The Archetypal Renaissance Man Contenders

By Darren Hartley


Two of the most influential works in fresco in Western art history are Michelangelo paintings. They are renowned regardless of the low opinion of painting Michelangelo has. These works are the Genesis scenes found on the Sistine chapel ceiling and the Last Judgment painting on the Sistine Chapel altar wall. The Sistine chapel is found in Rome.

Aside from his Michelangelo paintings, Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simon is also famous for his two sculptures, namely, the Pieta and the David. These sculptures were made before this Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet and engineer turned thirty.

In his design of the dome for the Roman St. Peter's Basilica, Michelangelo used plaster as his main ingredient. In doing this, he started a classical architectural revolution.

The Michelangelo sketches are among the earliest of Michelangelo paintings. The volume of these surviving sketches, together with correspondences and reminiscences, make Michelangelo the best documented artist from the 16th century.

The title of the archetypal Renaissance man is referred for the individual whose continuous curiosity runs parallel with his inventive skills. Only two artists have been under consideration for this honor, Michelangelo and his fellow Italian and rival, Leonardo da Vinci. Michelangelo earned his berth for the title from his versatility in the disciplines of the highest order. This versatility Michelangelo was able to attain despite the low number of forays he made beyond the arts.

Da Vinci paintings include the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. These two Da Vinci paintings occupy unique positions in the art world as the most famous, most reproduced and most parodied portrait and religious, respectively, paintings of all time. Their fame is approached only by the Creation of Adam, by Michelangelo, Da Vinci's rival and co-Italian painter.

Primarily known for his Da Vinci Paintings, Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was not only a painter but also an Italian polymath, being a scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician and writer, in various stages of his life.

The Vitruvian Man drawing is among the iconic Da Vinci paintings. Unfortunately, the number of surviving Da Vinci paintings is very minimal, pegged at 15. This low survival rate has been attributed to Leonardo's constant and often times disastrous experimentation with new methods. His chronic procrastination of his works was also a contributing factor.

As far as contributions to later generations of artist, Da Vinci and Michelangelo find themselves rivalling one another once again. As far as Da Vinci is concerned, his contribution consists of the surviving Da Vinci paintings, together with his notebooks of drawings, scientific diagrams and personal insights on the nature of painting.

It was after studying in the studio of a renowned Florentine painter, that the earlier Da Vinci paintings came to life. The painter we owed this debt to is Verrocchio.




About the Author:



No comments :

Post a Comment