Michelangelo's Pietà in the Vatican...

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Michelangelo's Pietà in the Vatican...

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Question: Michelangelo's Pietà in the Vatican...

Option 1: undermines the classical tradition in sculpture by using foreshortening, confusing what is really a technique used in painting.
- This claim is inaccurate. Foreshortening is indeed a classical sculptural and pictorial technique used to create the illusion of depth, and Michelangelo’s work engages high naturalism and idealized form rather than a misapplication of a painting technique. The statement misrepresents the role of foreshortening and its use in sculpture versus painting.

Option 2: was reviled by his contemporaries because the Virgin Mary is not shown crying.
- Historically, the Pietà is praised for its emotional restraint and elegiac composition; there is no widespread record that contemporaries reviled it solely for Mary not crying. The critique of the sculpture is not typically centered on such a melodramatic reaction, making this option dubious as a general claim.

Option 3: shows the Virgin Mary as larger than her full-grown dead son, while still appearing naturalistic.
- This description aligns with the composition: Mary is depicted as monumental and serene, dominating the scene while cradling Jesus, who is portrayed as a fully grown adult. The figure proportions and drapery are rendered with naturalism, creating a striking contrast in scale that emphasizes Mary’s authority and grace within a sacred moment.

Option 4: references the way Athena held the sculpture of Nike, but then with a man, instead of a woman.
- This option imputes a specific classical reference that is not standardly cited in discussions of Michelangelo’s Pietà. The sculpture does not consciously replica or directly reference the Nike figure held by Athena in a way that substitutes a male for a female around the Virgin Mary, making this claim unlikely.

In summary, the statement describing the Virgin Mary as larger than her full-grown dead son while maintaining naturalistic rendering accurately captures the key formal relationship and stylistic approach of Michelangelo's Pietà, whereas the other options misinterpret the technique, historical reception, or iconographic references involved.

ART H 200 A Tuesday Week 3 - Practice Quiz (graded but not for credit)

Michelangelo's Pietà in the Vatican...

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