Leonardo and Michelangelo were called Philosophers. They were not just artists. They were thinkers, creative beings with a wide and a profound understanding of many elements; to name but two among many creative authorities during the Renaissance. They were seekers - of a truth or
representation - that was true to nature and honoured both the literal and the symbolic and the
archetypal in their work. Steeped with traditional and religious symbolism they wove humour and realism (of the day) into their work. In a sense, they
animated the inanimate. Working with inert materials to
represent it as a living moment, captured in time, a sort of three-dimensional motion capture of the day.
These images are from a recent visit to Ulm, where the magnificent Minster there houses some of the most exquisite architecture and sculpture. Just to note that it is possible to apparently animate the inert!
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| Here the fabric folds as if draped - yet it is carved from stone |
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| And here we seem to be part way through a conversation, an attitude, a thoughtful moment suspended as if in motion |
