
-- knockoffs --
In looking for a good photo of this online I of course ran across several knockoffs made to be stuck on the wall of the house of someone who wants to feign culture. The example above is a typical one. They have copied the pose but not the muscle tension, the action the expressions or anhy of the subtleties that make this piece what it is. The result is something vastly inferior watered down and ready for mass-production. Unlike the original, it does show fear. Everyone has to wear a happy face. Adam must love god. God is timeless and powerful, all the cherubs are smiling. Everyone is artificially happy, the mood is clearly defined, not set to make you pause for thought. It is tedious, tasteless, and pointless. I can barely stand to look at it, and contemplating the sort of people who would buy it just makes me sad.
Of the well-known works, Michaelangelo's Creation of Adam really caught my eye. In some senses, it is no more technically proficient than many of his other pieces but there's some really interesting stuff going on in it. Take a long look at it:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Creation_of_Adam_Michelangelo.jpg (And be sure to look at the original, not cheap knock-offs like http://www.onlyoilpainting.com/the-creation-of-adam-by-michelangelo-buonarroti-italy-p-2525.html which I will come back to later.)
Adam's pose and his eyes. They don't say love or fear so much as casual indifference. His he reaching out to touch god or brushing him off? Submissive or bored? What really makes this piece so fascinating is exactly that. It is masterful expression. I think, looking closer, it really is Adam who is in power in this piece. He rests alone ont he ground, naked and unafraid. His body is firm and strong and he is very slightly larger than God.
God's hand is ever so slightly withered, showing his age. He is a bit doughy around the middle. God is clothed, though I suspect that was not the original design. It takes dozens of cherubs to keep him aloft and the cherubs look either disinterested or at Adam. They seem nervous even afraid of him, not filled with joy.
It's an interesting image. I don't think that Michaelangelo was a heretic. Far from it. I think the way he painted this is profoundly true to his faith. This is Adam in the bible. He is a god, created in God's image. Adam is not meant to be a lesser being or subject. He is meant to be someone God can talk with and better understand himself through. I think this is the greatest achievement of this painting. I think, in looking at it that Michaelangelo probably understood God better than the people in the building below because it's apparent in his work that he had no fear of God. Fear is the root of all evil and to fear God would in fact be to profane God. In this moment, Adam is perfect. He has no fear, no shame. He is a newly born god.
-- knockoffs --
In looking for a good photo of this online I of course ran across several knockoffs made to be stuck on the wall of the house of someone who wants to feign culture. The example above is a typical one. They have copied the pose but not the muscle tension, the action the expressions or anhy of the subtleties that make this piece what it is. The result is something vastly inferior watered down and ready for mass-production. Unlike the original, it does show fear. Everyone has to wear a happy face. Adam must love god. God is timeless and powerful, all the cherubs are smiling. Everyone is artificially happy, the mood is clearly defined, not set to make you pause for thought. It is tedious, tasteless, and pointless. I can barely stand to look at it, and contemplating the sort of people who would buy it just makes me sad.
