The Mystery of Michelangelo

" I live to sin, to kill myself I love: no longer is my life my own, but sin's; my good is given to me by heaven, my evil by myself, by my free will, of which I am deprived". - Michelangelo






'But if, when near, the infinite beauty that dazzles my eyes does not allow my heart to bear up, and from afar seems not to reassure me or give me confidence, what will become of me? What guide or escort can there be who in regard of you will ever give help or strength, if you, when near, burn me, and, by parting, kill me?' - Poem by Michelangelo



"Up till this point, not one woman was to be seen in the entourage of Michelangelo other than the Madonnas whom he sculpted. Most of the female bodies in his work were sketched from male models or reworked classical statues". - Pierre Layris

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The first picture is of a woman (the Madonna?) painted next to the Christ in Michelangelo's The Last Judgement.

As Madam B was reading her book on Michelangelo by Gilles Neret, she came across the second painting, which is a 'supposed' painting of Vittoria Colonna. Then she noticed something....They seem to resemble. What do you think?

The 'insinuation is' that Vittoria Colonna was the only woman that Michelanglo ever loved.

From what Madam B is reading about Michelangelo, (in this book) his personal life is somewhat a mystery, but he seemed to have lived and died a tortured soul, who was a snob who thought everything aside from sculpting was "for nothing."

In a letter to Benedetto Varchi in 1547 Michelangelo wrote, "the more painting resembles sculpture the better I like it. The more sculpture resembles painting the worse I like it. Sculpture is the torch by which painting is illustrated, and the difference between them is the difference between sun and moon. "

He added, in a most treacherous aside --that seemed to have been aimed at his rival Leonardo Da Vinci:-- “If he who wrote that painting was more noble than sculpture shows the same understanding in other things as in that remark, my servant girl could do better.” Meaning, if he who did the painting thinks his gift is higher than sculpting, well, he’s wrong, according to the thoughts of Michelangelo.

One reason he gave for his despising painting so, was that it “prized the attractions of color over those of the ideas.” (Interesting thought.)

Here’s what he said about Oil Painting, “it is only suitable for women.”

Here’s what Michelangelo said about landscape painting it, “should be forbidden, being nothing but a vague and deceitful sketch, a game for children and undedicated men.” Plato’s view on this seemed to agree

About Portraits, it is nothing but the” flattery of ideal curiosity and of the imperfect illusions of the senses.”

So. There is Madam B’s narration.