Host: V&A Academy
Date: June 2nd to July 7th
The towering example of Michelangelo Buonarroti and his influence on the art of the 16th century is the subject of this course. Equally brilliant as painter, sculptor and architect, the very complexity of Michelangelo’s works along with his personal Terribilità were daunting prospects, but contemporary discourses around his art and personality would lead to a new understanding of personal style in art – what it is, why it is unique – and for the first time, artists were considered the equals of poets and philosophers. Michelangelo’s influence inspired some of the most exquisite and bizarre art of all time. From Madonnas with preternaturally long necks to the jewel-like painting of the Farnese Hours and the interactive wall art of Papal Rome, the strange modernity of la bella maniera, or beautiful style is still as striking today as it was when the painter and biographer Giorgio Vasari coined the phrase.
Download the programme here.
