Michelangelo Buonarroti 1881 - 1884

This is Hans Makart's "Michelangelo Buonarroti," which likely dates to the 1870s. It's a historical painting done in oil on canvas, and we can immediately see the artist's deep engagement with the materiality of paint itself. Makart built up layers of pigment to create a palpable sense of depth and texture, from the gold leaf background to the velvet fabric on which Michelangelo's figure reclines. The artist is shown with his tools, presenting a stone block as though it were itself a finished sculpture. The painting revels in the sensuous possibilities of oil paint, celebrating the tactile pleasures of artistic creation. The emphasis here is on the artist's skilled labor, on a high-minded vision brought to life through disciplined craft. It's easy to get lost in the visual qualities of the painting, in the artist’s self-aware portrayal of creative labor. Considering the materials and processes used to produce the artwork allows us to appreciate the level of skill required to produce such a complex and beautiful image. This challenges the traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.