Oct 21 2009
It Was A Ford, But No Jaguar!
The Torment of Saint Anthony was painted by Michelangelo, when he was only twelve or thirteen years old. Recently bought by the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, The Torment of Saint Anthony has been conserved and examined at the Metropolitan Museum this summer, where it is making its American debut in a gallery display titled “Michelangelo’s First Painting.” The display, organized by Keith Christiansen, sets the painting and Schongauer’s original engraving side by side.
Buonarroti’s version of the engraving is unique- like most of his other pieces of work. The recent polishing done by the Met conservator Michael Gallagher removed layers of darkening varnish, giving the painting life. One of his biographers noted that he (Michelangelo) had visited a fish market while painting The Torment of Saint Anthony in order to accurately portray the fish scales on the demons. Why? The answer to that, only Michelangelo himself can answer. What was eye-catching, however, was the placid background in which the tormenting was taking place.
Saint Anthony, with his scrawny hands, is nothing surprising; it is due to Michelangelo’s poor penciling. The painting did not bring about any emotions of agony or torment, but rather anger and revenge. The fierce eyes the demons look at the saint with, the weapons the demon-like monsters held, and the constant tugging at the saint all depict a scene of retaliation the monsters are bringing about on Saint Anthony, whose face is drawn with dismay and compulsion.
The reactions of those who surrounded the painting differed; some were shocked at the small size of the painting, while others gazed at it with awe because of the beautiful quality of the varnish. Expecting something larger and more “authentic” as the museum deemed the painting to be, Michelangelo’s Torment of Saint Anthony is nothing that should be valued at over six million dollars. People around the world are starving every day because they cannot get something to eat, while museums in the United States are willing to pay millions of dollars for a 18 ½ x 13 ¼ inch painting. People are drawn to big names; the same can be said about art fans. As far as this painting is concerned, it is nothing more than a Ford, selling for the price of a Jaguar.
If you’re an art fanatic, check out Michelangelo’s biography here.
I did expect the painting to be a lot bigger. But, I do agree with Sijia, he was a young boy and does deserve some credit. It is not really the size that makes it seem a little off putting, I think we expected a different medium to be used. Maybe something more lively than paint.
I hope whatever doodles I made when I was 10-13yrs old, you guys would buy for that much too! I’ll be sure to add some touch-ups to them soon too. 😉
I was expecting something much bigger than the tiny painting as well. However, I don’t think that it was a rip off. There was a lot going on in the painting that made it amazing. The calm background contrasting with the dark scene in the front could represent how oblivious people are to what is really happening in the world. I also think it was inspirational to look at, because it represented triumph. If Saint Anthony could deal with being tortured by demons, then who are we to be complaining about our everyday lives?
yeah, i was definitely shocked by the painting’s size.
i didn’t know that he drew this when he was 13 years old. this makes me think THAT much highly of the painting. i loved it already – i think it depicted a lot of emotions very effectively. there was sin and purity, corruption, dark, light, temptation. so much. but to be able to think of all these things and know how to portray them at such a young age? i think only a genius can do that.
I agree with you, especially that Michelangelo is considered “THE MAN” in art. But don’t forget that Michelangelo painted this when he was only around 13. As Michelangelo the kid, he deserve some credit if only for his hard-working spirit that created such a beautifully colored replica.
It hurts me to hear you call Michelangelo’s first painting a Ford. The tag might be surprising, but it is the price that we have to pay for art. Maybe it’s because I am coming from an art background that my view is distorted but I was in no way disappointed when I see this small, homely size canvas.
Buying a Michelangelo’s first painting is like buying a Michael Jackson’s first amateur CD. And I am pretty sure that people are willing to pay over a million to own the original copy of that CD.
In another word, the art world considers Michelangelo, what I like to say, “THE MAN.”
I love the title, it is very captivating, specially for the guys in the class.
It is a ” sad but true” reality that is very common in this country. People just love big recognizable names. I mean when I heard that it was by Michelangelo I was interested in going to the museum, I bet the MET made more money during the time of the exhibition just because it was about Michelangelo.
Anyway I do think it was a rip off, I was expecting way more.