The Pieta Michelangelo Buonarroti

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Description: The “Pieta” is a work of Renaissance sculpture by Michelangelo Buonarroti created in 1498-1500 in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City (Kleiner, 2017). The subject matter of this piece is the Virgin Mary holding the dead body of Christ after his crucifixion, death, and removal from the cross, but before he was placed in the tomb. Michelangelo used a single slab of Carrara marble, a white and blue stone to create this work of art.
These two figures are carved to appear in a unified composition which forms the shape of a pyramid, something that several Renaissance artists favored. Michelangelo created this work of sculpture to go into a side chapel at Old St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
Analysis:
The sorrowful tone of the Pieta evokes pity in the viewer. Michelangelo sculpted in such a manner as to make …show more content…

The viewer gets a sense Jesus is about to reawaken from a peaceful sleep and that after so much suffering, the resurrection is about to come.
Judgment:
I believe the Michelangelo created the facial expressions and bodily form of Mary and Jesus to focus the sculpture on the triumph of Christ’s atonement, instead of the sorrow of his death. Michelangelo gave Christ a peaceful face instead of sculpting a face that showed his pain and suffering.
Christ in this sculpture symbolizes hope for mankind, gained through giving his own life. In making the wounds with smaller lines, he chose to deemphasize the death of Christ. In sculpting a Christ figure with a serene face and minimal body damage, Michelangelo sends a strong message to the viewer that the atonement is a blessing to all of us that chose to receive it (Italian Renaissance, 2015). He did not want to focus on the pain and misery the Savior experienced but on his success in providing a way for believers to have eternal

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