The Libyan Sibyl on Sistine Chapel Ceiling by Michelangelo

Photo: The restored Libyan Sibyl, fresco on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, painted by Michelangelo

The image shows the restored Libyan Sibyl fresco painted by Michelangelo on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, which was painted by Michelangelo incorporating various Bible stories between 1508 and 1512. These frescoes are considered the masterpieces of high renaissance art.

According to Greek mythology, the Libyan Sibyl (sibyl = prophetess), named Phemonoe, was the daughter of Zeus and Lamia, and the first woman ever to chant oracles. She is believed to have divine powers even after death, giving oracular prophesies through voices and omens.

Phemonoe was the priestess presiding over the Oracle of Zeus-Ammon in the Siwa Oasis in the Libyan Desert, and the name Sibyl was given to her by the Libyans.

According to Plutarch, the founder of Alexandria, Alexander the Great, was told by the Libyan Sibyl that he would be the legitimate Pharaoh of Egypt.

Frederic Leighton: Flaming June

The oil-on-canvas painting, “Flaming June” of size 47x47 inch (1200 mm × 1200 mm), is created by the English artist Sir Frederic Leighton (3 December 1830 - 25 January 1896) in 1895. The art world considers this as Leighton's magnum opus.

Though art critics and historians credit the actresses Dorothy Dene and Marie Lloyd for having modeled for Flaming June, it was most likely the Dorothy Dene, whom Leighton met in her teens. On close examination, it seems some other female figures in his other works also resemble Dene.

According to art historians the Victorian artist was inspired immensely by Michelangelo’s monumental sculpture titled “Night”, which is located in the Medici Tombs in Florence, Italy. Even the pose and posture of the figure seems to have been adapted from the Night.

The painting has been thought as lost forever as it was not seen after 1930 until it was found again in 1962. It was auctioned thereafter, and soon after it was purchased by the Museo de Arte de Ponce in Ponce, Puerto Rico, where it continues to belong to. It is one of the sought after attractions of the museum in Puerto Rico.

The setting for the painting is Mediterranean, with the sun brightly reflecting from the waves of the seawater. It provides the realism of natural light for the figure of the sleeping woman. The transparent clothing in flaming, intense colors and the marble setting around are typical of Leighton's style. Thanks to the light from sunset reflecting, her cheeks appear to blush, even though she is depicted as sleeping.

Though Leighton painted several single female figures in the period just before, Flaming June is outstanding from all others as regards use of rioting colors to explore beauty, imagination, emotions, sleep and dreams. Perhaps this departure from his earlier styles makes Flaming June a timeless piece of art and the most recognizable work of Frederic Leighton.

Some art historians associate a symbolism of the highly poisonous oleander plant’s branch at the top with sleep, dreams and possibly death. It may be recalled that Leighton passed away in 1896, not too distant from the time of painting Flaming June (1895).

Flaming June is one of the most reproduced paintings. The dress and posture of the female figure has been imitated for modeling for magazine covers by famous models and actresses, and it has been endlessly copied on every possible surface of consumer interest.

The Capitoline Hill Cordonata in Rome

PD Photo: The Capitoline Hill Cordonata in Rome (at the centre of the photo) leading from Piazza di Ara Coeli to Piazza del Campidoglio

The Cordonata (Cordonata Capitolina), designed by Michaelangelo, leading from Via del Teatro Marcello up to Piazza del Campidoglio, Rome, Italy. The two Roman statues at the top of the steps are the mythological twins Castor and Pollux placed there in 1583. The Piazza was designed in the 1530s by Michaelangelo for Pope Paul III. The building opposite the top of the steps (with the tower) is Palazza Senatorio, Rome's City Hall. The massive flight of 134 steps on the left leads up to the church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli.

Typically, a Cordonata is a sloping road composed of transversal stripes made of stone or bricks, similar to a flight of steps allowing the transit of horses and donkeys. Another famous Italian Cordonata also is in Rome, leading to the Piazza del Quirinale, and gives the name to a road, Via della Cordonata.

The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo

Photo: The Creation of Adam (1508-1512), fresco painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo (1475-1564), it illustrates the Biblical story from the Book of Genesis in which God breathes life into Adam, the first man.

Bronze sculpture of David at Fawick Park

Photo shot by Jerry Fisher at Fawick Park in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States on 22 May, 2005. This full-sized bronze reproduction of Michelangelo’s sculpture, David, was a gift from the inventor Thomas Fawick to the city of Sioux Falls.

The Replica of David in Buffalo, New York

Photo: The Replica of David in Buffalo, New York

In 1903, a replica of Michelangelo’s David made of bronze standing on granite base, was presented to the city of Buffalo, United States, and the Buffalo Historical Society by Andrew Langdon, a Buffalo businessman and scholar. Langdon had seen the statue of David as an exhibit at the Paris Exposition of 1900, and negotiated with the firm of bronze founders who had cast it (Angelus & Sons) and bought it. He also exacted an agreement with the bronze founders that they would not send another replica of David to the United States. The statue now stands in Delaware Park.

David by Michelangelo

The statue of David, a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture created from 1501 to 1504 by the Italian artist Michelangelo, stands 5.17 meter (17 feet) tall. The marble statue portrays the Biblical hero David. The statue is said to symbolize the defense of civil liberties embodied in the Florentine Republic, the independent city-state threatened on all sides by powerful enemies and by the hegemony of the Medici family. This interpretation was encouraged by the original setting of the sculpture outside the Palazzo della Signoria, the seat of civic government in Florence. The statue was moved from Piazza della Signoria in 1873 to the Accademia Gallery in Florence where it attracts many visitors now. In 1910 a replica of David was placed in the Piazza della Signoria, where David was originally installed.