Masters of Art

Essay (revised)

In the art world there are many defining examples of how an artist may be classified as a master, technical skill, originality and boldness are just some of the characteristics that place individuals in this category. There are also many modern artists that take a postmodern approach to the mastery of art and present an anti-example for what should define a “master” of art. Michelangelo and Leonardo D Vinci are classical examples of mastery where as Andy Warhol takes mastery of art in a different direction.

When considering at the works of Michelangelo it can be seen that his great amount of detail and varied use of mediums puts him in the category of an artistic master. This mastery can be seen in one of his most famous works being the sculpture of David, not only was it technically very trying but the materials used would have been extremely hard to get shipped or transported to Florence. Using marble Michelangelo wanted to sculpt the ideal male. He selected many men who he believed to be good looking and adopted all these features into the sculpture that he believed was the representation of a perfect man. Size also plays a role in the analysis of this artist as a master. The hyperbolic resizing of the man not only presents a god like image but shows of to the extreme Michelangelo’s capabilities making this artwork a “masterpiece” He used a chisel and scaffolding to slowly work away at craving out the shape of this man. This meticulous and extremely detailed sculpture both through research and practice is just one example that shows how Michelangelo is an artistic master.

Another work showing this mastery is the finely detailed paintings on the cisteine chapel. This was one of the most trying and difficult artworks faced by the artist and shows again his mastership of artistic concepts and practice.   This work not only showed his artistic skills but his skills in architecture. To reach the roof of the chapel Michelangelo had to build...