The piece of art I chose was The Flood by Michelangelo Buonarroti. This was actually a fresco painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. All of the frescos on the ceiling took him four years to complete. Michelangelo (1475-1564) was an Italian painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer during the Renaissance period. His best known works are Pietà , David and his frescos in the Sistine Chapel. He and Leonardo da Vinci are said to be contenders for the title of model Renaissance Man. 
One minor detail that stands out for me in the painting is in the background on Noah’s Ark. It seems that there is actually a person swinging an ax at a straggler attempting to climb aboard. I believe at the man right above the ax wielder is Noah motioning him to not harm the straggler. Also on the smaller boat in the center of the painting there is a person being bludgeoned and pushed off. I was particularly surprised by the graphic violence depicted in the fresco. When I think of the story of Noah’s Ark do not automatically think of the actual scramble and chaos which must have been present at the time. I guess it is in our nature to block out the bad aspects of things and think of only the good, which I why I found the fresco to be a truly realistic depiction of the story. I believe Michelangelo intended for his portrayal to be as realistic as possible and in my opinion he was successful in doing so. He is showing mankind being punished for all of its bad deeds which is what the intended message of the story is. I do not think Michelangelo had many limitations when creating this art in terms of his supplies or medium. However, he was limited in terms of what stories from the Book of Genesis he could paint considering the Pope chose them.
It's true that when we think of Noah we don't think of panic and death. We think of rainbows and animals going two by two. It was a good point you made when you said so. However, I think that your blog was a little short, and you didn't answer all of the questions that the prompt asked. You still did a good job.
ReplyDeleteI highly appreciated the fact you showed us the image of a more brutal and intense Noah's arc, rather than the cute kiddie one we all know and love. Also, I like how you emphasized on the ax-man because i literally scrolled back up to see what you were talking about - thanks. I wish you would have mentioned about the people on the deserted island and how there was a baby even deserted. Good job on the writing and pictures- opened my eyes to a new Michaelangelo other than the ones I always see
ReplyDeleteWe never really learn how gruesome and traumatizing this story truly is. I'm very glad that you chose this piece for your art work. It depicts the graphic truth of the flood. That the entire world supposedly drowned by an act of God, this is a terrifying truth. This piece conveys that message and how it honestly should be taught, not as a children's story with animals and rainbows but as a moral lesson that should be left to the interpretation of adults.
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