MIKE AND ME……………………

I am an artist. Michelangelo was an artist. I am a Pieces, he was a Pieces. He is recognized by one name. Even the banks will cash my checks just like that. Coincidence? I don't think so. I was born at least 400 years after he was. He left (in my opinion) the world's most beautiful body of work. Our sameness ended a couple of statements back there. He had a HUGE influence on my life.


No, he didn't inspire me to 'become' an artist. I think artists are born. He inspired me, period. Fairly early in my life, we traveled to Rome to see Michelangelo's Pieta. For creations by man, it is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen and the thought of it still moves me to tears. I intended to cut and paste a picture of it to include in this article. I just couldn't do it. It would have been such an injustice. You got one of mine instead.


Even though he painted the ceiling of the Sistine chapel which is awesome, just looking at all of it makes your neck hurt.


But he really didn't even like to paint. He was commissioned by the church for most of his work and he didn't want to do that. He did that series of paintings for the ceiling, on the condition that the Pope stop making suggestions. Four years later he finished it but his neck was never the same. Neither, of course, was the art world.


His passion was sculpting. (My son calls him the 'true chipper'.)
At the age of 22 he did this magnificent sculpture, depicting the Mother Mary, holding the body of her son, Jesus. It is larger than life, made from one piece of marble. Even the task of finding the stone, having it carted by hand to the studio would be a story in itself.


But this finished piece sits in Vatican City in a dimly lit area with beautiful lighting. I went. I looked. I cried. I saw people walking by, barely stopping!! There is a lot of other stuff in there, but come on……..I was taught from my early youth about the death of Jesus. I was familiar with that story and I wasn't on a religious holiday. What I wasn't ready for was the talent of this young artist. That was God's work.


He shows Mary as a young woman, not the age she would have been then. I love artist's liberties. The story goes that when the piece was first unveiled, Michelangelo stood in the crowd and listened to comments by the viewers regarding the work. He over-heard someone give credit to another artist for it. It made him mad. He slipped in through the back door late at night and carved his name on the sash of Mary's robe (in immodestly large letters). He never signed another piece but I am proud of him for getting credit where it was due.


It is a true mystery to me that this is even possible. I think of that work on a rather regular basis. I just don't know how he did it. His 16 foot statue of David is impressive but I can look at it without crying. The Pieta I can't.
Put it on your short list of things you have to do.