October, 1541
Dear Diary,
Michelangelo really is an amazing painter. My father told me Michelangelo is all the way in Rome, and that he just finished painting The Last Judgment on the wall of the Sistine Chapel.
But some of the cardinals are saying that some of the men in the painting are "sacrilegious." My father said it means that they don't like how some of the men are naked because you can see their privates. He said some of the important religious men are demanding that someone cover up the wall or paint over the men's privates. I think that they should leave it the way it is. Michelangelo painted it that way because it would look good, and if someone tried to change it, it wouldn't be Michelangelo's anymore. He spent a long time painting it, and he really is a great painter, so I don't see why the cardinals want to cover it up. Elena, Lucia, Europa, Minerva and Anna Maria agree with me. But obviously, my brother doesn't care. He never cares about anything art-related. I think my father is disappointed in him.
Anyways, one day, I'm going to go to Rome and see The Last Judgment and convince the cardinals to leave the painting alone and I'll talk to Michelangelo too. Maybe he'll even teach me how to paint. That's my dream.
-Sofonisba Anguissola, 9 years old
Sources: wikipedia.org, dicksonc.act.edu
Hello Sofonisba. I would be glad to teach you how to paint if I just had the time to do it. Thank you for praising my pice of art, The Last Judgement. This wall painting took me a long time to draw, and I am happy to hear that there is at least one person that appreciates my hard work. I drew some of the men as being "sacrilegious" not because wanted to show people naked men, but because I wanted to make them as pure as possible. Oh by the way, tell your brother to care more about the things around him that affect his life.
ReplyDeleteMichelangelo
Why hello Sofonisba, I know how this letter is dedicated and referred to Michelangelo; anyhow, I believe I am able to have some words in this, too. I feel that I am possibly just as grand as him in paintings, yet you seen to not recognize me as much as you do to him. Why is that? I am more experienced and skilled in my opinion. Also, his works in naked people should not be regarded as bad images by your father. First of all, your father is not a well-known artist compared to us, so please tell him to not judge talents of artist. Many artists believe differently in what they call art. Therefore, what Michelangelo is doing is in fact quite acceptable in our time. Oh, and by the way, if you what someone to teach you in how to paint, I am also willingly to satisfy your wish.
ReplyDeleteFrom,
Leonardo da Vinci