The summer of 2008 was mainly focused around my Faculty Internationalization Initiative trip to the Middle East, but on the way back I presented at a conference outside of Florence. Much earlier I included some stories and pictures about Florence, but for reason I never posted anything on visiting the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo and seeing the Michelangelo's Pieta (this is not the Pieta that he carved that everyone thinks of automatically, but the one he created very late in life). I think it popped into my mind again because of the upcoming trip to Moscow, which reminded me of the trip to St. Petersburg over Thanksgiving break. While there I saw a Michelangelo sculpture which had much the same feel and appearance as this later Pieta (that is, more "rough" and in some odd ways "abstract" than the more "smooth" and finely detailed Pieta). This Pieta is located in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, which is right in the center of Florence and not far from the famous Uffizi Museum. The Museo dell'Opera del Duomo is very modern and spacious and has some fine works, although everything there pales in comparison to the Pieta. Unlike the earlier work (completed when Michelangelo was 24 - he was close to 80 when he carved this Pieta), which features the body of Jesus spread out in Mary's lap, this one displays an older man helping to lift the body of Jesus. The speculation has always been the the older man was Michelangelo himself, and, considering the Renaissance emphasis on the artist as unique genius - and Michelangelo's own immense ego - this is very believable. I remember being astonished at Michelangelo's skill, especially considering his advanced age. Of all the different artistic genres the one that always consistently blows me away is sculpture - how do you take marble and turn it into live flesh or flowing robes? And that would be the medium wherein it would seem that old age could provide the greatest obstacles, although an older man's patience and experience would certainly serve him well.
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