米開朗基羅的毅力：成就偉大的一課
米開朗基羅·博納o無疑是歷史上最偉大的藝術家之一。他出生於1475年，享年88歲。他主要以雕塑家自居，但也創作了義大利文藝復興時期一些最偉大的壁畫、建築和詩歌作品。
是什麼成就了米開朗基羅？他創作如此眾多偉大藝術作品的秘訣是什麼？我相信這個問題的答案相當複雜，但我們將回顧米開朗基羅生平的一個片段，以及他對這個問題的回應,
米開朗基羅的職業道德
米開朗基羅曾這樣評價他的職業道德：“如果人們知道我為了成就一番事業付出了多麼艱辛的努力，你就不會覺得這是多麼了不起的事情了……如果你知道我為此付出了多少努力，你就不會稱之為天才了。”
米開朗基羅認為，他的精湛技藝並不代表那種僅僅基於天賦的天才。相反，他將自己的「天才」稱為「永恆的耐心」。天才是在努力工作的過程中遇到不可避免的困難時保持耐心的能力。換句話說，天才的概念似乎與一個人因熱愛藝術而忍受艱辛的能力同義。義大利文藝復興時期藝術家、《藝術家的生活》的作者喬治·瓦薩裡是第一個為米開朗基羅撰寫傳記的人，而且是在米開朗基羅還活著的時候寫的。事實上，米開朗基羅被認為是第一位在世時有人寫傳記的藝術家。
瓦薩裡曾描寫過米開朗基羅為了藝術創作而經歷的一些極端境遇：“米開朗基羅告訴我，他年輕時經常穿著衣服睡覺，就像一個工作累得精疲力竭的人懶得脫衣服，因為以後還得再穿起來一樣。……”. 年老之後，他經常光著腳穿著用狗皮做成的靴子，一穿就是幾個月，這樣脫鞋子的時候他的皮膚也想脫落。
瓦薩裡講述的米開朗基羅的故事有些極端，甚至可能是杜撰的。然而，它表明，如果我們渴望成就偉業，就必須願意犧牲舒適的生活，忍受艱辛。
克服西斯汀天頂畫的難題
西斯汀教堂的天頂畫是再次彰顯米開朗基羅偉大藝術成就的作品之一。當時，米開朗基羅正在為教皇儒略二世未來的陵墓創作雕塑，但教皇決定讓他創作天頂畫。瓦薩裡認為，年輕畫家拉斐爾的朋友、藝術家兼建築師多納托·布拉曼特說服教宗讓米開朗基羅進行繪畫創作，而不是雕塑創作。
布拉曼特試圖說服教皇，希望阻止米開朗基羅創作更多偉大的雕塑作品。他也希望米開朗基羅在繪畫方面失敗，以證明拉斐爾是一位更優秀的畫家和藝術家。
米開朗基羅提出抗議，聲稱自己是雕塑家而不是畫家，但布拉曼特已經說服了教皇。據威廉華萊士所著《米開朗基羅：藝術家、人與他的時代》所述，米開朗基羅在項目完成後表達了他對畫作的不滿，並在一首十四行詩的末尾簽名表達了不滿：“我處境不佳，也不是畫家。”
壁畫本身也存在問題。米開朗基羅不懂得如何正確地繪製濕壁畫，因此他請其他藝術家幫忙。壁畫上的一個區域長出了黴菌，米開朗基羅不得不重新繪製。
為了再次陰謀破壞，布拉曼特建議米開朗基羅在天花板上搭建鷹架。米開朗基羅提出抗議，聲稱牆上的洞以後必須補上。他不得不發明一種新型的鷹架。
據瓦薩裡所說，繪製天花板濕壁畫的過程至少可以說是一次非常痛苦的經歷：“這些壁畫的繪製過程極其痛苦，因為他必須站在那裡，頭部向後傾斜，這嚴重損害了他的視力，以至於如果不向後傾斜頭部，他就無法閱讀或觀看圖畫；這種情況持續了好幾個月。”
米開朗基羅不僅要應對繪畫的種種困難以及競爭對手試圖玷污他的名聲，還要面對似乎永無止境的家庭問題。據華萊士所說，米開朗基羅還要應對哥哥的去世、嫂子起訴索要嫁妝、一位兄弟的不敬、家人患病，當然還有經濟問題。
華萊士認為，教宗支付米開朗基羅作品的報酬非常不規律，他收到的大部分錢都寄給了家人。他形容自己「赤腳赤身裸體」。
米開朗基羅在多封信中描述了整個事件，華萊士引用了這些信，總結起來如下：
「我生活在這裡，焦慮萬分，身心俱疲：我沒有任何朋友，也不想交任何朋友。我沒有足夠的時間像往常一樣吃飯。所以你別再用其他東西來煩我了，因為我無法忍受任何事。…就這樣，我活了大約十五年，卻從未享受過哪一刻的快樂。」
忍受無法忍受的
你能想像這樣的生活嗎？你能想像在工作中被分配一個項目，你還沒開始，你的同事就試圖破壞你的計劃，讓你的雇主給你安排一個你更有可能失敗的項目嗎？你能想像，儘管你極力抗議，你還是被分配到一個你毫無經驗的項目，並且在項目進行過程中，你的同事卻試圖提出一些會危及你成功的意見嗎？
這還不是全部。你在這個專案上投入瞭如此多的時間，以至於你回家時渾身酸痛。而當你回到家時，你的配偶抱怨錢不夠，你的父母生病需要你的幫助，你的孩子在學校不聽話。你工作到很晚，幾乎沒有時間換衣服。
這種每日的艱辛，光是想像就令人難以承受，更別說親身經歷。
但米開朗基羅卻經歷過，並且堅持了下來。這至少在某種程度上解釋了他為何偉大。正因為他的堅持，他創作出了一些舉世聞名的最偉大的藝術作品。他隨時都可以放棄，但他沒有。他完成西斯汀天花板畫時年僅37歲，還能再活51年。
有時，我們的掙扎會讓生活顯得毫無意義；我們的苦難如此壓倒性，以至於我們只想找個地洞躲避痛苦。但是，如果我們從米開朗基羅的故事中汲取智慧，也許我們的「偉大」就在於用「永恆的耐心」來面對生活的艱辛。或許，每一次磨難都是一次了解自我、認識自身真正潛能的機會。
藝術史是一部永不落幕的故事。它也是我們的歷史，人類的歷史。每一代藝術家都以他們的藝術作品和人生抉擇影響著各自的文化。
Michelangelo’s Perseverance: A Lesson in Achieving Greatness
Michelangelo Buonarroti is undeniably one of the greatest artists in history. He was born in 1475 and lived until the ripe age of 88. He considered himself primarily a sculptor, but he also produced some of the greatest fresco paintings, architecture, and poetry of the Italian Renaissance.
What made Michelangelo great? What was his secret to creating so many great works of art? I’m sure the answer to this question is quite complex, but we will look at an episode from Michelangelo’s life along with his own response to the question.
Michelangelo’s Work Ethic
Michelangelo is quoted as saying the following about his work ethic:
“If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it would not seem so wonderful at all. … If you knew how much work went into it, you wouldn’t call it genius.”
Michelangelo suggested that his mastery was not indicative of the type of genius based solely on innate talent. Instead, he referred to his “genius” as “eternal patience.” Genius is the ability to practice patience during the unavoidable difficulties that arise in working hard at one’s craft. In other words, the idea of genius appears to be synonymous with one’s ability to endure hardship for love of the art.
Giorgio Vasari, Italian Renaissance artist and author of “The Lives of the Artists,” was the first to write a biography of Michelangelo and did so while Michelangelo was still living. In fact, Michelangelo is considered the first artist to have a biography written while still alive.
Vasari wrote about some of the extremes that Michelangelo would go through for the sake of his craft:
“Michelangelo told me that in his youth he often slept with his clothes on, just like a man who, exhausted by his work, does not bother to undress, since later on he must get dressed once again. … As he grew old, he constantly wore boots fashioned from dogs’ skins on his bare feet for months at a time, so that when he later wanted to remove them his skin would peel off as well.”
Vasari’s story about Michelangelo is extreme and may even be apocryphal. Yet it shows that we must be willing to sacrifice our comforts and endure hardship if we wish to push ourselves to greatness.
Overcoming the Difficulties of the Sistine Ceiling
One of the works of art that reaffirms Michelangelo’s greatness is the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
Michelangelo was working on sculptures for Pope Julius II’s future tomb when the pope decided that he wanted him to paint the ceiling instead. Vasari suggests that the artist and architect Donato Bramante, a friend of the young painter Raphael, convinced the pope to have Michelangelo paint instead of sculpt.
Bramante swayed the pope in the hopes of preventing Michelangelo from creating more great sculptures. He also hoped that Michelangelo would fail at painting and show that Raphael was a superior painter and artist.
Michelangelo protested and claimed that he was a sculptor and not a painter, but Bramante had already convinced the pope. According to “Michelangelo: The Artist, the Man, and His Times” by William Wallace, Michelangelo expressed his discomfort with the paintings when the project was completed, signing the bottom of a sonnet expressing his displeasure with: “I’m not in a good place, and I’m no painter.”
The fresco itself also had its issues. Michelangelo didn’t know how to paint fresco correctly, so he requested other artists to come and help him. Mold grew on one of the frescoed areas, and Michelangelo had to repaint it.
To possibly sabotage the project again, Bramante suggested that Michelangelo should hang scaffolding from the ceiling. Michelangelo protested, claiming that the holes in the wall would have to be covered later. He had to invent a new type of scaffolding.
According to Vasari, the act of painting the ceiling was a very painful experience, to say the least:
“These frescos were done with the greatest discomfort, for he had to stand there working with his head tilted backwards, and it damaged his eyesight so much that he could no longer read or look at drawings if his head was not tilted backwards; his condition lasted for several months afterward.”
Not only did Michelangelo have to deal with the difficulties of painting and with his rivals trying to sully his name, but he also had family issues that never seemed to stop. According to Wallace, Michelangelo had to deal with the death of his brother, his brother’s wife suing for the return of her dowry, the disrespect of one of his brothers, family illness, and, of course, money problems.
Wallace suggests that the pope’s payments for Michelangelo’s work were very irregular, and most of the money he received he sent to his family. He described himself as “barefoot and naked.”
Michelangelo described the whole event in multiple letters, which Wallace quotes and that can be summed up:
“I am living here in a state of great anxiety and of the greatest physical fatigue: I have no friends of any sort and want none. I haven’t time enough to eat as I should. So you mustn’t bother me with anything else, for I could not bear another thing. … And thus have I lived for some fifteen years now and never an hour’s happiness have I had.”
Enduring What Is Unendurable
Can you imagine living like this? Can you imagine being assigned a project at work, and before you even get started, one of your coworkers tries to sabotage you by having your employer put you on a project on which you’re more likely to fail? Can you imagine, despite your protests, being assigned to this project for which you have no experience, and during the project, your coworker tries to suggest things that will compromise your success?
That’s not all. You work on the project so much that your body aches when you go home. And when you do go home, your spouse complains about money, your parents are sick and need your help, and your kids are disrespectful at school. You work such late hours that you barely have time to change clothes.
Such daily hardship is overwhelming to just imagine it, let alone live it.
But Michelangelo did live it and persevered through it. And this is why, at least in part, he was great. Because of his perseverance, he created some of the greatest works of art known to the world. He could’ve quit at any time, but he didn’t. He was only 37 years old when he completed the Sistine ceiling and would live another 51 years.
Sometimes, our struggles can make life seem meaningless; our hardships can be so overwhelming that we want to find a hole in which to hide from pain. But, if we take any wisdom from Michelangelo’s story, maybe our “greatness” depends on confronting life’s hardships with “eternal patience.”
Perhaps each hardship is an opportunity to learn about ourselves and our true potential.
Art history is a story that forever unfolds. It is also our story, the story of the human race. Each generation of artists affects their respective cultures with their works of art and their decisions in life.
