Judgements of Art How Does

¶ … Judgements of Art How does one judge a work of art? One could come to blows upon this topic regarding modern art, yet the reputation of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci as masters of their respective crafts seems secure. Michelangelo's "David" is an almost perfect specimen of humanity.

Yet beneath the rippling muscle, the uncertainty of pose and poise of the young man also communicates the artist's core message, the callowness and fear of the young warrior, not yet a king, who is about to slay Goliath with his small slingshot. This is why "Michelangelo's figures are both animated and restrained, and seem to possess great spiritual energy.

His work presses toward the extremes of heroism and tragedy but is never false or artificial." (Summer, "Michelangelo," 2004) Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" is not as beautiful as "David," yet it stands tall as a strong work of portraiture. The "Mona Lisa's" smile captivates because its ambiguity of expression seems so real.

"Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is probably the most famous portrait ever painted," yet the woman herself remains inscrutable and private to the viewer in terms of her true nature, even in an era where painting was the record-keeping visual art of its day, before the invention of photography. This conveyance of human nature is part of the work's genius, and what the artist apparently intended to convey -- not greatness, but ordinariness, in contrast to Michelangelo.

It is still a masterwork of craft, but of a subtler craft of character as the "Mona Lisa's "blurred outlines, graceful figure, dramatic contrasts of dark and light, and overall feeling of calm are characteristic of Leonardo's style." (Summers, "Mona Lisa," 2004) Although great a craftsman of his respective mediums as Michelangelo, in contrast to Michelangelo's expansive imagination, Leonardo was most of all an excellent observer. He concerned himself with what the eye could see, rather than with purely abstract concepts. (Summers, 2004, da Vinci) Works Cited David." Michelangelo. World Book Online.