The Vatican
In the Vatican, there is his Pietà. Kept In the first chapel of the right-hand nave of St Peter's Basilica. Michelangelo made it in his early twenties, at the dawn of the new century, becoming one of the most esteemed artists of his time, thanks to this work. The anatomical details and clothing, the naturalness of the bodies and the expression of the faces are rendered with extraordinary skill on the white marble, which the artist has personally chosen in Carrara.
The Pietà is an overwhelming representation of Mary holding the body of Christ, in a painful lament. It'll be quite the experience for you to lose yourself in it.
The Sistine Chapel
The absolute masterpiece. Undisputed. It is the famous cycle of frescoes by Michelangelo Buonarroti, created in the Sistine Chapel, inside the Vatican Museums. According to the contract, the artist was to paint the 'twelve Apostles in the lunecte', while ornamental decorations were planned for the remaining surface, at a total cost of three thousand ducats. To Michelangelo, the project immediately appears as a "poor thing". The contract is therefore revised. Once the fee is doubled, the artist gets to depict what he wants not only on the ceiling, but also in the plumes and lunettes.
Basilica of St Peter in Vincoli
From the Vatican, we move to Rione Monti where we get to know the sixteenth-century Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli, which dominates the square of the same name, and is famous for hosting one of the absolute masterpieces of Renaissance art since 1545: the colossal statue of Moses by Michelangelo, carved in 1513 to adorn the funeral monument of Julius II. Raise your eyes, cross the gaze of Moses, who was called 'terrible'. Whoever spoke of it this way, it was because he believed that the gaze interpreted Michelangelo's character: irascible, proud and severe.
St Mary above Minerva
Finally, we reach Santa Maria sopra la Minerva, one of the rare Gothic churches in Rome. Michelangelo is in excellent company inside with works by Bernini, Lippi and others, as well as the tombs of many important figures.
The frescoes of the vaults are magnificent. We are here for the Cristo di Michelangelo. A work with which the artist wanted to represent Jesus after the strong and vigorous resurrection, through his anatomy. The installation is extremely studied, with a complex but effective twist that demonstrates Michelangelo's continuous research towards new compositional solutions.
Content based on information provided by our Partner, the Regional Government of Lazio
