Are talented people arrogant or rude? A time honored belief is that if you have talent or you are the best then you can afford to be rude!
Some of the world’s greatest sportsmen or artist who are extremely talented are known to be rude or just not social! Rarely would you see a talented person being very social or many times you would not realize the talent which is easily available or accessible! In fact if you get something easily then you may not be able to appreciate the talent!!
Which is maybe why artists like to be elusive so that people can think that they are privileged to get to listen or see him or her in those rare occasions!
One such talented artist who was known to have a sultry attitude was Michelangelo! But real talent will be seen and appreciated at the proper time! It is just that the attitude may be different! In fact his competitors during the time like Leonardo and Raphael were also very popular and though their rivalry is been touted; it has been seen that both had mutual respect for each other!
Though Sistine Chapel art work is simply amazing which is courtesy Michelangelo; Raphael’s works also are really nice!
There have been many accounts of their supposed rivalry but still they had mutual respect for each other.
It is actually a very interesting story as told by our Guide in the Vatican Museum at Italy.
In 1508, Pope Julius II commissioned the then 26-year-old Raphael to paint frescoes in his private library, he had won the commission despite competition from masters such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarotti!
His works earned him great reviews that portrayed him as superior to Michelangelo in coloring and painting in general! Did you know that by the way!?
Michelangelo lost several commissions to Raphael when an ambassador erroneously made the announcement that the Sistine Chapel was to be painted by him. This led to a resentment that kept growing as Raphael kept getting rave reviews of his works of art!
While Raphael’s affable, life loving personality earned him the support of Pope Leo X, humanists and poets, among many others, Michelangelo’s self-imposed isolation and sultry attitude created tensions!
Despite bearing Michelangelo’s negative reactions to his success, the young Raphael maintained a vivid interest in his artwork and arranged a secret visit to the Sistine Chapel with the help of Bramante, the architect commissioned by Pope Julius the II to build the new Saint Peter’s Basilica. Young Raphael made this choice so that he could admire the work which was at the time off limits by order of the artist himself!
After being greatly inspired by the ceiling frescoes he secretly visited, Raphael decided to pay tribute to Michelangelo by portraying him as Heraclitus in the “School of Athens”, as if to match him to the legendary bad temper and competitive nature of the “The Weeping Philosopher”!
The School of Athens also is an amazing ode to many great philosophers and great thinkers of that age! But that is a whole blog for another day!
Despite their rivalry, when Johannes Goritz of Luxemburg, Head Chancellor of the Papal Court requested Michelangelo’s estimation of the value of Raphael’s “The Prophet Isaiah” painting, since he considered the price too high, he received an unexpected reply.
Upon analyzing the painting, Michelangelo explained to him that it was worth the price simply for the knee alone. This shows that, despite resenting Raphael’s success, Michelangelo too admired his skill!
One of Raphael’s last paintings, “The Transfiguration”, depicting Christ surrounded by an aura of light while floating on Mount Tabor as well as the miracle of the possessed boy shows characters that have imposing bodies with detailed muscles as influenced by Michelangelo’s splendid Sistine Chapel finishes!
So people with real talents do respect those with the same!
Now if you think you are a talented artist you can simply visit the Vatican Museum to get a giant dose of Humility!
Or see a Delhi Ganesh movie for a giant dose of fun!
Another travel blog and sketch! Legs are tired but hands are fine!
Shubh ratri!
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