The Damned Soul by Michelangelo Buonarroti
But isn't it beautiful. Look at the face, really stare at it. The eyes staring intently - locked in pain and fury. You can almost hear the scream - reaching out past the lines into your own heart. What do you see, pain? anger? anguish? there is something that draws me in - maybe its the intensity of the muscles tightly bound but surrounded by air and light and flow.
So I did a little digging (ahem Wikipedia) and although I cannot confirm whether what I found is factual, the story goes that this was a presentation drawing for Gherardo Perini, who was one of Michelangelo's life models. Wikipedia states that when Gherardo would not show at the studio Michelangelo would refuse to draw. In designing ideas or creating inspiration for his sculptures Michelangelo would draw many pictures.When you stare at the drawing it almost looks like it could be made of stone. I could imagine how visually this would translate to sculpture. It's honestly incredible to imagine something that looks so delicate actually be carved from a chunk of rock.
This model is claimed to be a love of Michelangelo's, and mentioned in his poetry. Knowing this adds another dimension to this face. A story being told through the careful drawing of each line and crease. Did the model have to pose in this manner or was it taken from inspiration or memory. Michelangelo seems to have been enthralled with Gherardo - can you see the thrall in this drawing? According to what I read, the love wasn't always mutual which makes me wonder - in the art world it seems the artist and the muse are often interconnected in more ways then through the art. Is this just another version of the "casting couch" or was there more shared there. You can taint the picture depending on what you believe. If the love was real and this was drawn with careful attention to the details in the face it can almost appear sad and cause a little heartache - if the muse just used the artist to get ahead then he can appear like a vile greedy goblin. That's the best part of it being in the eye of the beholder - you get to decide.
Enjoy
image source: http://www.museumsinflorence.com/musei/uffizi-draws.html
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