Michelangelo – the new Phidias 3101-DWFID-OG

The main aim of most Renaissance artists was to create totally original, unique masterpieces which were also beautiful. Michelangelo (1475-1564) was among this small group of geniuses who had a very wide range of artistry, was long-lived and who was active in almost every field of the arts and architecture. He achieved something exceptional in both his sculptures and paintings; something that was able to fascinate and deeply move people for centuries. This year marks the 500th anniversary of his completing the frescoes in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, which since the reign of Pope John Paul II has also become, in a manner of speaking, a Polish chapel. Allusions to this masterpiece are to be found in Polish artistic culture and literature. However, the celebrations of the aforementioned anniversary will focus on plaster casts of Michelangelo’s greatest masterpieces, such as the Vatican Pieta, Moses, the Slave, and allegorical figures from the Medici Tomb, which are being displayed in the Columned Hall of the University. The exhibition, which tells us an obvious truth, that is that every great genius belongs to us all, will be held until mid-November 2012.
To mark the anniversary and exhibition, a lecture is being offered to explore all Michelangelo’s masterpieces in the light of recent research. One of the guiding themes will be an investigation of the classical texts and ancient sculptures that had an influence on the artist. This is one of the most fascinating topics of Italian Renaissance studies. The case in point is Poliziano’s advise to execute the Battle between Lapiths and Centaurs, or the Rape of Deianira. In this relief, preserved until today, one can recognize the portrait of Phidias, the great Greek sculptor. The young artist can thus be perceived as the new Phidias. His many masterpieces are in a very special way based on the Belvedere Torso, the Laocoon, the Crouching Venus by Doidalses, Trajan’s Column, etc.
During the course we shall be examining theTondo Taddei, the Tondo Pitti, the Tondo Doni, the statues of Bacchus, David, Moses, all the Pieta’s, Tombs of the Medici and above all the murals in the Sistine Chapel. We shall also be investigating the impact of Michelangelo’s art on artists throughout the ages. These will include Franciszek Smuglewicz, Henryk Rodakowski and Stanisław Wyspiański. The course will also include an analysis of some carefully selected films concerning his artistic activity and among them Michelangelo Antonioni’s “Lo sguardo di Michelangelo”.
Michelangelo was not only an exceptional sculptor, painter and architect, but also a great poet. An analysis of some of his sonnets will open the possibility of gaining a deeper understanding of his masterpieces.

Type of course

general courses

Learning outcomes

The course, which concerns the classical tradition in the visual arts, is of an interdisciplinary character; it will include elements of the psychology of art, 3D visualizations, an analysis of the style, the meaning and written sources. To some degree, the methods used in gender studies will also be applied. The effects of teaching: a good knowledge of recent investigations into the artistic achievements of Michelangelo; a full understanding of the phenomenon of the mature Renaissance against the backdrop of the work of the great artist; the development of Michelangelo’s art from his youth to his death. The effects of the course will be verified with a test consisting of 35 questions:

35 - 33 points/punktów – celujący (6)
32- 29 points/punktów – bdb (5)
29– 26 points/punkty – db+ (4+)
25 – 22 points/punktów – db (4)
21– 19 points/punktów – dst+ (3+)
18- 17 points/punktów – dst (3)
Poniżej/below 17 points/punktów – ndst (2)

Assessment criteria

Bibliography

Rab Hatfield, The Wealth of Michelangelo, Firenze 2002
Seymour Howard, Michelangelo and Greek Sculpture, w: The Rediscovery of Antiquity. The Role of the Artist, ed. by Jane Fejfer, Tobias Fischer-Hansen and Annette Rathje, Copenhagen 2003, s. 37-62
Giovinezza di Michelangelo, a cura di Kathleen Weil-Garris Brandt, Firenze-Milano 1999
Michelangelo e l’arte classica, catalogo della mostra, a cura di Giovanni Agosti e Vincenzo Farinella, Firenze 1987
Jerzy Miziołek, Adaptacje, echa i refleksy dzieł Michała Anioła w polskiej kulturze artystycznej i globalnej komunikacji wizualnej, w: Michelangelo, katalog wystawy w Muzeum Książąt Czartoryskich, Oddział Muzeum Narodowego w Krakowie – lipiec-październik 2005, Kraków, 2005, s. 27-34
L. Ostermark-Johansen, Sweetness and Strength. The Reception of Michelangelo in Late Victorian England, Aldershot 1998
Erwin Panofsky, Ruch neoplatoński i Michał Anioł, przeł. Agnieszka Morawińska, w: Erwin Panofsky, Studia z historii sztuki, pod red. Jana Białostockiego, Warszawa 1971, s. 222-269
Antonio Paolucci, David: Five Hundred Years, Florence 2006
Giovanni Papini, Michał Anioł na tle epoki, przeł. Z. Kaczorowska, Kraków 1959
Reaction to the Master. Michelangelo’s Effect on Art and Artists in the Sixteenth Century, ed. by Francis Ames-Lewis and Paul Joannides, Aldershot 2003

Additional information

Information on level of this course, year of study and semester when the course unit is delivered, types and amount of class hours - can be found in course structure diagrams of apropriate study programmes. This course is related to the following study programmes:

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Description of 3101-DWFID-OG in USOSweb