Free Cellini’s Perseus Essay Example

People of Renaissance had a fully-fledged and multi-faceted life and attained a high degree of perfection at the same time in different areas of knowledge and art. The aim of this paper is to review the life of one of Italy’s Renaissance men, Benvenuto Cellini and a review of his early work. The best prime years of his work as an artist were the years in which he sculpted the colossal bronze statue of Perseus.
According to ancient Greek mythology, Perseus was the son of Zeus, Lord of the Olympian gods, who was attracted by the beauty of Perseus mother– Danae. To attract her attention and lay claim to her, he insidiously penetrated in the form of golden rain. Perseus grandfather, King Acrisius, was informed by the oracle that he was destined to die through the hands of his grandson. Petrified, he ordered the locking up of Danae and Perseus in a wooden box and cast them into the sea, to the turbulence of the waves. Through Zeus help, the waves drifted Perseus together with his mother to the island of Serif. While on the island, Perseus grew into an invincible warrior. When the king of the Serif - Polydectes - wished to marry beautiful Danae, Perseus opposed this. To get rid of unexpected obstacles Polydectes gave Perseus a dangerous task - to bring him the head of Medusa the Gorgon.
There once lived three beautiful sisters Medusa, Sphene, and Euryale. Medusa was the youngest of the sisters; such was her beauty that she fell in love with the mighty Poseidon, god of the seas. Medusa angered Olympians due to her arrogance, and they turned her and her sisters into the most terrifying creatures that ever graced the earth. They turned into ugly winged creatures covered with scales, their hair was substituted with stirring snakes and could turn anyone who gazed at them to stone. The older sisters were immortal but the youngest, Medusa, was mortal.
Polydectes sent Perseus on a mission to retrieve Medusa’s head. The gods Athena and Hermes helped Zeus’s son find the lair of gorgons. Using a mirror shield to see the monsters without fear of turning to stone he was able to cut off the head of Medusa. The head retained the ability to turn anyone who gazed at it to stone. Polydectes did not believe that Perseus could accomplish such a feat, and demanded to view the Gorgons head and was immediately turned to stone.
Such feats of Perseus remain entrenched in Greek mythology and World literature. In addition to that, Perseus masterpiece sculpture would live through the ages as legendary sculpture. As another art chef-d ‘oeuvres, sculpture Perseus also has its special meaning and influence in Italian art and history.
Clearly understand all details of the sculpture to review author’s brief biography and his creative way, which could be a key point in creation of the masterpiece.
Benvenuto Cellini is an Italian jeweler, sculptor, and writer, born in Florence on November 3, 1500. Leading an adventurous life and versatility, Benvenuto Cellini fully reflects the spirit of the Italian Renaissance. As a 15-year-old boy, Benvenuto ran away from home to become an apprentice of the famous goldsmiths. Cellinis character was far from ordinary, and moreso violent, this did not allow him to stay for long in one place. Because of his restless nature, often clashing with the authorities, Benvenuto Cellini, had not yet attained the age of seventeen, yet he had already visited Siena, Bologna, and Pisa. His first visit to Rome was in 1519 and from 1523 was in the service of Pope Clement VII, then at Paul III. In 1527, Cellini witnessed the ruin of Roman troops, of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. In 1538 on the orders of Pope Paul III, he was imprisoned in the castle of Sant'Angelo on charges of theft but managed to escape to France. In 1540-1545, Benvenuto Cellini worked in Paris and Fontainebleau on the orders of Francis I, who granted him French citizenship. In the summer of 1545, he returned to his homeland.
Addiction of the sculptor to dynamism and clarity defines him as a talented student of Michelangelo. A realistic character bronze busts and marble of "Crucifixion" shows that more than any other sculptor of his contemporary colleges Cellini maintained contact with the traditions of Italian art heyday.
Contemporaries appreciated Cellini as an artisan, with respect to the artistic talent; their opinions were both positive and negative. However, despite this, he was supposed to represent the sculptors at the burial ceremony of Michelangelo. Varchi and Vasari praised his talent as a jeweler. Cellini's place in art history is determined primarily by its work in the field of sculpture. His work has influenced the development of Mannerism. The sculpture and architecture of Mannerism were manifested mainly in the tendency toward unstable, dynamic compositions, dynamic expression of the decor, in an attempt to stage effects, to the fantastic details.
In the middle of the XVI century, the magnificent Florence was ruled by Duke Cosimo de 'Medici, a passionate art lover and patron of artists. When he learned that within his duchy was the famous goldsmith and sculptor Benvenuto Cellini, patron’s delight knew no bounds. As soon as he met with Cellini, Duke invited him to make a sculpture of Perseus in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence - the hero of Greek myth, who defeated Medusa and symbolized the victory of Cosimo I and his rise to power in Florence. Perseus was to be sculptured in the moment of his triumph; standing over the body of the defeated Gorgon, with a severed head in his hand. It was a great honor - to place his sculpture on the Piazza Della Signoria, next to the sculpture "Judith and Holofernes" by Donatello and "David" by Michelangelo. Cellini began working with renewed passion for the work.
The statue was to be hollow, and the technology of casting a sculpture required vast labor and was time consuming. First, it was produced by clay sculptures. It was calcined, coated with wax, and then daubed clay. Then the wax drips through the holes and a block of clay formed in the void filled with bronze. When modeling and casting sculpture Cellini came across many difficulties. Duke did not provide the finances required for the job. Benvenuto had not been able to hire a sufficient number of apprentices. During several instances, he fell into despair and was ready to quit and leave, but he always regained the courage to fight with his fate. Finally, the wax model of Perseus was ready; the figure was cast in bronze.
The master did not hurry to burn the clay sculptures, as he knew nothing about the properties of the local clay. As an experiment, according to the source, Cellini sculpted the bust of Cosimo I and cast it in bronze. Duke liked the bust. After that success Cellini started sculpting.
Perseus was so complicated, with so much detail that no one believed in the success of the plan. Casting took place in severe conditions so that the ultimate success of the witnesses thought it a miracle. Struggling with a strong downpour, Cellini ordered a raise of temperatures in the oven, where it collapsed and started a fire in the studio. Even after the commencement of casting, it was suddenly established that bronze was not good enough, and Cellini ordered it thrown into the furnace of his pewter ware, and in those years, it was worth not much cheaper than silver.to cap it all up, the master was seriously ill and could hardly stand on his feet.
However, on April 27, 1554, the statue of Perseus was established in Piazza Della Signoria. The magnificent sculpture does not get the required attention of tourists that it deserves, as this is lost to the renowned "David" by Michelangelo, and "The Rape of the Sabine Women" by Giambologna. Many tourists don’t notice what lies at the feet of the body of Perseus, a beheaded Gorgon. Cellini did not make the scaly winged monster Medusa, and he carved beautiful body of a young woman. Perseus crafted by Benvenuto Cellini is something familiar to the strange fame of its sculptor.
According to the custom of the time, the townspeople hung on a pedestal exhibited sculptural works sonnets expressing their appreciation of these sculptures. The creation of Perseus was the greatest triumph in the life of Cellini. The Pedestal was full and surrounded by Italian, Greek and Latin poems in praise of the statue, among the authors of sonnets was Bronzino and other major artists and sculptors.
The sculpture "Perseus", situated near the new main palace becomes a monument of Cosimo I de 'Medici. Perseus is holding the newly severed head of Medusa, holding it high above them. His face turned towards the body sprawled underfoot. The right hand was with sword. The group stands on a pedestal. Under the pedestal plinth loggia is a relief depicting the Liberation of Andromeda by Perseus.
The plot in the victory of Perseus over the Gorgon Medusa set out not only in the sculptural group but also in the relief under the pedestal - should be associated with the victory of the Medici power over the Republic. It is interesting to note that in the present monument and the presentation of the course of events (in relief), and the result - in most of the sculptural group. Thus, the story told to the end, interpreted allegorically, to convince the viewer of the inevitability of what happened.
The pedestal is decorated with four small sculptures. Under each of them is text cartouches. It is known that the two versions of the texts survived, their authorship is attributed to Varchi. At the corners, there are four goat heads. Although in Christian circles a goat symbolizes negative character its use in this placement is justified as a connection with astrology. Capricorn was used as the emblem of Cosimo I de 'Medici in memory of the military victory achieved under the influence of this constellation. Other decorative elements - Caryatids, referring to the typology of Artemis and garlands of fruit - are connected with the theme of fertility and abundance. Mascarons skull should remind about the theme of “antiatom vanitas”.
No doubt, Perseus was one of the greatest and tremendous works of Cellini. In the the passage below, I want to highlight the author’s inspiration, experience and intention, what actually motivated him.
Cellini began his career and was known as a goldsmith and medallist. Unfortunately, an increasing number of his works did not survive, and some of those that were attributed to him, because of examinations were found not to be his work.
In his great work, Cellini used previous experience. Elaboration and principles of the sculptural group, decorating the pedestal of the statue is the place of application of his skills as a jeweler. If we consider the pedestal, we can conclude that he adores his luxury items - cash décor behind which hides a simple cube with four cut-shaped niches and corners. Drawing up the overall work of three separate parts, which are interconnected in subtle as subordinate (sculpture, pedestal, relief) - an example of the wizard who thinks his work is not a single volume, but significant parts of the union. Rather, the approach is not of a sculptor, but the master of small forms and decorative art that is easy to develop a predetermined volume, but in the construction of multi-piece mold loses overall unity.
Talking about his mood and relations with the customer is another and, in the case of Cellini, essential point of creating a sculpture. Even in this case, Perseus has specific exclusion. Based on many judgments of Cellini, he was entirely political. On several instances he writes that the best opportunity for the artist - work at the generous sovereign, who is willing to give him the opportunity to express themselves. His self-confidence is always faced with the problem of the customer relations, and in a broader sense - the link with the government and with the question of national self-awareness. And if in the first half of his life Cellini does not feel a special thrill when dealing with Pope Clement VII, with the bishops, with Francis I and many notable personages, the relationship with the Medici changed this trend. Once dependent on the goodwill and the will of the Duke, Cellini was trying to keep the hardness of their decisions but forced to adapt to the evolving situation. Also, earlier brisk, bold and self-confident, he is the end of life will be waiting for the payment of the fee for Perseus (although definitely with him and has not paid off).
Work on the "Perseus" was completed on an empty purse. Duke was paying less and less to an artist: from a hundred crowns a month, payment dropped to twenty-five, and then he completely stopped paying. The artist tried to fight; but he was politely informed that if he did not stop fighting, the Duke orders were to throw "Perseus" of the Loggia de Lanzi. Cosimo owed the artist until his death. As for Cellini and "Perseus", the sculptor got much more than he wanted to, he was recognized all over the world, and his name stands next to the names of the great masters of the Renaissance.
We can see that Cellini’s mood and behavior changed entirely. He sacrificed himself, his values and morals for “Perseus”. He could stand all Medici requirements and duties while with bishops and rulers he was quite arrogant, insolent and ambitious. Perseus had a significant meaning for him and took a special place in his life, maybe not as famous as people expected, however, in my point of view, for Benvenuto it was more than enough.
Perseus is probably the most difficult and the most important monument to Benvenuto Cellini. This incarnation of his understanding of the idea of round sculpture is an example of rethinking the existing traditions in sculpture, is the realization of his experience and ability to use technology they found. Cellini, not having excessive modesty, estimates this monument as almost the best creation in Florence.
Many critics in the comparison of the final version of the statue with its models noted that the development of the plastic threads in them is an example of the transition to the rich Renaissance forms, perhaps even cluttered details of the sculpture. Cellini applies all impossibilities of the previous time, non-classical means of expression: tapping into the projection of the sculpture beyond the pedestal, the absence of tectonics in the subordination of the pedestal and the figure complicated, sophisticated study (which shows the influence of jewelry experience) forms and surfaces. Perseus can be called a perfect example of Italian sculpture of the middle XVI century, a remarkable example of the art of casting and an outstanding example of metal working (and stones) and ranks it the best works of Mannerism.
Cellini considered his work as the apogee of Renaissance art. His attitude to his sculpture, creativity, to everything around him, is full of the most vivid experiences. In his life and in art, as in the worldview of the era as a whole, redundancy considered normal. This limit saturation has become customary quality; it must have been to make a person experience a very unreal event or phenomenon. In addition, it became the basis of the trend towards naturalism, to the real, stunning tactile perception of the real world, that is, simultaneously with the human desire to escape from reality into the world of miracles giving rise to mannerist art phenomenon.
The Tragedy of Cellini as a person and as an artist, an example of which was the process of creating a "Perseus" was a reflection of changing times and representations, changing value systems and the failure to choose between two models of behavior. This is a problem mismatch between ambitions, self-perception of the artist, the assessment of its operations and it is realism.
Expressing my opinion, I can say I am lucky I have been to Florence and have seen Perseus as the original sculpture. Honestly, being on Piazza Della Signoria your first glance is towards sculptures and works of Michelangelo, Donatello, Bandinelli. From one side, it seems like Perseus is modestly staying at the corner; from another – he catches the eye and does not let go as if Gorgon gave part of its magical influence for the wizard’s sculpture. It is not just a sculpture; it is the last gift from great Cellini.