When we were teenagers, my brother and sister and I went through an Irving Stone period. Of all of his soapy biographical novels, I must say I liked The Agony and the Ecstasy, about the life of Michelangelo, best. Starting with the his time as an apprentice in Ghirlandaio's studio, a position he takes against his father's wishes, the book is the turbulent tale of Michelangelo's struggles to stay true to himself and become a successful artist.
One of the things that stuck with, me even after all these years, is when Michelangelo is trying to get a commission to carve a huge block of marble in Florence. The stone is famous for its size and quality, but was mis-cut when it was quarried, and no one thinks it can truly be salvaged. But Michelangelo believes that each statue is already in the stone; the sculptor need only recognize it and reveal it with his chisel. The result? His masterpiece, David.
I also learned what "contrapposto" meant from reading that part of the story: one shoulder forward, one knee bent, relaxed yet powerful, it's the perfect pose for strength and beauty. It's how Michelangelo solved the problem of the huge gouge in the side of that enormous block of marble.
As silly as it seems, I thought of Michelangelo's precept more than once this summer while painting rocks. In addition to some perfectly smooth and round stones, some oddly shaped ones found their way into our collection. Rock painting is not a craft for the impatient; it takes time for the base paint to dry as well as the details, and on such a small canvas, that means setting the little project aside for a while between stages. And if Michelangelo is to be believed, it also takes patience and a little imagination to let the rock reveal its true identity.
And that is exactly what I found in the case of Kermit, Pikachu, watermelon, Nemo, rugged heart, and ladybug.
But more importantly, the lesson for me as an educator, is to look for the masterpiece within each student and do my part to reveal it.
One of the things that stuck with, me even after all these years, is when Michelangelo is trying to get a commission to carve a huge block of marble in Florence. The stone is famous for its size and quality, but was mis-cut when it was quarried, and no one thinks it can truly be salvaged. But Michelangelo believes that each statue is already in the stone; the sculptor need only recognize it and reveal it with his chisel. The result? His masterpiece, David.
I also learned what "contrapposto" meant from reading that part of the story: one shoulder forward, one knee bent, relaxed yet powerful, it's the perfect pose for strength and beauty. It's how Michelangelo solved the problem of the huge gouge in the side of that enormous block of marble.
As silly as it seems, I thought of Michelangelo's precept more than once this summer while painting rocks. In addition to some perfectly smooth and round stones, some oddly shaped ones found their way into our collection. Rock painting is not a craft for the impatient; it takes time for the base paint to dry as well as the details, and on such a small canvas, that means setting the little project aside for a while between stages. And if Michelangelo is to be believed, it also takes patience and a little imagination to let the rock reveal its true identity.
And that is exactly what I found in the case of Kermit, Pikachu, watermelon, Nemo, rugged heart, and ladybug.
But more importantly, the lesson for me as an educator, is to look for the masterpiece within each student and do my part to reveal it.
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