Artistic Representations of the Divine and Patronage During the Renaissance:

Patronage in the Relationship of Julius II and Michelangelo

The nature of Catholic art during the Renaissance period, as manifested in the mutually beneficial though sometimes antagonistic relationship of patronage between the artists and popes of the period, can never simply be understood an expression of the individual art's vision of Jesus Christ, or even of an individual vision's expression in the face of a hostile authority. Rather, religious art during this period was an intensely social production and vision, a dialogue between religious leaders such as Pope Julius II and artistic producers such as Michelangelo. Popes commissioned artistic works and inspired, guided, and checked the artist's individual vision.

To properly understand the art of the period, one must eschew later representations of artists as individual laborers, toiling away from society, or even the idea that authority smothers artistic freedom...
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