Essay on "Nude: A Critical History the Pope Julius"

Essay 4 pages (1350 words) Sources: 3 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Nude: A Critical History

The Pope Julius II, Michelangelo and the pilgrims who came to Rome after he finished the painting of the Sistine Chapel in the sixteenth century, were all under the powerful impression left by the stories told by the images masterfully created on the ceiling.

Michelangelo is considered the first artist to have understood the importance of the human body in its representation as a nude in art. The Renaissance period revived the Greek and the Roman classics and brought the beauty of the human body in various representations back on the canvas and in the workshops of artists of various kinds. Bernard Berenson goes as far as concluding that Michelangelo saw in the human body the supreme form of art and chose to study it in the tiniest details possible in order to achieve perfection. The perfect rendering of the human body equaled the perfect work of art. The importance of "life confirming" and "life enhancing" was according to Berenson expressed in Michelangelo's work by his obsession with the human body.

The sixteenth century was the era of awakening on many levels in the history of humanity. The Renaissance period swept the world with new ideas revived from the old classics, inventions and innovations that will for ever change the face of the world and put it on a new course. The middle Ages taught human beings to be humble and repent in order to have a chance at the Judgment Day. Renaissance brought new ideas and forms of expression to life and changed the way people envisioned themselves and their place in the order of things. It gave humanity a central place in the universe instead of leaving it as a complementary form of existence. The human body in its necked form was beginning to represent the focus of the artistic expression in its struggle to find the best representation and the means to bring the artistic creation to the public. Bernard Berenson points out that the nudes in Michelangelo's art works, especially in his paintings of the Sistine Chapel summarize "manliness, robustness, effectiveness, the fulfillment of our dream of a great soul inhabiting a great body" (Berenson, 169). He continues remarking that "Michelangelo completed what Masaccio had begun, the creation of the type of man best fitted to subdue and control the earth, and, who knows! Perhaps more than the earth"(idem, 169). The hopes and aspiration of a great period in the history of the human kind were reaching no limits. The public was glad to enjoy the beauty of the human body and experience feelings of gratitude as to the genius of the artist. Those who came to Vatican and admired the paintings on the Sistine chapel were full of piety and devoted to religious experiences, but they were also bereaved by the beauty of the art work itself. Adam was one of the central figures and it represented humanity in its essence.

The same nude representing Adam brings a different message to the modern viewer in the art work created by James Cauty. The stamp series created for the Cautese National Stamp Reserve includes a section entitled "Collapse and Closure." The "Over and Out" stamp represents Adam as depicted by Michelangelo on in the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, wearing a gas mask and socks and brought to life by a God with Mickey Mouse's head. The modern viewer is no longer under the impressions left by religious ecstasy the pilgrims that came to Rome in the sixteenth century were experiencing. Although religion has not cease to manifest itself on many levels and in many parts of the world, the modern times are more and more under the influence of theories that relate to Darwin and less ready to fall under the hopes brought by belief in a superior power represented by God.

Michelangelo's Adam was beautiful in his humanity as well as in his super-human spirit inspired by God's work. Jimmy Cauty's Adam is wearing a gas mask and socks and is brought to life by… READ MORE

How to Reference "Nude: A Critical History the Pope Julius" Essay in a Bibliography

Related Essays:

Nude a Critical History Essay

Nude

Religion influenced the artistic manifestations of the human kind since its early ages. During the medieval and Renaissance times, the art in the Western world was particularly influenced by… read more

Essay 2 pages (706 words) Sources: 0 Style: MLA Topic: Art / Painting / Sculpture

---

Immigration Present and in Historical Context Term Paper

history of immigration in the United States (U.S.) began back from17th century during the first entry of Spanish people through the south coast. According to Marshall (17, 18) since then,… read more

Term Paper 6 pages (1811 words) Sources: 3 Topic: American History / United States

---

History in the 19th Century Essay

History In the 19th Century:

It's impossible to understand the course of the United States in the 19th Century without understanding the cause and consequences of the Civil War. The… read more

Essay 3 pages (997 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: American History / United States

---

History of Cambodia, Including the Pol Pot Term Paper

history of Cambodia, including the Pol Pot Regime and Angkor Wat. Cambodia is an Asian country located between Vietnam and Thailand with a coastline on the Gulf of Thailand. In… read more

Term Paper 5 pages (1702 words) Sources: 3 Topic: Asian History / Asia

---

Theory a Critical Discussion of Teaching Approaches Essay

Theory

A Critical Discussion of Teaching Approaches in TESOL

Language teaching practice often takes for granted that most of the complexities that learners face in the study of English are… read more

Essay 15 pages (4698 words) Sources: 10 Topic: Language / Linguistics

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>