Many have reveled in the sight of Michelangelo’s Pieta since 1499 when the piece was completed for a plethora of reasons. It has also served to inspire the style of many sculptures after. A critical analysis of ‘The Pieta’ allows one to appreciate sculpture as a body of art to an even greater extent and creates the impression that all the formal properties draw the eye of the viewer to Jesus.
Composition and scale are vital elements of Art and in ‘The Pieta’ the importance of both to the entire art piece is exemplified. First and foremost, the sculpture is a large one in relation to life size with dimensions of 68.5 inches by 76.8 inches. This larger size gives the sculpture a sense of prominence. The scale also influences the position the viewer stands to observe the piece. One would have to stand further back to see the sculpture in totality and this distance makes Jesus the focal point as He is placed along the central portion of the sculpture.
In the piece, Mary, clothed in robes cradles Jesus with his head reclined and his legs supported by Mary’s arms. The proportional contrast between Mary and Jesus draws the eye to the Jesus as the former is depicted large in relation to the latter depicted smaller. The gentle tilt to Mary’s head corresponds to angle of Jesus’ neck due to the reclined head and creates a visual relation as a result. With imaginary vertical lines drawn from the furthermost points on the base to meet imaginary horizontal lines along the top of the sculpture alludes the shape of a square. This reinforces the balance in the work.
The beautiful element of Michelangelo’s piece is the juxtaposition of strong, rigid material with soft fabric depiction. The use of Carrara marble achieves an image of luminosity on the skin of both Mary and Jesus. The dynamism of the formal properties in regards to the material used gives a sense of fluidity. The texture of the work is remarkably smooth. The drapery from the apex of Mary’s head to her implied feet has a wet look and implied heaviness. Nonetheless, the drapery still looks elegant and balletic. The varied nature of the texture is heavily present in the piece with the undulating folds of Mary’s dress and the hair of Jesus for example. In addition, the skin of Jesus is given the look of one with a thin epidermis and the anatomical understanding is strong in the piece as the bodily features of Jesus fall in line with the anatomical study of the human body.
The masterful utilization of line work into ‘The Pieta’ create a strong sense of liveliness. The multiple folds in the garment of Mary and Jesus and their multidirectional nature creates a sense of visual energy that elevates the stagnant sculpture into a seemingly active art form. The type of lines used also visually distinguish the parts of the sculpture with Jesus having less distinct lines and Mary having more. In addition, the use of a diagonal sash across the chest of Mary generates visual continuity throughout the piece as it draws the eye from Mary to Jesus.
An analysis of the form in the piece reveals a triangular configuration. This triangular shape can be seen with a descending line drawn from the top of Mary’s veil (the vertex) through her shoulder right shoulder through the chest of Jesus down the base of the garment. This line underlined the bottom of Mary’s garment and ascends back through the hallux of Jesus’ left foot, up through Mary’s left hand all the way back to the top of the veil. A set of three overlapping triangles can also be seen as the piece is critically assessed.
The foremost triangle relates to the one mentioned above that encapsulates Jesus and Mary in one.
The second implied triangle begins from the right shoulder of Jesus to the bottom left portion of the structure across the bottom of Mary’s garment and up through the North western diagonal fold on the garment and up through the rib cage of Jesus to culminate at the revolving head of Jesus. The other triangle is made evident with the cross diagonal from Mary’s left shoulder through the belly of Jesus down to her implied right leg, across to the Gallic of Jesus’ left foot and up again to the left shoulder of Mary. This seems to create an open inverted triangle with the apex at the silhouette of Jesus’ belly and pelvis and two bidirectional rays up (in a north-western and north eastern direction) beneath the breasts of Mary. The result is not only the subtle influence of the viewer’s eye direction but the seamless dovetail of geometric lines and organic flows of garment. The pyramidal setup of the sculpture is reinforced by the greater visual weight at the bottom (with the heavy drapery) in contrast to the top. This also creates visual stability.
In regards to the interplay of light and tone, much can be said. The Carrara marble usage aids the reflection of light giving the piece more visual prominence and produces an illumination effect when light hits it. The marble used depicts a translucent feature and as a result, the sculpture seems to reflect light in a gentle fashion. The in the round sculpture and organic shapes allows for light to hit the sculpture in a manner that looks very natural. The essence of chiaroscuro is created by the deep ridges and shadow catching hollows in the sculpture between the garment folds and this helps to accentuate the form of Mary and Jesus. It also generates a visual intensity at the bottom of the work where the garment is heavier with the interplay of light on form. The power of the visual arts is the precedent for color to be a focal factor. In this piece, the color of ‘The Pieta’ is subdued as the natural tone of the Carrara marble is maintained.
Altogether, an in depth exploration and analysis of the formal properties of ‘The Pieta’ astounds the viewer. The subtle yet powerful qualities of the piece do draw the eye to Jesus and elevate the sculpture as an artistic masterpiece.
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