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Michelangelo, St Bartholomew, and northern Italy
Author(s) -
Gregory Sharon
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
renaissance studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.117
H-Index - 16
eISSN - 1477-4658
pISSN - 0269-1213
DOI - 10.1111/rest.12380
Subject(s) - fresco , judgement , originality , art , genius , portrait , art history , context (archaeology) , painting , history , philosophy , psychology , archaeology , creativity , social psychology , epistemology
Since 1925, it has been widely accepted that Michelangelo painted his own self‐portrait into the flayed skin of St Bartholomew in the fresco of the Last Judgement. Interpretations of what this can have been intended to mean differ widely, from representing Michelangelo's desire to be freed from the constraints of the flesh, to the artist's recognition of his own Marsyas‐like audacity. It seems prudent to inquire into the origins of this motif before speculating on its meaning in the context of this fresco. Perhaps thanks to historical assertions of Michelangelo's originality and inherent genius, it is infrequently noted that Michelangelo owed a significant debt to earlier depictions of the Last Judgement. This paper aims to show that St Bartholomew is often depicted by Northern Italian artists as holding or wearing his flayed skin. Michelangelo may have become aware of these images during his northern sojourns, which included two visits to Venice.