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Michelangelo: The Man and the MythAUGUST 12 THROUGHOCTOBER 19SUArtGalleriesat SyracuseUniversitySyracuse,NewYork(315)443-4°97http://suart.syr.edu

NOVEMBER 4 THROUGHJANUARY 4Louiseand Bernard PalitzGalleryJoseph LubinHouse(212) 826-°320http://lubinhouse.syr.edu

An opportunity to view a Michelangelofirsthand comes all too infrequentlyfor American art enthusiasts, withfewer than a dozen of his drawingsand none of his paintings or sculp-tures held in this country's permanentcollections. An upcoming exhibitiontitled "Michelangelo: The Man and the

Myth"-organized by the CasaBuonarroti, in Florence, in associationwith Syracuse University, in NewYork-will temporarily relieve thisslight with a rare look at 14 of theartist's original drawings displayedalongside his poetry and the work ofhis contemporaries.

Michelangelo helped perpetuate hisenduring legacy as one of the greatartistic geniuses not only through hisprolific output but also through hisdetermination to not let anything shortof perfection survive. Vasari tells usthat when Michelangelo was 89 andnearing death, he burned a large num-ber of his drawings, sketches, and car-toons "so that no one should see thelabors he endured and the ways hetested his genius." This makes viewingthe drawings in this exhibition an even

rarer and more revealing experience-almost against the master's wishes, weget a vicarious glance at the visionsthat inspired some of the greatestworks of art the world has ever known.

The first section of the exhibition,"The Face of Michelangelo," concen-trates on the physical likeness of themaster, featuring portraits by suchartists as Leone Leoni (1509-1590),Marcello Venusti (ca. 1515-1579), andGiorgio Ghisi (ca_1520-1582). Withthis section, viewers get another rarelook at Michelangelo, as the artist wasjust as reticent to have his portraitpainted as he was to reveal his creatiyeprocess. "Michelangelo was not fondof portraying himself or of being por-trayed by others," says guest curatorDottoressa Pina Ragionieri, the direc-tor of the Casa Buonarroti, in

.:':.orence. "In fact, Vasari reported that:::.his day there were but two painted:xJrtraits and a bronze relief of him in=ristence." Later, as a way of paying:::'omageto Michelangelo, numerous~--:istsused his facial features in mul-~ou.red paintings or wrote detailed-'escriptions of his physical appear-="ce in published works.

The second half of "Michelangelo:-::-.3eMan and the Myth" includes a.;:n ection of drawings from the Casa3:lOnarroti, home of the largest.uchelangelo drawing collection in::::'eworld. Five of those drawings have=Eyer been exhibited in America and~e rarely viewed in Europe, due to the=eed to protect them from light.~:::tdies for the Head of Led a, often con-':::dered one of Michelangelo's most:::::nportantdrawings, will be exhibited,

LEFT

Study of a Gate(Porta Pia?)by Michelangelo, 1561, graphite,brown watercolor washes, andlead white, 16 x 10%.

OPPOSITE PAGE, LEFT

Portrait of Michelangeloby Marcello Venusti, ca. 1535,oil, 14 x lo\:<. Collection UffiziGallery, Florence, Italy.

BELOW

Sacrifice of Isaacby Michelangelo, 1560, graphite,pen-and-ink, brown watercolorwashes, and white lead, 19 x 12.

OPPOSITE PAGE, RIGHT

Project forFortificationsby Michelangelo, 1528,pen-and-ink and brownwatercolor washes, 11% x 16\:<.

as will a lesser-known piece titledSacrifice of Isaac. "In this drawing weget a sense of the artist finding hissubject, the excitement and joy of thecreative process as he works throughthe form," says co-curator Gary M.Radke, professor of fine arts atSyracuse University and an expert onItalian Renaissance art and architec-ture. "Ironically, this is precisely theside of Michelangelo he didn't wantpeople to see," ,-. '" '"=c

We get to see even further intoMichelangelo's mind through the exhi-bition of his own words. Poems, son-nets, and letters displayed next to hisdrawings paint an inner portrait ofMichelangelo, the man who expressedthrough poignant description all theagony and ecstasy of artistic emotion.Ernst Steinmann, author of numerous

books on the great master, wrote,"Michelangelo let the fire of hisfriendship express himself more will-ingly with his pen than with his brushor scalpel." Agrees Radke, "In manyways it is the works on paper in thisexhibition-his handwriting, hiswords, his vision-that will providethe greatest glimpse intoMichelangelo's soul."

"Michelangelo: The Man and theMyth" moves viewers to not only con-sider the incredible ingenuity of one ofthe greatest artists of all time but alsoto reflect upon the extraordinary lifethat inspired it. "In organizing thisexhibition, I tried to create somethinglike a biography of the master,"Ragionieri says. "I think it's importantto know the lives of the artist. Because,always, art comes from life." -AM