Growing up in the Archdiocese of Boston during a pretty awful time for the catholic church it made it pretty easy to see corruption within in the structured religion and with television and free speech, everyone is aloud to be a critic. What about during the renaissance? Luckily for Michelangelo, he has Martin Luther/ Lutherism and the Protestants to critique his art for him.
Beyond, his artistic achievements like adapting his space to movement instead of a solid landscape, The Last Judgement was popular or infamous for other reasons. The break in the church allowed for different opinions on how one should represent their god, and with the Protestants moving away from the indulgent, grandiose and over dramatic ideals of Catholics, The Last Judgement was an awesome example of how one shouldnt practice their religion.
Michelangelo essentially insulted Christ by painting him without a beard while saints are represented in nude forms. For the Catholics however, the massive fresco was an excellent representation of the power the lord has. "For showing the delicacy of the body, the beauty and the muscles we have such objects as Nativity, the Circumcision, the Adoration of the Magi. It is just as great a challenge to the painter to display "the force of art" by making the vivid sufferings or Christ and the martyrs." Very Catholic, at least in my mind, that one should instill fear to reinforce faith. But because of the Catholic approach to serving ones god however, Michelangelo as aloud the artistic freedom to indulge in what came close to pornography for some.
In Catholic school as vicious as Roman rule,
I got my knuckles bruised by a lady in black,
And I held my tongue as she told me,
"Son, fear is the heart of love."
So I never went back.
Interesting to interpret the Last Judgment in terms of Boston today. I must notel "allowed" rather than "aloud."
ReplyDeleteLoving the Ben Gibbard connection! I remember when I saw this piece in person I was so fascinated by the sheer abundance of figures as well as the crude content of the piece. It does seem quite lewd for a chapel, but if nothing else, it should definitely serve to instill fear in the faithful. It is quite bold for a church and the rich blue of the background calls far more attention to itself than even the ceiling in my opinion.
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