The neo-platonic theory of vision in Michelangelo’s poetry

The Neoplatonic Theory of Vision in Michelangelo’s Poetry
Yuting Jiang (Anna)
HISART
Professor Willette
Submission Date:
The Neo-Platonic Theory of Vision in Michelangelo’s Poetry
According to Catherine Beyer, Neoplatonism is a system of mystical and theological philosophy that was founded by Plotinus in the third century. Beyer further explains that Neoplatonism was created by a number of Plotinus’ near contemporaries or contemporaries, including Porphyry, Iamblichus, and Proclus in Michelangelo’s Poetry. Neoplatonism is also influenced by different other frameworks of thought, such as Pythagoreanism and Stoicism. However, the original teachings are founded on Plato’s work, an infamous philosopher in classical Greece. The term Neoplatonist was coined by German academics in the mid-19th century basing on their modern understanding of Plato’s concepts.
Ficino is the first source for Michelangelo. One of the most fascinating quality about Ficino is that most of the things which he said about vision corresponded to what was featured in Michelangelo’s poetry. One such significant vision was about reconciliation or attempt to plutonic philosophy and Christian theology. Secondly, Michelangelo’s art of The Archers and The Dream were also Ficin’s visualization thoughts which were depicted by the central statements from the De amore, De vita, and Platonic Theology. The themes such as frenzy, the artistic temperament, and the imagination later on in the 16th century proved to be essential thoughts about drawing. Moreover, Ficino’s visions on inspiration, furor, and love form the fundamental basis that can best explain the Michelangelo’s artistic presentations. This paper seeks to examine the Neoplatonic theory of vision in Michelangelo’s Poetry.
Michelangelo used optical nerves, eyeballs, chiasm, and the brainstem as symbolic elements to represent meaningful aspects in his Neoplatonic theory. The study of Neoplatonic and Platonic philosophy is vast; hence, it provides a broad scope of thematic and visual representation of ideas that enhance the modest examination of Michelangelo’s Neoplatonic model of vision. For instance, Michelangelo uses vision in his theory to condemn sloth, envy, wrath, pride, avarice, lust, and gluttony. Researchers such as Robb 1935, Burckhardt 1954, and Blunt 1940 have tried to simplify Michelangelo’s neuro-atomic images using graphical principles that present the best literary outlines. Available literature from Michelangelo’s poetry, biographers and political climate help elucidate his metaphoric work presented in his paintings.
Many scholars such as Robb, Burckhardt, and Blunt of Michelangelo’s time used the Neoplatonic perspective to try to understand the world and the wonders of their time. Research further shows that scholars depended on the classical Greek philosophy coined by Plato and Plotinus regarding the religious and philosophical world lies and Neoplatonism to conduct studies and explain scientific principles. Michelangelo composed hundreds of madrigals, poems, and sonnets during his productive life ranging between 1475 to 1564. He is one of the first artists to have produced such a considerable amount of verbal and visual media during his time. Leonardo da Vinci is also another artist who left a relatively vast body of written volume of manuscripts. However, most of Leonardo da Vinci’s work was mainly scientific and did not, unlike Michelangelo, reveal his precise symbolic beliefs and introspective thoughts that could have characterized his revelations.
Michelangelo’s Neo-Platonic theory of vision symbolically denotes the archetypal elements of Plato’s Neoplatonic “Allegory of the Cave” within his panel of “Separation of Light from Darkness.” Socrates explains to Glaucon in one of his famous dialogues about the analogy of chained inmates to a live sentence in a cave, but they later escape the shadows and darkness. Socrates, who is also one of the greatest Greek philosophers of all times, underscores Michelangelo’s theory of vision when he compares the escapees with the ascension of men from ignorance into starting to be enlightened and see the light from the truth. Socrates notes that their necks and legs chained the group of prisoners portrayed in Michelangelo’s poetry on the floor of the cell, so they could not turn their necks, and get up on their feet. He further states that the prisoners were blindfolded in a way that they could only see one buffer in front of them. They could not turn to see behind them where there was the fire. They could only see shadows cast by moving objects that walked along the path in the light.
Moreover, Socrates claims that the only reality which the prisoners could interact with was the shadows cast on the walls in front of them. Hence, they named the shadows according to their knowledge and understanding. However, when the prisoners are let free, they can turn around to see the bright light from the fire, which, in effect, affects their eyes and causes them a lot of pain, but they finally see the real objects. Socrates notes that it took the prisoners a lot of time to adjust to bright sunlight coming from the entrance of the cave after leaving their cells. However, it is difficult to return to the cave once a freed inmate makes their way from the caves. The allegory is one of the greatest archetypal symbolism that Plato used to denote the ascension of a man to truth.
Plato presented the allegory in the “Ideas and Forms” from his Reflection of Material Forms’ imprisonment of representatives. The model uses reflections and shadows as mere false symbols of true objects and ‘ideas.’ Similarly, the representation depicts a masterpiece of symbolism that Michelangelo concentrates on in a singular paining that was obligated to Pope Julius II that bespoke the Sistine Chapel plan. The painting also marked the beginning of the epitomes of Christianity, religious and political reformations, as well as the highest turning point of Neoplatonic reverence. Michelangelo’s religious dedication to the church, lifetime struggle to seek divinity and truth, as well as his understanding of Neoplatonism succinctly culminate in the symbolic representation of the image is seated above the pulpit.
The Neoplatonic theory of vision is depicted in Michelangelo’s attempt to explore diverse ways of drawing God’s grand gesture, seemingly during the creation of light in the universe. For instance, his panel of the Separation of Light from Darkness presents some exciting features that are uniquely different from all other works in the Chapel. Although the panel is among his final works of painting that were completed within four years, it appears monochromatic, gestural, and crude compared to his other panels. Besides, God’s face is not depicted from the panel’s obdurate turned head and hyper-extension of the neck. On the contrary, his other panels present God in a clear and prominent lateral and frontal view. Moreover, the additional groups are comparatively colorful and dramatically presented with grim characterizations.
Additionally, Michelangelo depicted God’s arms to have grand poses with His hands in pointing or grasping gestures. Besides, the images indicated severe, varying expressions of God. Also, the Neoplatonic theory of vision depicts the flowing white beard and hair to help underscore the monolithic and compelling acts in each of Michelangelo’s scenes. However, Michelangelo excluded all these cues from the Separation of Light from Darkness poem. On the contrary, the poem presents God with a head turned to the right and bent backward as though the image is trying to look behind. The figure elicits and impression of a person trying to avert his eyes from bright light by blocking the sun’s rays with his hands or attempting to reach out for something at a time.
Figure 1 illustrates Michelangelo’s initial draft for the Separation of Light from Darkness panel. The picture shows three separate gesture-line sketches with wide-spreading hands in different states of an outreaching motion. The figures show a moving body whose positions change from 4B to 4C and 4D from a Y-shaped location through to a relatively moderate shape, then to a closely-approximate position in 4D, respectively. The motions precisely depict effectively the active force generated as God was creating light for human beings. The figure indicates Michelangelo’s attempts to figure out and come up with a rational orientation of God’s hands and arms. Michelangelo’s final painting, as shown in 5D, in the Chapel is interestingly one of the most physically contorted and awkward, particularly for a person in the monumental process of creating light in the world. Michelangelo presents light to be originating from around the image’s head, seemingly from behind God.
The Neoplatonic model of vision presents God as the ultimate source of light that illuminates the universe. However, the image in the Separation of Light from Darkness panel shows God averting grimace and eyes from the sudden brightness that He creates, which, per se, is a sharp contrast. Figure (5D) represents God’s upper limb in the most uncomfortable positions in extreme extension and pronation with his writs extremely extended and inverted. A close look at the image’s position shows its thumbs revealing radical extension and pronation The high non-adroit posture is inconsistent with the deliberate and authoritative nature of Michelangelo’s presentation of God&r...