Art & Authenticy

When one first looks at Michelangelo’s First Painting, it is evident that it holds two different scenes. The first scene, which is the background, appears to be a perfect utopian world placed in a serene environment. This contrasts with the second scene, which is at the forefront of the painting. Saint Anthony, the demons, and the rocks are all painted with more vibrant colors creating a chaotic image, which is juxtaposed with the calming background. Continue Reading »

Although Michelangelo Buonarroti‘s “The Torment of Saint Anthony” was based on Martin Schongauer’s engraving, I took away more from the painting than the engraving about good and evil. I see that even though both good and evil coexist simultaneously, as long as people remain confident and calm and resist all temptations, God, represented by nature in the painting, will help them. Looking at Schongauer’s engraving does not convey that feeling because it does not have a peaceful background and the calm expression of St. Anthony like Michelangelo’s. The contrast of the warm and cold colors in Michelangelo’s painting also contributes to the idea that horrible things can happen hiddenly and simultaneously even when the world seems so peaceful.

Michelangelo’s “The Torment of Saint Anthony” is much more than a colored version of Martin Schonaguer’s “The Temptations of Saint Anthony”. Key alternations and added elements allow Michelangelo’s painting to convey a feeling completely different than the one delivered by the engraving that it was based on. Continue Reading »