ROME'S CAPITOL HILL HONOURS CREATOR ARCHITECT MICHELANGELO
ROME'S CAPITOL HILL HONOURS CREATOR ARCHITECT MICHELANGELO
(ANSA) - Rome, October 19 - The architectural vision of Renaissance genius Michelangelo is spotlighted in a new exhibition in the Italian capital.
Over 100 designs are on show in a museum on Rome's Capitol Hill, whose famous piazza was created by Michelangelo in the 1530s.
The exhibition focuses on the artist's work in Rome, where he designed and contributed to a string of key structures, most notably St Peter's Basilica.
The show, which Cultural Heritage Superintendent Umberto Broccoli described as a ''landmark in Michelangelo studies'', centres on 30 signed drawings by the master, a rare loan from the Casa Buonarroti museum in Florence.
''This precious collection was the inspiration for the project at the Capitoline Museum,'' explained curator Pina Ragionieri.
As well as the autographed designs, the exhibit features numerous drawings, prints, letters and even three portraits of Michelangelo, intended to map out a chronological route through his Roman architecture.
During his two long periods in Rome, from 1505 to 1516 and from 1534 until his death in 1564, Michelangelo worked on a host of buildings.
Among the structures covered in the show is St Peter's Basilica, Palazzo Farnese, Porta Pia, the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and Santa Maria degli Angeli.
Unsurprisingly given the location, the exhibition also pays particular attention to Michelangelo's work on the Capitoline Hill at the request of Pope Paul III.
A key feature of the city since ancient times, the hill had deteriorated into a grazing ground for goats, causing the pope great embarrassment during a parade through Rome by Emperor Charles V.
Michelangelo, then at the height of his fame, began work on the hill in 1536, remodelling the surrounding buildings and moving the central piazza's orientation. Instead of overlooking the Roman forum, the centre of life in ancient times, the new square faced the direction of the Vatican.
Another key element of Michelangelo's design was placing a statue at the centre of the piazza, instead of round the sides, overturning centuries of classical tradition.
A massive equestrian sculpture of Marcus Aurelius was sited in the middle of the square, setting a new trend for future architects.
In addition, Michelangelo designed the famous ramped staircase known as the Cordonata.
'Michelangelo architetto a Roma' (Michelangelo, Architect In Rome) runs until February 7 at the Capitoline Museum. photo: Rome's Campidoglio (Capitol Hill)
