Michelangelo And The Pope's Ceiling Analysis

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“Why don’t you speak to me?” The perfectionist Michelangelo was never satisfied with his works. He would always try to perfect the beauty of man while he felt distressed about his own. As a young sculpture, Michelangelo got into a dispute with another sculpture Pietro Torrigian in which he ended up with a broken nose (King 14). Ever since Michelangelo’s paintings and sculptures glorified beauty like no other. In Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling, Ross King depicts the life of the abstemious artist. In 1503 after his infamous work David, Michelangelo was summoned to carve Pope Julius tomb (King 3). Michelangelo had a great expectation about the tomb. His model consisted of over forty life-size statues which were decorated with pillar and arches (King 3). At first, the pope was as excited as Michelangelo however, after the marbles arrived in Rome, Pope Julius put the construction of his tomb on hold (King 8) and focused on the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo did not take this sudden shift of plan very well. He …show more content…

Even though their friendship started with a dispute their similar personality something closer. In fact, Pope Julius II used to say that he would gratefully give of his own years and blood to extend Michelangelo 's life, so that the world would witness the work a genius (“THE LIFE OF THE ARTIST MICHELANGELO”4). It did not take long for Pope Julius to regret disappointing Michelangelo (“The Pope Clobbers Michelangelo.”2). As the Sistine Chapel project progress, Pope Julius learned to love and respect Michelangelo (“The Pope Clobbers Michelangelo.” 2). The Pope would slip into Michelangelo’s studio and the chapel to chat with his artist (“The Pope Clobbers Michelangelo.” 2) According to Vasari, despite having money issues before, Pope Julius apologized and rewarded Michelangelo five hundred crowns. (“The Pope Clobbers Michelangelo.”