Grafmonument van Michelangelo c. 1880 - 1895

This photograph by Fratelli Alinari captures Michelangelo’s tomb, a monument completed in 1578, almost fifteen years after his death. It was a time of significant shifts in artistic and cultural values. The tomb is a grand statement of Renaissance ideals and societal expectations. Notice the three mourning female figures seated at the base of the tomb. These women may represent painting, sculpture, and architecture, paying homage to Michelangelo’s accomplishments. Their postures are expressive, conveying grief and loss while adhering to the period’s ideas of idealized beauty. Consider how male artists at the time depicted women and how the female form was frequently employed to communicate abstract concepts or emotions. The monument celebrates Michelangelo's genius, but also reflects the patriarchal structures of the time. "Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it" – his words reveal the belief that his role was to uncover and reveal the inherent beauty of the material. Photographs like this one allow us to reflect on the legacies we build and the stories we choose to tell about ourselves and others. It's a poignant reminder of how history remembers and celebrates its heroes, and perhaps even more importantly, how it often forgets those on whose shoulders these heroes stood.