The Renaissance Man in Michelangelo - Essay Example

Discussing the three works --- their similarities and differences --- will help evaluate if Michelangelo indeed is able to present great talent in several different art realms. THE RENAISSANCE MAN IN MICHELANGELO 3 The Renaissance Man in Michelangelo Renaissance is a big part in the history of art. Here, art was reborn through the rediscovery of Greco-Roman tradition. The word renaissance itself came from the term “la rinascita,” meaning “rebirth.” (Rubin, 2006, p.563) During this period, pieces of art developed from the supernatural to the natural, as man's expansion of the scientific knowledge progressed.

Study of human beings and scientific research caused societies to believe more in the self (Rubin, 2006, p.565-6). The Renaissance era spanned for two centuries, with historians dividing it into three periods --- Quattrocento or Early Renaissance, High Renaissance, and Mannerism. If modern artists today take pride in being a master of a certain field, Renaissance people are considered great if they are able to present great talent in several fields (Rubin, 2006, p.574-5). . Even though his talent is mostly considered as “only” within the realm of arts, the mastery he showed in every piece of work in every discipline is enough to make one understand that he is no ordinary “Jack of All Trades” (Emison and Chapman, 2006, p.508). He is considered a part of the High Renaissance period because there is naturalism in his works, there are no halos in religious pieces, and there is the balance between movement and stillness.

There is also a great sense of harmony and balance in his works, which are both characteristics of Renaissance work. Furthermore, the Renaissance period is characterized by private or government funded art THE RENAISSANCE MAN IN MICHELANGELO 4 commissions, as compared to the common practice of art commissions by religious sectors (Rubin, 2006, p.576-7). “Statue of David” is among Michelangelo's sculptures, and perhaps can be considered one of the most famous sculptures in the world. The Guild of Wool Merchant commissioned Michelangelo to create the “Statue of David.

” As mentioned above, private commissions became the norm during the Renaissance period particularly for sculptures, especially due to its high cost. This sculpture breaks away from the traditional way of presenting David (Allen, 2001, p.18). In Michelangelo's sculpture, he does not show David as a winner, but rather as a youth just about to gain power right before the fight. This technique is also a characteristic of the Renaissance period, and Michelangelo brilliantly created the image of balance between stillness and movement by creating a sculpture that is both calm and smooth, yet dynamic and combat-ready (Allen, 2001, p.19). The tendons and the muscles of David's