18 An Artistic Mystery

Italian sculptor and painter Michelangelo was one of the most remarkable artists who ever lived. Working in Rome and Florence in the early 1500s, he produced both religious and secular art that is still admired today. But it appears that Michelangelo could be an old hatchetist when he traveled at road.

Michelangelo Pieta (A pieta is a sick man when he began carving a sculpture known as the Pieta. He worked on the sculpture only at night, and sometimes was in such pain that he could no work at all. Michelangelo intended to have the huge body of Jesus) He worked on the sculpture only at night, and sometimes was in such pain that he could no work at all. Michelangelo intended to have the huge figure of an elderly suffering man. In describing the sculpture, Michelangelo's biographer wrote of its great “beauty and sorrow.”

But one day, after ten years of labor, the artist suddenly turned on his work. He attacked it with a sledgehammer, chopping off arms and legs. He would have destroyed the sculpture entirely if an assistant had not dragged him away. Later the work was repaired by another assistant, but in an imperfect way.

What prompted Michelangelo to almost destroy one of his greatest works? Did he discover a hidden flaw in the marble? Scientists have begun studying the repaired statue, taking 3-D photos of it from every angle so that they can study its structure on computer. Perhaps someday they will have a clue as to what motivated Michelangelo.

18 一个艺术谜团

意大利雕塑家兼画家米开朗基罗是有史以来最杰出的艺术家之一。16世纪初，他在罗马和佛罗伦萨创作了宗教和世俗题材的艺术作品，至今仍备受推崇。但似乎米开朗基罗在旅途中会变得暴躁易怒。

米开朗基罗的《Pieta》（《Pieta》表现的是一位痛苦的人物）：他开始雕刻《Pieta》这座雕塑时，只在夜间工作，有时疼痛难忍，根本无法工作。米开朗基罗原本想塑造一个饱受苦难的老年男性的巨大形象。在描述这座雕塑时，米开朗基罗的传记作者写道，它兼具“美丽与悲伤”。

但在十年的劳作之后，有一天，这位艺术家突然攻击了自己的作品。他用大锤砸它，砍掉了手臂和腿。要不是一个助手把他拉开，他会把这座雕塑彻底毁掉。后来另一个助手修复了这件作品，但修复得并不完美。

是什么促使米开朗基罗差点毁掉自己最伟大的作品之一？他是发现了大理石里隐藏的瑕疵吗？科学家已经开始研究这座修复后的雕像，从各个角度拍摄3D照片，以便在电脑上研究它的结构。也许有一天，他们会找到米开朗基罗此举的动机线索。