Separating Michelangelo the Man and Artist from the Myth

Five hundred years ago today, Michelangelo unveiled The Sistine Chapel Ceiling to Pope Julius II. The next day, All Saints’ Day 1512, the Pope inaugurated the newly decorated chapel with grand pomp and circumstance. With half a millennium between us and that momentous debut, it’s hard to imagine what went through the minds and hearts of those who first viewed perhaps the greatest single work of art in human history. They discovered Michelangelo’s greatness that day in a way we may be incapable of today, mired in the myth of Michelangelo. In William E. Wallace’s Discovering Michelangelo, a renowned Michelangelo expert guides us through the masterpieces, zooming in on fine details and sharing now-ancient stories to bring forth Michelangelo the man and giving us that chance to discover the artist with new eyes. Please come over to Picture This at Big Think to read more of "Separating Michelangelo the Man and Artist fromthe Myth."

[Image: Michelangelo. The Creation of Adam, from The Sistine Chapel Ceiling, 1508-1512. Copyright Discovering Michelangelo by William E. Wallace, Universe Publishing, 2012.]

[Many thanks to Rizzoli USA for providing me with a review copy of Discovering Michelangelo by William E. Wallace.]

Is This the Ultimate Halloween Artist?

What’s your Halloween ideal: Alfred Hitchcock or Wes Craven? If you pick the Master of Suspense over Nightmare on Elm Street, then I have the ultimate Halloween artist for you: Odilon Redon. The late 19^th century French Symbolist painter depicted some of the most disturbing images ever made. As described by Dario Gamboni in The Brush and the Pen: Odilon Redon and Literature, Redon found inspiration in haunting tales of literature, especially those of Edgar Allan Poe, who is the unofficial poet laureate of Halloween. If you’ve never heard of Odilon Redon or seen his work, Halloween is the perfect time to discover this artist so unforgettable it’s spooky. Please come over to Picture This at Big Think to read more of "Is This the Ultimate Halloween Artist?"

[Image: Odilon Redon. The Tell-Tale Heart (detail), 1883.]

[Many thanks to The University of Chicago Press for providing me with a review copy of The Brush and the Pen: Odilon Redon and Literature by Dario Gamboni (revised and updated edition; translated from the French by Mary Whittall).]