The History of Painting in Italy, Vol. 1 (of 6): From the Period of the Revival of the Fine Arts to the End of the Eighteenth CenturyLanzi, Luigi
History
The History of Painting in Italy, Vol. 1 (of 6): From the Period of the Revival of the Fine Arts to the End of the Eighteenth Century
Lanzi, Luigi
Painting -- Italy -- History
Other corrections have been proposed in it by different critics, both
with regard to the costume and the conception. The artist has been
censured for confounding sacred with profane history; for introducing
the angels of Revelation with the Stygian ferryman; Christ sitting in
judgment, and Minos, who assigns his proper station to each of the
damned. To this profanity he added satire, by pourtraying in Minos the
features of a master of the ceremonies, who, in the hearing of the Pope,
had pronounced this picture more suitable for a bagnio than a
church;[152] but Bonarruoti did not set the example in such composition.
Scannelli has expressed a wish that there had been greater variety in
the proportion, and muscularity according to the diversity of age;[153]
although, by an evident anachronism, this criticism is attributed to
Vinci, who died in 1519. Albani, as quoted by Malvasia,[154] says, that
"had Michelangiolo contemplated Raffaello, he might have learned to
dispose the crowd that surround the judgment-seat of Christ in a
superior manner;" but here I am uncertain whether he blames the
composition or the perspective.[155] I can discover, however, an
anachronism in his imagining the Last Judgment an earlier work than it
really is by many years; as if it had been executed before Raffaello
came to Rome.
I find that Albani rendered justice to the merit of Michelangiolo; he
reckoned not three great masters in painting only, as is now commonly
done; but he added a fourth, and thought that Bonarruoti surpassed
Raffaello, Tiziano, and Coreggio, "in form and in grandeur."[156] We may
here observe, that when Michelangiolo was so inclined, he could obtain
distinction for those endowments in which the others excelled. It is a
vulgar error to suppose that he had no idea of grace and beauty; the Eve
of the Sistine Chapel turns to thank her maker, on her creation, with an
attitude so fine and lovely, that it would do honour to the school of
Raffaello. Annibale Caracci admired this, and many other naked figures
in this grand ceiling, so highly, that he proposed them to himself as
models in the art, and according to Bellori,[157] preferred them to
those of the Last Judgment, that appeared to him too anatomical. In
chiaroscuro Michelangiolo had not the skill and delicacy of Coreggio;
but the paintings of the Vatican have a force and relief much commended
by Renfesthein, an eminent connoisseur, who, on passing from the Sistine
Chapel to the Farnesian gallery, remarked how greatly in this respect
the Caracci themselves were eclipsed by Bonarruoti. Dolce speaks less
favourably of his colouring,[158] for this author was captivated by
Tiziano and the Venetian school: no one, however, can deny that the
colouring of Michelangiolo in this chapel is admirably adapted to the
design,[159] and the same, also, would have been the case with his two
pictures in the Pauline Chapel, the Crucifixion of S. Peter and the
Conversion of S.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account