Michelangelo's poetry: a reappraisal

In this book, Sarah Rolfe Prodan examines the spiritual poetry of Michelangelo in light of three contexts: the Catholic Reformation movement, Renaissance Augustinianism, and the tradition of Italian religious devotion. Prodan combines a literary, historical, and biographical approach to analyze the mystical constructs and conceits in Michelangelo's poems, thereby deepening our understanding of the artist's spiritual life in the context of Catholic Reform in the mid-sixteenth century. Prodan also demonstrates how Michelangelo's poetry is part of an Augustinian tradition that emphasizes mystical and moral evolution of the self. Examining such elements of early modern devotion as prayer, lauda singing, and the contemplation of religious images, Prodan provides a unique perspective on the subtleties of Michelangelo's approach to life and to art. Throughout, Prodan argues that Michelangelo's art can be more deeply understood when considered together with his poetry, which points to a spirituality that deeply informed all of his production.

Renaissance and Reformation 23:1 (1987): 123-136, 1987

Later reprinted in Michelangelo. Selected Scholarship in English. Ed. William E. Wallace (NY: Garland, 1995), vol. 5, pp. 123-136.

Michelangelo wrote over 300 poems during his lifetime, mostly addressed to himself or to his friends. He was a great admirer of Dante, however, and so deep imbued with the poetic spirit. What is little known is the fact that he wrote 43 poems dedicated to Vittoria Colonna, his great love in later life. She was a poet herself, so they had much in common. They were also deeply pious. Michelangelo was in his late fifties when Vittoria entered his life. Her early death left a void for him, and he never quite recovered. My book explores this relationship in detail, as well as presently the 43 poems newly translated into modern poetry. It is the first time that these poems have been extracted from the artist's literary opus.

Sixty years after Michelangelo’s death, his grand-nephew published the first edition ever of the great man’s poetic works. Should we consider this edition “uno dei più gravi misfatti che mai editore abbia commesso ai danni di un poeta,” or does it offer us special insights into Michelangelo, his poems, and the history of their reception?

Actual Problems of Theory and History of Art, 2016