Since March, a once-in-a-lifetime art show of Michelangelo's drawings has been on display at the British Museum. The exhibit traces sixty years of his life through his art and reunites material not seen together since its dispersal 400 years ago. Receiving some 140,000 visitors to the show since it opened, the British Museum is keeping the galleries open until midnight -- for the first time in its history -- on Saturdays until the show closes later this month (June 06).
Michelangelo's body of work has touched the lives of many through every chisel stroke and pencil shadow which emphasizes the corporeality of being human. Evoking a purity of spirit underscored by Greek Classical perfection, he reintroduced an emphasis on being human that had not been a focus in art since greco-roman times. Whether rounding out a washboard stomach with multiple bulges on the male physique or softening the fullness of Mary's cheeks in the Pieta, he makes us believe we are looking at a living being involved in a human moment -- very much entwined with the philosophical fashion of the elite in Florence who were known as the Humanists. They studied Greek texts with a philosophical vigor untried since before the Middle Ages. They discussed the liberal arts as a course of study in addition to christian religious writings.
We hope someday that such a collection could make its way across the Atlantic to America as we are greatly lacking here in a few examples of his work. Perhaps our diplomatic ties are strong enough with Britain to persuade them?
Link: News Article at CBC Arts: Hours extended to midnight for Michelangelo show.
Link: Online tour of Michelangelo Exhibit at British Museum; More info about visiting the show
Link: Purchase Michelangelo Reproductions at eMuseumStore.com such as the Pieta, Moses, David, Adam and God, Lorenzo Medici, Sistine Chapel Reliefs.
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