Influence of Art Vol. I
April 23rd, 2025
I find that with each passing season of my life, my identity is fundamentally influenced by the art surrounding me. My perspective on and behavior in life are cultivated by the art I consume. I don't think that I am alone in this either. Each of us is influenced by art in one way or another, whether a movie, or album, or whatever else. Creation and consumption are fundamental to us as Humans. So in an attempt to better understand and guide the things I create, I'd like to make a habit of reflecting on the notable pieces I consume. ### Art Let's start this off with a bang. In the past, I believe I've been quick to discredit an artist with one or only a handful of exceptional pieces. An artist in desperate pursuit of creating something new to rival their masterpiece, repeatedly falling short seemed unimpressive. The reality is that most artists orchestrate only one masterpiece within a lifetime, if any at all. Every person is limited to a finite number of great achievements. To create something special in any capacity is an extraordinary feat. However, there are some artists that exceed the expectation of only a handful of exceptional pieces. I find myself deeply inspired by the artist who shattered the expectation of creative limitation entirely. <br /> **Pietà (1498-1499, Vatican City) - Michelangelo** <img src="/blog_pics/lapieta.jpeg" alt="My Pietà" className="large" /> <div className="flex justify-center"> <img src="/blog_pics/pieta.jpeg" alt="Pietà" className="multi" /> <img src="/blog_pics/pieta.jpg" alt="My Pietà" className="multi" /> </div> Truly a masterpiece. Sculpted by 23 year old Michelangelo, the sculpture depicts virgin Mary holding her son Jesus in arms after being taken down from the cross. "Pietà", meaning "pity" or "compassion", rests in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, the location it was originally intended for. It is astounding to think that Michelangelo was able to free this divine depiction from a slab of marble. The lower right picture, although doing little justice to the work, was taken by me in 2022 while studying abroad in Italy. <br /> **David (1501-1504, Florence) - Michelangelo** <img src="/blog_pics/david.jpeg" alt="Statue of David" className="large" /> Beginning at age 26, Michelangelo produces perhaps the most impressive sculpture of all time. His statue of David helped propel him to the great fame and recognition he enjoyed during his lifetime. His artwork was so impressive that his contemporaries went as far as to call him "Il Divino", or "The Divine One". Incredible. <br /> **The Creation of Adam (1508-1512, Vatican City) - Michelangelo** <img src="/blog_pics/creation.jpeg" alt="The Creation of Adam" className="large" /> And just when we thought Michelangelo was a master sculpture alone, he bolsters his legacy as the greatest artist of all time by painting one of the most sacred pieces of art in western history. Depicting the Biblical story of creation from the book of Genesis, The Creation of Adam forms a portion of the Sistine Chapel's ceiling painted by Michelangelo between the ages of 33 and 37. --- ### Music **2093 (2024) - Yeat** <img src="/blog_pics/2093.jpeg" alt="2093 (2024)" className="album" /> **Imaginal Disk (2024) - Magdalena Bay** <img src="/blog_pics/disk.jpeg" alt="Imaginal Disk (2024)" className="album" /> **They Left Me with a Gun (2025) - Paris Texas** <img src="/blog_pics/withagun.jpeg" alt="They Left Me with a Gun (2025)" className="album" /> --- ### Television I'm usually not one to watch much tv. In fact, I've only finished a handful of tv series (on second thought, maybe none at all). Maybe it's time for this to change... **Severance, Season 1 (2022)** <img src="/blog_pics/severance.jpeg" alt="Severance (2022)" className="medium" /> --- In the future I will consider including the categories listed below as well. --- ### Film --- ### Literature --- ### Architecture
