Glorified Brilliance

     

       People are always talking about how corrupt and horrible it is when those in power muscle their influence over others or may honor themselves with lavish paintings or sculptures. But I’m beginning to appreciate their bravado, because what they’ve made from their power and tyranny is beauty. You can’t really say you don’t approve of someone when you can’t help but love what has come from their ambitions.

       The Sistine Chapel, the Pantheon, the Coliseum, the Arch or Constantine: all created to honor powerful figures in Roman society, even if not in the same sense. The Coliseum was built in order to immortalize the dominance of emperors Vespasian, Titus, and Domitan. This also reflects the intent of those in power to keep the people happy, allowing people an outlet of national pride and culture. If someone had status and money you could literally leave your mark upon history. But it did; not only did it revolutionize entertainment, engineering, construction, and architecture but also set a model for modern arenas. Nothing could ever compare to the importance of this building for its technique in modifying the way masses could congregate. You never think to actually appreciate Arco Arena “Powerbalance Pavillion” the same way.

       Sway by power is also exemplified heavily within the Roman Catholic Church. Because the Church had money and influence, it was able to incorporate itself into many aspects of Roman culture, especially when analyzing the Baroque Movement.  Due to their plunging popularity, in order to draw people back to the church, officials were forced to embark on a mission to make people want to come back to the church. What better way than constructing magnificent works of art, that and stimulated people visually to make them feel like they were being directly touched by the spirit. I certainly would have fallen victim to this visual manipulation, not being a religious person, and cause me to become a religious zealot. Who can really fight that sort of thing? Unfortunately, it was all propaganda, so you can’t really look at it in a light of religious pride because it really is only for the benefit of the church to draw in more followers based upon superficial looks, allowing the church a safe cover for whatever it might have done that would be considered less than holy. But I appreciate it for what it is, regardless of the motives, even if it’s just another powerful faction flexing against the free thinking and wills of the people, or maybe an opposing powers contradicting effect.

Inspires you just looking at it right?

 

       I honestly don’t see anything wrong with naked people. You’re born naked, can’t be that bad; especially when created by a master, and revered genius such as Michelangelo.  As I look at the massiveness of the church itself, it’s hard to fathom setting yourself atop anything other than a cherry picker to reach the ceiling, which I believe is what makes this work of art all the more brilliant, knowing that Michelangelo probably did not have much more than wooden platforms, ladders, and maybe rope to keep him secure so high above the ground. I can’t help but feel moved by the magnificence of it all, knowing I would never be able to even half way understand the complexity, the strenuous care to creating such an important, massive, and inspiring image, that would draw people to it for hundreds of years after its creation.