La Pietà

This is a Descriptive Essay I wrote in 2005 about my favorite sculpture:

My most favorite work of art is The Pietà, sculpted by Michelangelo. This magnificent work of art stands behind a thick sheet of glass in Saint Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City. It is a life-sized depiction in marble, of Mary holding the body of Jesus after he had been crucified. I first came across a picture of the Pietà while flipping through an art book in my high school’s library. Because I am Jewish, this picture did not speak to me psychologically due to religious purposes, but rather in sheer disbelief that a human being created this marvelous depiction with first, his mind, and then his hands. This was proof to me in ninth grade that if you set your mind to it, you can do anything. The Pieta is the most magnificent work of art because of the detail Michelangelo put into the robes that Mary is wearing, the definition of Jesus’ body, and especially the precision given to their hands and feet. To truly appreciate this sculpture’s beauty you must keep in mind that it is a sculpture and that it is carved from a large chunk of marble.

Mary is very well covered from head to toe. The fabric covering her head is made of a thin material, which has many folds and bunches to it. These folds and bunches follow over the forehead, and around her cheekbones, hiding her ears from view. The fabric travels over her shoulders to her back. It frames her sullen, yet peaceful face which looks down upon Jesus’ body lying lifeless in her lap. You can see the definition of her eyebrows, nose, cheeks, thin lips, and her strong but unobtrusive chin. You can see the creases in her eyelids, and the indentation of the piece of skin between her collarbones, which covers the entrance to her trachea. From just below this point, starts the collar of her dress.

The collar is bunched up all around her neck like she took some Queen sized bed sheets, took a piece of string, folded the sheet over the string and made the string

large enough to put her head through, but not big enough to fall over her shoulders. The fabric is tapered at the wrists and the rest falls like a potato sack made of linen instead of burlap, to the floor. There is a strap across her chest probably about two inches wide. The inscription on the strap is Michelangelo’s name written in big, Latin letters starting from the bottom of her right breast and reading up to her left shoulder. The fabric of her dress bunches and folds underneath the strap defining the shape of her breasts, which seem quite large for her size. There is a blanket draped over her right shoulder and over her lap, in which she holds Jesus’ body with her right hand. The blanket drapes down her legs to the floor with large creases and folds. The creases and folds of the blanket and her robes make you feel like you can touch them or if the wind blew they would move.

Jesus’ body lying draped across Mary’s lap is even more amazing and detailed because Michelangelo was best at depicting human features and Jesus is almost naked. The only thing covering him is a thin piece of fabric tied around his hips, covering his bottom and front. His head lays tilted back into Mary’s arms. His hair looks so thick and curly; you want to run your fingers through it. You can also see his eyebrows, his eyes are closed, his nose is so detailed Michelangelo probably but a booger or two in there for amusement (that’s what you get for looking up Jesus’ nose). You can see a little curly goatee on his chin, his Adam's apple, his collarbones, which forms the indentation of the entrance to the trachea. Jesus’ chest is scrawny and bird-like with little nipples protruding from where his pectorals should be if he had them. All you can see are where the ribs connect to the sternum, and the outline of his abdominal muscles, hip bones, and ribs. You can even see his belly button which is almost lost in the crease between the left side of his ribs and his hip bone. Between the fifth and sixth ribs from the bottom, you can see a horizontal cut and another one vertically across the second rib from the bottom. His bottom rests on Mary’s left knee. I can’t even begin to explain how gravity appears to be pulling down on him; it is so amazing and life-like. You can see the muscles in his thighs, and the back of his legs, and where the muscles connect to the knees. You can see the definition of the knees and the muscles of his lower legs. The muscles in his arms are also well defined. You can see the outline of his biceps, and his right tricep, the veins, and muscles of his forearms. The detail given to his elbows and the patch of skin between the upper arm and forearm, opposite the elbow, makes you believe you can move his arm up to rest on his stomach.

The detail of Mary’s face, hands and robes are impeccable and are probably the most convincing evidence that forces you to believe that this is real and not a statue. Mary’s right hand is holding up Jesus’ body under his right armpit. You can see the tension, and feel the grip of her fingers holding up his torso. You can see her fingernails and each individual knuckle. Her left hand at Jesus’ knee is palm up, the thumb close to the palm and her fingers spread slightly apart. Perhaps this is a gesture asking “why” or maybe even,” here God, this is what they did to your son”. The muscles and creases of her hands and fingers are so detailed a fortune teller could read her palm. From Jesus’ elbow to his knuckles you can see his veins, like the veins of a man who works with his hands. You can see the tendons of his fingers and each knuckle defined as perfect human fingers could be. The same goes for his feet and ankles; from the balls of his feet to the toenails on his toes. Finally, in the center of his hands and feet, there is a

rectangular shaped imperfect hole, which reveals that this is a depiction of Jesus after his crucifixion.

As a graduation present from my mother, I went to Rome, Italy for two weeks. During this two-week period, I went to the Vatican to see Pope John Paul, II. I saw many, many more works by Michelangelo as well as DaVinci (now a have a few new favorites from the Sistine Chapel and the halls leading to it). When I walked into Saint Peters Basilica I saw for the first time my beloved Pietà in person to the right of the entrance. It was more beautiful than I had imagined. I only wish I could be close enough to touch it. I still believe that if the wind blows Mary’s robes will blow also or that I can wiggle Jesus’ toes and fingers and bend his arms. That thick glass wall hindered me from getting close enough to prove to my mind's eye that it is a statue made of marble rather than two people who have been frozen in time. I later found out that it used to be in the courtyard but people kept climbing on it and broke a piece of Jesus’ toe off. This made me very mad because someone broke off a piece of my favorite work of art, and now, because of their stupidity, I can’t get any closer to the Pietà. Why would anyone climb on this beautiful statue? Oh well, one day it will be on exhibit and I’ll have one more chance to feel the cold marble that looks like it was molded out of clay instead of worked away with a hammer and chisel.