Comparing The Julius Tomb And The Medici Tombs

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The two tomb projects are; The Julius Tomb and The Medici Tombs. The Julius Tomb was commissioned by Pope Julius II in 1505, from drawings made by Michelangelo Pope Julius selected a huge three level monument with over 40 statues. The project was to be completed in five years and Michelangelo was to be paid 10,000 ducats. The Tomb was to be placed in the unfinished Quattrocento choir of St. Peter’s. However Julius decided to build a new church and lost interest in the Tomb project, perhaps because of lack of money. In May, 1513 after the death of Julius his heirs made a new contract with Michelangelo to continue the project. Now the project was not freestanding, with vast antique connotations, but a wall tomb like many done during the Renaissance. …show more content…

It was commissioned, by Pope Leo X and his cousin Cardinal Giulio de’ Medici who in 1523 became Pope Clement VII, to build four tombs, one each for two Medici Dukes , Giuliano and Lorenzo, who recently died in battle, one for Lorenzo the Magnificent and one for his brother Giuliano. Later when Giulio became Pope the plan was changed to put the Dukes on the side walls and a double-tomb for Lorenzo the Magnificent and his brother under the altar. In the end only two tombs were built, one for Capitani Giuliano and one for Capitani Lorenzo, each sits in the center niche displaying grace and elegance. Below Giuliano are a female night and a male day, while below Lorenzo are the female Dawn and the male Dusk. These figures continue Michelangelo’s trend toward simplification in his development as an artist. There is less ornament and detail, with greater importance given the single figures. The posture, positions and attitude of the figures shows a development away from the classical and towards a style that was unique to the artist …show more content…

In this work the figure corresponds in all aspects to how the ancient writers would describe it. The figure is standing in one of the art-poses of antiquity; it has ancient proportions but a naturalistic rather than ideal nude body. Between 1501-4, Michelangelo, commissioned by the Overseers of the Office of Works in Florence, created perhaps his most famous sculpture David, here we clearly see his passion and inspiration for the male nude. The figure stands in a version of the famous Greco-Roman pose called contrapposto; it represents the first successful union of antique inspiration with the Florentine celebration of man. We see a continuation of Michelangelo’s fascination with the male anatomy in his 1504 figure studies for The Battle of Cascina. In these studies where he drew the male figure in many poses, he seems to have freed future artists to paint the human body in any possible position. It has been said that the expression of emotion in these drawings planted the seed for mannerism. At a minimum these drawings were a preview of the male nude figures soon to be seen in his Sistine Chapel

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