Renaissance Sculpture

The three sculptures chosen is The Rome PietÐ" and Crouching Boy by Michelangelo and Monument of Don Pedro of Toledo by Giovanni Nola. The sculptures are from the Renaissance era in Italy and all were sculpted in marble within 50 years of each other. Each has at least one main figure although the Monument of Don Pedro does not use a human figure as the focus of the sculpture.

There as some unique similarities in the context of each of these works, since they could all be viewed as symbols of sadness and loss. The PietÐ" portrays sadness in the eyes of Mary the mother of Jesus as she holds her sons limp, lifeless body after the crucifixion is that her "youth symbolizes her incorruptible purity, as Michelangelo himself said to his biographer and fellow sculptor Ascanio Condivi." (Wikipedia, 2007). The Crouching Boy is curled up, described as having a lot of tension and may be the symbol of a wounded soldier. The Monument is a tomb for the vicory of Naples, Don Pedro of Toledo, again showing the end of a person's life as in The PietÐ" and therefore the loss of the leader.

The main focus of each work can be viewed differently depending on your outlook. In the PietÐ" , the main focus could be Mary or Jesus. Mary because of the expression on her face as she looks down on her son as she cradles his body or Jesus and the finality of his human life and suffering he endured. Similar differences are found in the Monument. One could suspect that the main focus of the tomb and statues is the representation of the headdress in the middle of the tomb. This symbolizes the status and position of the person who has been laid to rest or the focus could be the strength and adornment shown to the deceased by the figures who surround the tomb and protect it. The Crouching Boy is an unfinished work by Michelangelo and many have tried to guess what he was saying. It is in cubic form and seems constrained or could it be a wounded soldier or a spirit of mourning. (Hermitage Museum, 2006). We can only assume since the work is unfinished and their may be details that were not yet incorporated into the final sculpture.

All sculptures have amazing detail. The PietÐ" has great detail in the clothing worn by Mary, showing each fold of the fabric and is hard to imagine that this is a marble sculptures since the clothing seems to flow as if it is really cloth. The Crouching Boy, even though unfinished, shows great detail of the human structure.