In this lecture we finished learning about the High Renaissance and began to discuss Mannerism. We spent some time focusing on Michelangelo’s “Pietà,” a statue depicting a deceased Christ on the lap of an impossibly young Mary. I found the soft, emotional figures to be particularly moving.
We moved on to discuss Michelangelo’s later work, including the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. I thought it was very interesting to learn about how quickly the fresco began to fall apart and deteriorate from pollution –– I did not previously know that such a quintessential work had been close to destruction.