MICHAELANGELO
There are only a handful of artists that scale the heights of time and memory with the work they have left behind and Michelangelo is unquestionably a giant amongst giants.
It is fascinating to learn that he burnt nearly every drawing he ever made. This is a mind boggling fact when one thinks of all that genius going up in smoke. The reason why he did this is not entirely known, perhaps it was an act of quality control or an extreme form of copyright protection. Or maybe he just wanted to appear a genius. A ploy to make his contemporaries believe his work just manifested out of thin air. Whatever the reason we are very lucky that he was’t entirely successful. The remaining drawings are priceless. Forty six of them are currently on display at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, on loan from the Teylers Museum in Haarlem. These exquisite works give an insight into the mind and hand of the master. In a refreshing alternative to mounting the work on the wall, the exhibition at the Getty is dramatically lit, with the drawings displayed as pieces of sculpture cleverly mounted on plinths. This gives the viewer an incredibly intimate experience. To have drawings from every time period in Michelangelo’s life is rare enough but the insight it gives us into his working process cannot be rivaled. The awe of seeing a sketch or “cartoon” turned into the clenched arm or taught calf of a marble sculpture is breathtaking. From paper to stone, the details gleaned from this exhibition give us a fascinating peek into Michaelangelo’s working process. Whether you are a serious artist or a serial doodler, this show will inspire you to reach for pen and ink.
