Page 268 - Art In The Age Of Exploration (Great Section on Chinese Art Ming Dynasty)

24 October 1503; he signed a revised agreement the central section of his battle, which depicted documented fragment was recorded in Turin in
for the commission on 4 May 1504. Our first the equestrian skirmish around the Milanese 1635, when the "nudes" were described as "larger
notice of Michelangelo's involvement dates from standard, and starting to paint this section on the than life size" (De Tolnay 1943-60, i, 209-36).
31 October 1504, when payments were made for wall in what appears to have been an experimental The young Bastiano Sangallo, a member of the
paper for his cartoon. On 28 February 1505 he and troublesome oil technique. The surviving famous family of architects and artists, who came
was paid 280 lire for his work "in painting the records of Michelangelo's lost cartoon suggest that to be known by his nickname, Aristotele, was one
cartoon" (Frey 1909). Work lapsed after he was he too completed only the central section of his of the young draftsmen who avidly copied the
summoned to Rome by Julius n, but after his cartoon and may have intended to begin painting figures in the cartoon (Clausse 1900-1902). Orig-
famous dispute with the Pope's officials he this portion on the wall. inally a pupil of Perugino, he found that Michel-
returned to Florence. On 27 November 1506 the Vasari indicates that Michelangelo worked on angelo's complex figure style opened his eyes to
Gonfaloniere, Pietro Soderini, recorded that "he his cartoon in the Ospedale de' Tintori in the dis- new possibilities for his art. Vasari, who was
has started a history [painting] for the public hall, trict of S. Onofrio and that when it was finished it closely acquainted with Aristotele, provides a well
which will be an admirable thing". This reference was taken to the Sala del Papa in S. Maria Novella, informed account of the genesis of the grisaille
is sometimes taken to indicate that Michelangelo where Leonardo had previously worked on his painting shown here. He indicates that Aristotele
had begun to paint on the wall, but it is more cartoon. It is likely that Michelangelo's cartoon alone of the students drew a copy of the complete
likely that Soderini was referring to the cartoon. was moved from the Sala del Papa in 1515 on the group, rather than individual figures. In 1542
Michelangelo's humbling reconciliation with occasion of the visit of Pope Leo x and placed in Vasari himself persuaded Aristotele to make a
Julius in Bologna in November 1506 marked the the great hall of the Medici Palace. The cartoons monochrome oil painting from his prized draw-
end of his work on the Battle. His rival, Leonardo, by Leonardo and Michelangelo were probably not ing, and the painting was subsequently sent by
had actually begun to paint the mural in 1505, but themselves intended to be used directly for the Paolo Giovio to the King of France, "who valued it
his journey to Milan in 1506 effectively ended his transfer of the compositions to the wall. Rather greatly and richly rewarded Sangallo." Since the
involvement with the project. "sub-cartoons" were to be made from them and original drawing by Sangallo is lost, the painting
The terms of Leonardo's revised contract of cut up for the process of transfer (Bambach Cappel has a unique authority as a record of Michelange-
May 1504 indicated that he could choose either to 1987 and 1990). Michelangelo's cartoon became lo's cartoon. It is an accomplished painting in its
complete the whole cartoon as his first obligation, the "school" of figure drawing for the younger own right, although Aristotele himself later
or to begin painting from that part of the cartoon Florentine draftsmen. At some point, probably decided to specialize in stage design and archi-
he had already completed. It seems likely that he during the second decade of the century, it was tecture rather than in figure painting. Michel-
followed the second option, making a cartoon for dismembered and the parts dispersed. The last angelo's own drawings, together with drawn and

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