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Michelangelo's Sculptures Manipulate Religious Effect |
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written
by shivali / 10.20.2005 |
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| Two Michelangelo sculptures |
1 of 1 |
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Assignment |
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The firm masculine outline of the Moses’s arm first drew my attention when I first saw Michelangelo’s “Moses” in San Pietro in Vincoli. One hand rests on his stomach and the other on a book or tablet of the Ten Commandments. Moses’s face is resolute as his brows as arched upwards. A finger gently strokes his long, winding beard like a man in serious thought. But his body is arched away from his book; he looks and is turned away from it. His self-assurance is reinforced by his straight torso supported by a firm hand on his stomach. Constant attention to the books is unnecessary to maintain their importance or ramifications in his life. Though he exhibits the book in hand externally, much information or spiritual guidance is within Moses. Within this context, the entire statue is a reinforcement of Moses’s firm and resolute affirmation of spiritual knowledge which does not require a physical reminder. He is aware of the knowledge it reveals and is actively contemplating it without attention to its physical reminder. Moses looks off into the distance at the world and not at the viewer. The viewer sees and is engaged with his arms and the books he holds. For Moses, his thoughts consider other ideals that are equivalent to the viewer experiencing the emphasis on the Commandments by placement of his arms- the religious virtues persist beyond physical reminders.
Likewise, in Michelangelo’s “Risen Christ,” Christ has his head turned away from the Cross. His facial expression is solemn and serious. The viewer cannot interact with Christ and his face until they move around the statue. Again, Christ is contemplating religious ideas that persist beyond the physical reminder of the Cross. However, Christ does mediate the viewer’s experience with the religious symbol of the Cross. The placement of Christ’s legs is significant. Note that his right leg is placed over the cross as if in a stance to prevent any person or viewer from getting too close. He stands between the viewer and the Cross. To get the religious ideas symbolized by the Cross, the viewer or religious observer must first know Christ. To “know” or experience Christ with this statue, the viewer must physically move and seek out his face, symbolizing the spiritual work required to gain religious awareness through Christ. Furthermore, Chris places his staff on the Cross. The Cross is Christ’s spiritual staff: it guides him and lends him support. However, where the staff would require only one hand to hold, the Cross requires both hands. The burden or responsibility is greater when holding the Cross, reflecting the religious responsibilities of Christians.
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