18th Annual Student Research Conference
Fine Arts
Michelangelo’s Drawings: Considering Natural Inclination
Michelle N. Salzman
Dr. Julia DeLancey, Faculty Mentor
Michelangelo excelled in various media, principally sculpture and painting. However, primary source documents indicate that he favored three-dimensional work. Those who interacted with Michelangelo, such as Giorgio Vasari and Ascanio Condivi, record the artist’s insistence that he was a sculptor rather than a painter. Furthermore, Michelangelo himself expressed his displeasure through letters and poems at working on the frescoes of the Sistine Ceiling instead of the sculptural tomb of Julius II. In order to understand why he preferred sculpture, it is necessary to get at the heart of how he approached, from the outset, both two- and three-dimensional work. The common ground for both his paintings and sculptures are his preparatory drawings. This presentation will exhibit and discuss drawings by Michelangelo which I have replicated in order to explore Michelangelo’s natural inclination toward three-dimensional work.
Keywords: Michelangelo, drawing technique, inclination
Topic(s):Art History
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 16-2
Location: OP 2210
Time: 10:00