13 | October | 2013 | Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss

Your personal sculptor is carving a person, thing, or event from the last month of your life into the glistening marble of immortality. What’s the statue and what makes it so significant?

Photographers, artists, poets: show us SIGNIFICANT.

“Errr Mich, what is that?”

“Eh la photographia pura for my unique sculpture. I have to make a drawing to showing the main features to get an idea how much stone to organise and where to start. In your case this is a little problem. You know, Italian marble is not cheap and the nose will cost a little more, Zio Angelo said you need at least ten kilo more to accommodate nose size.”

“Are you insinuating that my nose will cause problems?”

“No, niente problema, just a little more marble. Of course I can do it in plain stone, will be a little cheaper. But such a dominant feature of your face must become a noble feature of the statue. You give me more problems than David did. He knew what he had and was proud to show it.”

“I am not David. He had something I do not have, and this statue will not be a study in body lines. I will be wearing clothes when it is done. I thought you could perhaps make a sculpture to my advantage. You have deliberately highlighted the curves of my wonderful streamlined nose. I thought something more like your Madonna, with the flowing robes and soft features. I really want to leave a mark on the world when I am gone. This statue will be used in the hall of fame, along with the other Pulitzer/Nobel prize winners, so make it look good.”

“Senora, I make all my statues look good, but cannot create the impossible. Madonna statues must have that special something to be successful. How shall I say it, you have a special something, but not a Madonna special something. Certain features are a little too prominent. You have an exquisite nose, something unique, but unfortunately the Madonna did not have such a nose. I modelled my Madonna on a lady who worked on the streets, offering pleasures to the Davids of this world. You are more my Night model, a wonderful sculpture for the tomb of Giuliano de Medici. Muscular, determined nose and nice fleshy …..”

“Stop Mich, my fleshy parts are none of your business and I will not have them shown. I will be dressed in a flowing robe showing my hour glass figure. You may emphasise the determined look as I will be the main statue in the line of prize winners and it must leave an everlasting impression.”

“OK, you can have it, but I am not sure if it is my style. Would you not rather prefer to have the sculpture formed in a Barabara Hepworth style, which would suit your features.more. I can do that as well and we could save the expense of extra nose stone: just large curves. It would be a success.

“Wait a minute Mitch, my perfect face would not be show in detail.”

“Exactly, it would be better that way; everything so anonymously beautiful.”

And Michelangelo began his work. Not everyone is a Madonna, the most successful lady of pleasure was chosen for that model. Mrs. Angloswiss was more the “hello, here I am” type and the nose would have been an impossibility in marble. The statue would have lost its balance and fallen onto the nose when finished. These people just do not realise the makings of a true artist and sculpture.

Daily Prompt: Michelangelo’s You

Michelangelo Pingbacks