The Agony & The Ecstasy

Last night, I finally managed to watch one of the movies I had saved on our DVR. (I mean, seriously, I have to get busy watching some of these old movies so I can delete them and free up some space on there for more! lol)

I love Charlton Heston movies. He has such a "presence" onscreen. But, when I saw this one listed on TCM, I had to see it!

When I was in college and taking art classes, I took an art history class called Survey of Art. It encompassed everything from primitive cave drawings to Greek architecture to the Renaissance painters...and more. It was one of my favorite classes! Through that class, I fell in love with the art of Michelangelo. He has always been my favorite artist.

His sculptures are so lifelike and "real". One of my favorites is his "David". That's an obvious one because that's usually the one people think of when they hear his name. I like it because Michelangelo captured David right at the moment that he decided he was going to fight Goliath. You can see the determination and resolve in his face! How he captured that is just incredible!

But one of my other favorites is his Pieta at St. Peter's Basilica...Mary receiving Jesus' body off of the cross.


I couldn't find a picture of the Pieta that showed Jesus' face, but Michelangelo was able to capture very human emotions and expressions in his sculptures. How did he make marble look so soft? It's amazing! I could look at his sculptures all day. Just amazing!

Anyway, here's a clip from the film when Pope Julius II (Rex Harrison) commissions Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. (The Pope addresses him by his first name, Buonarotti, throughout the film.)

Enjoy!