Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 13.djvu/479

* MICHELANGELO BUONAKROTL 435 MICHELANGELO BUONARROTI. But convinc'cd that Malatesta Baglioni, the <jcn- eral of the mercenaries, meant to betiay Flor- ence — as was actually the case — in September, ir)2i), he fled to V^enice. He was received with great honor by the Doge and nobility, but, de- clining their hospitality and tlie invitation of the King of France to enter liis service, he re- turned to Florence and resumed his duties on the forlilications. After the capitulation of the city, August 12, 1.530, he remained for a time in liid- ing. but, on the Pope's invitation and pardon, resumed work on the statues for the Medica;an Chapel. He had also received a commission from the city for a colossal "Hercules and Caeus," to stand opposite the "David." in commemoration of the expulsion of the Mcilici. but he only made the wax model now in South Kensington ilu- ~ciMn. A copy of -Michelangelo's "Lcda and the Swan." a tempera painting executed some time later for the Duke of Ferrara, is at Dresden. The Chapel of the Medici — the new sacristy of San Lorenzo — is the most important work of its kind in modern art. In sculpture it marks the culmination of Michehmgelo's style. The archi- tectural problem was not constructive, but dec- orative ; and. conceived as a framing for the sculp- tures, the architecture is above criticism. The sculptures were only in part executed. On the entrance wall is an incomplete statue of the Ma- donna (1.522) by Michelangelo, flanked by the patron saints of the Medici, Cosmas by Montor- soli. and Damian by Montelupo. Far more im- portant are the tombs of the two Medicaean dukes, on opposite sides of the chapel. The dukes are represented over life size, seated above their sar- cophagi, and are rather allegorical than portrait statues — the representatives of contemplative and active life. Lorenzo's head rests lieavily on his wrist, and the beaver of his lielmet is drawn over his eyes, which gaze on vacancy. Giuliano is represented as the victorious general looking down upon the battle-field. Nothing could e.x- ceed the technical perfection of his Roman cui- rass, and of his hands resting upon the general's staff. At Lorenzo's feet, reclining upon the sar- cophagus, are "Dawn" and "Twilight;" at Giu- liano's "Day" and "Night." "Dawn" is the most finished and beautiful of the statues ; she starts as if from a dream, her face full of despondency. In "Night," a sleeping woman of magnificent physique, the sculptor has solved the difficult problem of a reclining figure in profile. "Twi- light" and "Day" are male figures of Herculean proportions, the heads of which are unfinished. "Day." the grander of the two, is represented as gazing over his shoulder, sliowing treatment of the nuiscles of the back in this dillicult position. In locality, these allegories, intended for quite an- other purpose, were used by the artist to express his sorrow for the loss of Florentine liberty. Though chiefly engaged upon the Medica?an statues, Michelangelo had also worked at Rome upon the tomb of .lulius 11. Luckily he was there when Clement Vll. died in 15.34. As Didce Alessandro of Florence was bitterly hostile to him. he remained at Rome, residing there until his death. At last he hoped to complete the Mausoleiun, which had been the darling scheme, as well as the bane, of his life. By threats and lawsuits the heirs of .Julius II. had imbittered his existence during the reigns of Leo and Clement, but the popes used their power in his behalf, forcing the heirs to repeated changes of contract, each of which reduced the scale of the monument. Paul 111. was as unwilling as his predecessors to forego the glory of being served by Michelangelo. He annulled the con- tract with the Duke of TJrbino, Julius's heir, compelling the latter to make a new one in 1542, according to which the tomb was finally erected fefore 1550. As it now stands in the Church of San Pietro in Vincoli, the nionuiuent is but a shadow of the artist's great design. The statues adorning the lower part are by Michelangelo liiniself : the colos.sal "Moses," and on either side "Active Life" ("Leah") and "Contemplative Life" ("Rachel"). In their present position, which was not the one originally intended, the two female statues are dwarfed by the architectural sur- roundings. The statues of the upper story were imperfectly executed, after Michelangelo's de- signs, by Montorsoli: tlie best of them being a Madonna, begun by the designer himself. Four rougli-hewn figures in the Boboli Gardens (Flor- ence), and an incomplete group of "Victory" in the Museo Nazionale, are supposed to have been parts of the original design of the monument. Having tluis freed the sculptor from all cares regarding the monument, Paul 111. required his services for the completing of the decoration of the Sistine Chapel. The entire altar wall ( 18 meters by 16) was to be covered by a painting of the "Last .Judgment," the cartoon for which had been executed under Clement VII.; it was carried out in 1534-41. It Is the largest fresco in the world, containing above a hundred figures, over life size. The centre of the composition is Christ, a beardless figure of Herculean pro])ortion. in the act of condemnation, and the Virgin sits shrink- ing beside Him. From all sides the terrified masses stream to the judgment seat. Below the graves are opening and the dead become flesli. The colors have suffered much from dust and can- dle smoke, and the grand figures are much de- faced. Their nudity having aroused adverse criticism, Paul IV. employed Daniele da Volterra to clothe the most cons])icuous examples — a task for which he received the name of '11 Braceetone.' Michelangelo's last paintings (finished in 1350) were for the same patron — two large frescoes in the Pauline Chapel : the "Conversion of Saint Paul" and the "Crucifixion of Peter," both of which were spoiled by restoration. The last years of the artist's life were devoted chiefly to architecture. In 1546 he designed the beautiful cornice of the Farnese Palace, and in 1547 he was appointed chief architect of Saint Peter's. He accepted the post as a religious duty, refusing all pay, and until his death, through the reigns of five popes, he filled w'ith credit this responsible position. Only the cupola of the present edifice, for which he left a model, was carried out, at least in part, according to his plans. Unfortunately he left no model for the whole church. We know, however, that he returned to Bramante's plan of a Greek cross, and that his design was much superior to the present building. (See Saint Peter's Ciu'RCii.) His architectural works included plans for the Porta Pia. and the transformation of the Baths of Diocletian into Santa Maria degli Angeli, which was unfortunately rebuilt during the eighteenth century, although his court of a hundred columns survives. The general plan of the Capitoline Hill is due to him, the grand staircase and the Palace of the Senators being after his designs. He made