Faith
As Demonstrated By Michelangelo’s Pieta
Camera Sony ILCE-7M3 Lens Sony FE 24-240 F3.5-6.3 OSS (SEL24240) Focal Length144.0 mm (144.0 mm in 35mm) Aperture f/6.3Exposure Time 0.00156s (1/640) ISO51200 Copyright sfJames Date Taken2024-04-04 03:27:35 Buy Photo
Faith is a complete trust and confidence in someone or something. It is a strong belief in God or religion. It is not based on proof but on “spiritual apprehension.” Faith is also a system of religion, such as the Christian faith.
Faith is also a firmly held belief or theory. Take, for example, the “faith that life will expand until it fills the universe.”
The Pieta is an example of faith. It is art demonstrating how strongly Michelangeo's religious faith is reflected in his work. It is also a demonstration of faith in science.
The Pieta is an example of the perfection of human anatomy. From the fingers on Mary’s hands to the detail in Jesus’s body, the intricacies of the human body are carved in exceptional detail.
Camera Sony ILCE-7M3 Lens Sony FE 24-240 F3.5-6.3 OSS (SEL24240) Focal Length128.0 mm (128.0 mm in 35mm) Aperture f/6.3Exposure Time0.00156s (1/640) ISO51200 Buy Photo
Michelangelo achieved such details in his carvings of the human form because he studied the human body,
“Unlike most Renaissance artists, who learned about the human body from ancient sculpture and live models, Michelangelo participated in dissections. According to his acquaintance and biographer Ascanio Condivi, the artist first examined corpses in the convent of Santo Spirito in Florence when he was in his late teens.
Michelangelo’s interest in anatomy did not extend to the organs but focused on the muscles and bones.” The J Paul Getty Museum
The artistry, science, and vision of the Pieta are perfect examples of how these elements come together in a demonstration of faith. The work is a prime example of how art reflects our faith. It is a perfect example of our confidence in something or someone, in this case, God. Additionally, that faith is motivated by the beautiful artistry of a carving in stone with such detail that the sculpture comes to life.
When I photographed the Pieta at St. Peter’s in Rome, I was motivated to capture the detail I saw with my eyes. I wanted to ensure that the result captured the inspiring work by Michelangelo.
The Pieta invokes strong emotion. It is related to religious faith and shows how art can reflect faith in a broader sense. We can experience our faith in different ways when we look at the intricate details of the sculpture, such as the simple carving of Mary’s face, in deep contrast to the details of the human anatomy and the clothing depicted in the sculpture.
As I photographed the Pieta, I wanted to capture its ‘shortcomings” or flaws. There are two; if you look at the photographs, they come to life.
“The masterpiece comes with a major flaw, which Michelangelo, perhaps wryly, insisted was a manifestation of grace. Jesus looks his age. He appears to be a dead man in his mid-30s. But you needn’t look all that closely at the Madonna to see a teenage mother. When his critics drew attention to this age discrepancy, Michelangelo quipped, “Chasity enjoys eternal youth.”
There is another significant flaw. If the dead figure of Jesus were to stand erect, he would be about six feet tall. If his Mother Mary, who holds him in her lap, stood up, she would be more than twice that height. Most viewers never notice this. Michelangelo knew that the figure of a fully grown man in the lap of a woman would look ungainly, disproportionate. And what he wanted above all in this piece was to display proportion, harmony and completion between the man and the woman.” America Magazine
Camera Sony ILCE-7M3 Lens Sony FE 24-240 F3.5-6.3 OSS (SEL24240) Focal Length194.0 mm (194.0 mm in 35mm) Aperture f/6.3Exposure Time0.00156s (1/640)I SO51200 Buy Photo
The flaws are not flaws. What you see is an achievement in proportion. It reflects Michelangeo’s perfection, which I worked to capture in each photograph.
No matter your religious faith, there is one thing you can learn from the Pieta. You can have faith in the beauty of art created by a human with exceptional vision and the ability to invoke emotion.
It was an experience for me to stand in front of pure art and capture it so that others can experience faith in their way.
Stuart James