Michelangelo: The Sistine Chapel, Libyan Sibyl
The Libyan Sibyl also turns away from the book she holds, in what seems like a characteristic display of learned ignorance: having the knowledge, but being unable to use it in the right direction — that of the Christian creed. By reiterating the gesture, though in a different form, Michelangelo forwards a broad allegory on paganism. He exposes two sides of pagan spiritualism; on the one hand it deserves credit for the wisdom it developed and cultivated but, on the other, it can only be considered as an intermediate stage on the way to a loftier religious truth. To my mind the symbolism is quite obvious, and though interesting, it is the actual pictorial elements that make this figure fascinating. Once again, the artist reaches the highest levels of complexity and sophistication by introducing a series of rhythms, repetitions and movements.
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First there is a series of triangles: the legs form two between themselves, there is one delineated by the torso and the left hip, one by the torso and the right arm, and both arms also outline triangles, which together with the book produce a rectangle as well. There is a further correspondence between the boy’s and the sibyl’s hands — they mirror each other. The main figure describes a heap of various geometrical figures, which enhance the viewing experience by prompting the observer to decode them one by one, in a selective process. The process itself translates to aesthetic interest and curiosity in the mind of the viewer. The scene is visually and mentally demanding, as is also quite crowded — besides the lady, we can also see two boys that accompany her, and a few children in the pictorial bas-relief.
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The musculature of the back, portrayed by a series of shadows and light reflections, demonstrates the artist’s thorough knowledge of anatomy. Though we can only see the muscles bulging and swelling by the relief they leave on the skin, it becomes obvious that the man knew what was going on beneath it. This reminds me of today’s animation technology — this is an anachronistic example, but the premise remains the same — ans how digital artists programme the skeleton, the muscles and only then the skin of an animal or a human into the code. They encipher the surface to reflect all of the movements and changes that would take place under it. To my mind, it makes sense that the artist would be one step ahead of the art consumer. Michelangelo’s ordeal in studying anatomy was first and foremost a crucial step in retaining artistic integrity.
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In a way, what happens in the scene is that the figure as a whole becomes subordinate to the artist’s conception of the theatrical movements of its parts. As a result, though everything appears to coordinate perfectly, the figure itself moves uncomfortably (this unease is most obvious in the first impression, and the last, after some time of brooding on this part of the ceiling) — the whole becomes too perfect, the grace goes over the top and spills in the form of refined awkwardness, a paradoxical in-between. Apparently, Michelangelo had found and drawn the distinction between moderation and excess, often oscillating between the two to keep his compositions within the limits of good taste — something other mannerists, or so many art historians claim, failed to achieve. On the other hand, some would not consider the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel to contain any mannerist elements at all.
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This entry was posted on Saturday, October 13th, 2007 at 7:49 pm and is filed under Michelangelo, Religious, Renaissance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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