Today, I am thankful for the intense & immense capacity of human imagination.
Sometimes, I like to ponder about those moments in human history where the world was catapulted forward. The technological innovations of the 20th Century are an excellent case in point, where advances in electrical energy and our knowledge of quantum physics propelled our capacity as a species forward. About a half a millennium earlier, the Renaissance period did the same. As the Dark Ages waned, an explosion of humanism, philosophy, and liberal thinking led to the birth of modern thought. No where was this more evident than in a small town in the Tuscany region of central Italy, known as Florence.
It’s somewhat mind-boggling to think how many renowned artists, musicians, and philosophers prospered in Florence under the auspices of the Medici family and other wealthy patrons of the merchant guild. Incredible as it may seem, artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael Sanzio da Urbino, and Michelangelo Buonarroti Simoni were all contemporaries learning and competing with each other to push the limit of human imagination. They became so instrumental that we don’t even recite their full names – they will always be remembered by their single names. In fact, my favorite story of the era is that both Leonardo and Michelangelo were commissioned at the same time to paint 2 depictions of separate war battles by the same family and in the same council chamber. Working at each other’s back, they toiled to produce their own interpretation of the military conflict. I can only imagine what kind of conversations they had as they diligently spattered oil upon canvas in that sweltering hot room.
Amazingly, the two never really grew to like each other. Nevertheless, they would go on to paint, sculpt, & build some of the greatest masterpieces that still marvel us to this day. I’ll come back to da Vinci at another time, but today, it’s only fitting that I praise Michelangelo. Born on this day (Mar 6) in 1475, Michelangelo would develop 2 of the greatest sculptures of our time – the Pieta and the David. He would go on to compile a pictorial representation of the Book of Genesis on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Later in life, he served as the architect for St. Peter’s Basilica, ultimately supervising the construction of its dome – the tallest one in the world.
Michelangelo is veritable proof that the capacity for human imagination is immense. His meticulous attention to detail, his intense work ethic, and his artistic versatility make him a quintessential Renaissance man.
If I could ask him one question it would be the following: What was more challenging: painting with your back to the floor or your back to Leonardo?
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