The midsummer of Italian art . der, all-perceiving eyes ofhis. Leo X. ought to have appointed him architectof St. Peters; but Leo evidently disliked him, andthe building progressed little during his great block of marble in Florence, a companionpiece to the David, which Michel Angelo wished tocarve into a Samson, was awarded to Bendinelli,whose Hercules and Caicus is at the same time itsown criticism and that of the sculptor who made it;if we had not already Cellinis satirical commentaryon both of them. Altogether it was the most dis-couraging period of Michel Angelos life, and it w
The midsummer of Italian art . der, all-perceiving eyes ofhis. Leo X. ought to have appointed him architectof St. Peters; but Leo evidently disliked him, andthe building progressed little during his great block of marble in Florence, a companionpiece to the David, which Michel Angelo wished tocarve into a Samson, was awarded to Bendinelli,whose Hercules and Caicus is at the same time itsown criticism and that of the sculptor who made it;if we had not already Cellinis satirical commentaryon both of them. Altogether it was the most dis-couraging period of Michel Angelos life, and it wasunavoidable that the works he produced at this timeshould have a notably subjective cast. The statues for the Medici Chapel were not yetfinished when the siege of Florence came to disturbthe customary avocations of its citizens, and makea wide breach between their past and their futurelives. It is well known that the Day and Eveninghave never been completed, and various reasonshave been suggested for this. Some have supposed. ISAIAH, BY MICHELANGELO Sistine Chapel. Rome The Works of Michel Angelo. 129 that he left them unfinished because he knew notwhat the day would bring forth to Florence; whetherit would be a day of rejoicing or of servitude. Thisis not in accord with the prodigious fertility ofMichel Angelos invention, and his faculty forcreating new forms and faces. It would seem morelikely that after the catastrophe of the siege he losthis interest in the work. It is true he returned toit for a time, but not long after peace had beenestablished he went to Rome and never saw Flor-ence again. There is a sentence in Condivis biog-raphy of Michel Angelo from which we may judgethat he feared the resentment of the Duke Alessan-dro, who was an illegitimate Medici, well known tobe cruel and vindictive. Before considering these noblest works of modemsculpture, I feel how inadequate must be anythingthat I can say of them. In order to enter into their conception from thevery germ,
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Keywords: ., bookauthorstearnsf, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookyear1911
