Art Analysis

The Pietà and the Elements of Art

I decided on a different style of art work this week, but one just as meaningful. I chose a piece that depicts all of the elements of art besides one; The Pietà by Michelangelo is an intense sculpture of Jesus draped across the lap of his mother Mary after she pulled him off the cross. I am not a religious person, but I chose this sculpture because it is about a mother suffering the loss of her son after he was executed for doing what he thought was God's will. Jesus wanted so deeply for people to believe that God has a plan for everyone so he took the ultimate sacrifice for standing up for what he believes in. He gave people what they need, something bigger than themselves to believe in. His mother lost her son that day, but Jesus left her with something; he left her knowing that the man she raised gave his life for the greater good. I see this sculpture as a representation of the love people have for someone who gifted humanity with faith. Once you begin to think deeper than what the structure looks like, you find its meaning and it makes the art much more captivating. 



This sculpture was created in 1499 in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City. It contains almost all of the elements: line, shape, color, form, value, and space. The Pietà's size is outstanding. It is 6 feet 7 inches in height and weighs 6,700 pounds, Michelangelo had to have used a very large space to construct this. The sculpture is made solely out of Carrara marble, it is a beautiful blue and white stone. You can see throughout the entire sculpture the definition in the lines and precise shape; from their clothing to their bodies it is so perfectly structured. 


Comments

  1. Ava LerSeptember 20, 2021 at 8:13 PM

    Haley,

    The detail and proportions of this piece are exquisite. The way the fabric folds is so realistic, do you know how long it took him? I find it interesting that Michelangelo's rendition of Jesus was his lover and he did so many religious pieces. I checked out the link and it was curious to me that the restoration took 10 months and it was only Mary's arm and nose. It's also weird he only signed this one, but maybe that was a thing of this time.

    The link you provided was fun, nice pick! I like how Michelangelo compensated for her body size to hold Jesus his creativity was real.

    Best, Ava

    ReplyDelete
  2. Arts by MarthaOctober 6, 2021 at 6:52 PM

    Hi, I really liked how you described the meaning you took out of this besides it being a religious thing. I agreed with you said and also that of how beautiful it is I have not been fond of how she isn't looking at him, I feel like the connection and the piece would be more meaningful and connect better if she was actually looking at him. I love how you described that he did what he thought was right and I love the fact that she didn't stop him from doing what he thought was right. As a mother, it made me think about if I would truly stop my children from something so deep like that. I don't know if I could do what she did but she didn't really have control over it. Love your choice with this one. Thanks for your incite.
    Martha.

    ReplyDelete

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