Haut Boys: Self Portrait

1498
The Haut Boys
The Audition for the Newest Art History Boy Band – The Haut Boys
Curated by Susie Xu

Durer, Self Portrait, 1498


Look at that mane of glory. His hair automatically makes him a winner. Merely glancing at his careful posture, elegant clothing, and slightly haughty side glance, this self portrait of Durer introduces himself as the perfect Renaissance man. He also seems to illustrate his high status with the attitude and the fact that he’s taller than the rolling mountains and hills in the background. So he’s elevated himself, literally and metaphorically. What a modest man.

Finally, the realism kicks in here, with almost normal body proportions. His hands aren’t overly sized, nor is his arms extraordinarily bulky. Not to mention, he’s got a great fashion sense – his hat matches perfectly with his other attire. In fact, he really likes to emphasize his aristocratic style with that engraving in the back that translates to “gentleman.” Clearly, not the most modest candidates for the audition, but nonetheless, Durer seems like a relatively plausible member for the band.

We’d like to proudly announce that the personality that screams diva will be accepted into the band.
  • 7:00 PM

Pieta

1498
Michelangelo, Pieta, 1498－1500
Created during the classical sculpture rage , Michelangelo, at a young age of 21, created this masterpiece-- often called his best work.   

Demolishing all opposition, Michelangelo wins for creating the most disproportionate sculpture of the Virgin Mary and Jesus. With a lap wide enough to fit another three sons and a towering body structure enough to intimidate Gilgamesh, Michelangelo's Virgin Mary in Pieta is slightly off-balance, to say the least. Jesus, on the other hand, has the enviously petite, thin, and "ab-tastic frame" of a modern male teen model. Clearly Michelangelo had a faulty measuring tool or desperately needed a pair of corrective lenses. Nonetheless, he was still proud of his work, and when he overheard someone claiming his sculpture to be someone else’s, he immediately set to work engraving his name across the sash on Mary’s chest. Were Michelangelo applying for college today, two words that’d describe him would be talented and territorial.

And despite it all, Pieta radiates of incredible sorrow and soft, holy serenity. Viewers can easily look past the odd proportions of the sculpture and see the intricacy of each detail. Unlike a majority of other sculptures and paintings that portray Mary swooning or hysterically sobbing, Michelangelo somehow incorporates inexplicable sadness and resignation into one expression. With her left hand poised in a palm-upward motion, she seems to be beckoning to the viewer, perhaps to share her impossible pain. Jesus, also unlike a majority of other sculptures and paintings that preceded this one has a face, void of sufferings and pain. Rather it’s peaceful, as if his work has been done to his contentment.
True to his era, Michelangelo shows us an extremely human portrayal of the figures. Mary’s draping robe is simply gorgeous as it pools gently beneath the Christ, and though their figures in general are off proportion, the details of the face, hands, and body are exquisite.  

Mary's expression in this sculpture brings in a new type of art form, unheard of even in the Roman and Greek sculptures that Michelangelo based a majority of his works off of. Pieta is a gorgeous representative for Michelangelo's talents.
  • 7:00 AM