Theme of Redemption in La Pieta by Michelangelo

Michelangelo’s Pieta

Michelangelo uses the principles and elements of art, namely directionality, shape and texture, to communicate a very important religious theme to his audience of the time. The theme is one of Christian redemption coupled with intense sorrow and suffering on the part of the Blessed Virgin Mother of God. Through line, shape and texture, Michelangelo conveys this sorrow for the audience to feel.

Directionality is one of the most important elements of art because it controls the movement of the eyes by getting them to follow a line within the artwork. Just as a filmmaker uses the frame of the camera to capture the eyes, the artist must use the material to direct the eyes around the work of art. That is where directionality comes into play and it is achieved through the use of line.[footnoteRef:2] In the Pieta, the line of the sculpture is elegantly directed in a triangular pattern, with the head of the Virgin serving as the peak of the sculpture, the shoulder of the dead Christ serving as another angle and the left hand of the Virgin serving as the third angle of the triangular line moving the eyes down to the feet of the Christ. From there, the line directs the eyes to the knee of the Virgin supporting the legs of her Son. The robes of the Virgin are folded so that they conduct the eyes with their lines over to the other side of the sculpture. The arm of the Christ is draped down to collect the eyes from the robes and move them up to the shoulder. There the eyes connect with the head of the Christ and travel up the shoulder of the Virgin, against whose body the head is resting. The head of the Virgin is tilted down to see her Son, and the eyes of the viewer thus move up to meet hers. Her veil is rounded down to take the eyes back to her left hand, and that completes the loop. It is a triangular line that has a symbolic religious meaning: in Christianity, the triangle represents the Holy Trinity—the three Persons in God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Christ is the 2nd Person in the Trinity and the sculpture reflects His place within the Trinity through its use of line and directionality.[footnoteRef:3] [2: Dianne Mize, “The Power of Direction,” Compose, 2011. http://visualcomposing.blogspot.com/2011/11/power-of-direction.html#:~:text=For%20ages%2C%20artists%20have%20been,or%20color%20or%20value%20contrast.] [3: Lynne Forrest, “Trinity or Triangle? The Faces of the Divine Trinity and Its Shadow.” LynneForrest, 2012. https://www.lynneforrest.com/articles/2012/05/trinity-or-triangle-the-faces-of-the-divine-trinity-and-its-shadow/]

The shape of the sculpture is aligned so that it conveys unity and wholeness. The dead Son is in the lap of the Mother—but they are not disconnected in terms of shape. Together they form a perfect triangle from whatever perspective one takes. Michelangelo carved the sculpture out of one block of marble and this is apparent in its shape: it is whole and solid. Yet at the same time, the shape is fluid; there is nothing rigid about it. Although one perceives the triangular shape of the piece, it does not come across as geometrical but rather as really human. The pose of the two characters is such that it seems like a real woman and son have been captured forever in stone. The realism and naturalism of Michelangelo’s style is apparent in the shape, which indicates to the viewer that the Christ and His mother were truly real people who lived—such is the power of the presentation and its shape.[footnoteRef:4] [4: Vasari, “Lives of the Artists,” NY: Penguin.]