CLASS XII/ENG(A)/CHAPTER-1/MICHELANGELO

 MICHELANGELO

THE PROSE MICHELANGELO IS WRITTEN BY GULZAR WHOSE REAL NAME IS SAMPOORAN SINGH KALRA,WHO IS AN INDIAN SHORT STORY WRITER,A POET,AN AUTHOR.THIS STORY WAS WRITTEN IN HINDI AND THEN TRANSLATED IN ENGLISH BY ALOK BHALLA 

HERE THE STORY STARTS WITH MICHELANGELO PAINTING THE SCENE OF "THE LAST SUPPER" AT THE SISTINE CHAPLE.

MICHELANGELO WAS AWAY FROM FLORENCE FOR FIVE YEARS. WHEN HE CAME BACK HE TOLD THE POPE JULIUS II THAT THE FACES IN ROME ARE ALL THE SAME AND DON'T SEEM TO HAVE ANY CHARACTER.THEN POPE JULIUS ASKED MICHELANGELO THAT WHAT DOES HE SEE IN HIS FACE MICHELANGELO REPLIED "A BURNING CANDLE" SARCASTICALLY REPLYING TO MICHEL'S ANSWER POPE SAID THAT "HE WAS LIKE A CANDLE WHICH PEOPLE LIGHT UP IN THE CATHEDRAL WHEN THEY ARE IN TROUBLE".

MICHELANGELO REMAINED IN ROME FOR FIVE YEARS AND HAD DRAWN SCENES FROM THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT.MICHELANGELO WAS TRYING TO SEARCH FOR A MODEL WHOSE FACE HE COULD USE TO DRAW THE FACE OF CHARACTER JUDAS.WHILE MICHELANGELO WAS PAINTING ON THE DOME & WALLS OF THE CHAPLE POPE JULIUS SUDDENLY REMEMBERED AN INCIDENT WHERE MICHEL ONCE USED A DEAD MODEL TO PAINT THE FACE OF JESUS ON THE WOOD FOR THE CHURCH,WHICH LED THE FUNERAL OF THE DEAD MAN GET DELAYED BY 12 HOURS.

MICHELANGELO WAS NOT LIKE BRAMANTE WHO USED TO DRAW THE FIGURES OF THE CHURCH BASED ON THE RULES HE SET LONG TIME BACK.THAT IS WHY THE JOB OF SISTINE CHAPLE WASS HANDED OVER TO MICHELANGELO.

IN THE EARLIER TIMES WHEN MICHEL WAS IN ROME HE USED TO SIT UNDER THE DOME OF ST. PETER'S FOR HOURS AND MUMBLE SOMETHING. ONE DAY WHEN POPE JULIUS ASKED HIM WHY HE USED TO SIT THERE,HE REPLIED THAT HE USED TO UNVEIL THE VERSES OF THE BIBLE. POPE JULIUS UNDERSTOOD HIM THAT HE WAS SEARCHING FOR FACES OF JESUS'S FACE,JUDAS'S FACE,MOTHER MARY'S FACE IN THE WHITE WASHED BRICKED WALLS.

MICHELANGELO CHOSE HIS MOTHER'S FACE FOR THE FACE OF MOTHER MARY,AS HE HAD SEEN HIS MOTHER WORKING HARD AND CARRY DRUMS OF WATER HUNG ON A BAMBOO ACROSS HER SHOULDER. HE THOUGHT THAT ONLY A WOMEN LIKE HER COULD CARRY THE SON OF GOD IN HER WOMB.ONCE MICHEL ASKED HIS MOTHER THAT "WHY DIDN'T SHE GIVE BIRTH TO JESUS?" IN ANSWER TO THE QUESTION HIS MOTHER SAID THAT THE REASON OF NOT GIVING BIRTH TO JESUS WAS MICHELANGELO'S FATHER BECAUSE OF HIS DRUNK NATURE.LISTENING TO THIS MICHEL DREW HIS FATHER'S DRUNK IMAGE AND WROTE"FATHER IF YOU HADN'T BEEN LIKE THIS,MOTHER YOU COULD HAVE BEEN MARY".

IN MICHEL'S EARLY AGES AN INCIDENT HAPPENED IN HIS LIFE WHEN HE USED TO LIVE IN BOLOGNA, WHERE THERE WAS A PUB IN THE CORNER OF THE LANE WHICH WAS BOTH HIS AND HIS FATHER'S FAVOURITE PLACE, WHERE MICHEL USED TO DRINK OUTSIDE THE PUB AND HIS FATHER USED TO SIT INSIDE.MICHEL USED TO BUY PEANUTS FROM A NEARBY VENDOR SITTING ACROSS HIM,WHEN THE VENDOR WEIGHTED THE PEANUTS SOME OF THEM ROLLED DOWN ON THE GROUND WHICH WAS THEN PICKED UP BY A NAKED BOY AND THE BOY USED TO PUT ONE IN HIS MOUTH AND PUT THE REST IN THE BASKET.THEN MICHEL USED THAT SAME NAKED CHILD'S FACE TO DRAW BABY JESUS ON THE STATUE OF MADONNA OF BRUJES

WHEN MICHEL WAS PAINTING AT THE SISTINE CHAPEL POPE JULIUS ASKED THAT WHY DIDN'T HE LOVE COLOURS AND ALWAYS CARVED ON MARBLE, HE SAID THAT COLOURS LOSE THEIR DISTINCTIVENESS WHEN USED WITH OTHER COLOURS BUT MARBLE DOESN'T CHANGE.

WHILE PAINTING "THE LAST SUPPER " JUDAS'S(JESUS'S THIRTEENTH DISCIPLE WHO BETRAYED JESUS FOR THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER TO ROMANS)FACE WAS MISSING WHICH MADE MICHEL IMPATIENT AND THEN HE SEARCHED A MODEL FOR THE FACE OF JESUS

ONE DAY MICHEL FOUND JUDAS IN A SMALL DIRTY PUB IN ROME.HIS EYES HAD AN UNNATURAL GLITTER AND HE WAS RESTLEESS AND SPAT AGAIN AND AGAIN,HIS BODY BEGAN TO SAG WITH AGE.HIS SPEAKING WAS SO FAST THAT IT FELT LIKE WORDS WERE FALLING OUT OF HIS MOUTH LIKE COINS FALLING FROM A TORN POCKET.HE WENT TO MICHEL FOR A DINAR AND ENDED UP SHARING A BOTTLE WITH HIM.WHEN DMICHEL MOVED OUT OF THE PUB HE SAW THAT THE MAN WAS ASKING FOR 2 DINARS FROM SOMEONE ELSE

MICHEL MADE A DEAL WITH THE MAN AND ASKED HIM TO BE THE MODEL FOR JUDAS AFTER THAT HE WOULD BECOME IMMORTAL.MICHEL LIFTED UP THE DRAPES TO SHOW HIM THE WALLS AND CEILINGS.THE MAN LOOKED AT EVERYTHING WITH AN ASTONISHMENT.THE MAN ASKED FOR A HUGE SUM OF MONEY AND ALSO AN ADVANCE FOR BEING THE MODEL AND MICHEL AGREED TO PAY HIM.THE MAN THE STARTED TO LOOK THROUGH MICHEL'S OLD PAINTINGS AND FOUND THE PAINTING OF THE BABY JESUS,HE THEN ASKED MICHEL ABOUT THE PAINTING,MICHEL SAID THAT IT WAS THE FACE OF THE CHILD NAMED MARSOLINI WHICH HE DREW WHEN HE LIVED IN BOLOGNA.

LASTLY IN THE STORY WE FIND THAT THE MODEL MICHELANGELO WAS GOING TO DRAW AS JUDAS WAS THE SAME PERSON HE DREW AS THE FACE OF BABY JESUS IN THE PAINTING FOR THE STATUE OF MADONNA.    

THE UNDERLINED PARTS OF THIS SUMMARY ARE THE TOPICS/SECTIONS OF THE CHAPTER FROM WHICH MOST QUESTIONS (INCLUDING BOTH SAQ AND LAQ'S) ARE ASKED IN THE WBCHSE XII BOARD EXAM.