The Poetry of Michelangelo
Geng Xue
耿雪
Production date
2015
Object Detail
Media
video (black and white, sound)
Measurements
19 min 9 sec
Notes
The Poetry of Michelangelo (2015), a video shot in black and white, depicts the artist creating the figure of a man from clay, step by step, before ‘breathing life’ into him. This is a gender reversal of the ‘Pygmalion’ story told by Ovid, about a sculptor who carves a woman from ivory, then falls in love with her. Here, in moody chiaroscuro, we see a female figure emerge from a black background, kneeling over large blocks of clay. Kneading and massaging, she gradually transforms lumps of the raw material into a realistically modelled nude male figure. Pale hands are shown kneading, moulding, folding and caressing the clay in a languorously sensual way, as first the subject’s facial features and then the musculature and limbs of his body emerge and are given definition. The video unfolds like an instructional sequence for sculpture students. Each step in the process, starting with ‘Step 1: Estimate the Clay’s Volume, Stack the Clay’ through to ‘Step 9: Ensure the Sculpture Pieces are Kept Damp and Clean Up the Work Area’, is underscored by extracts from Michelangelo’s homo-erotic poems. Once whole, the clay figure is animated by the artist’s kiss, and he continues to ‘breathe’, his ribcage rising and falling, even after he has been dismembered, sliced into sections for casting.
Accession number
2015.272