An author that knew both Michelangelo and El Greco decided to write about the lives of artists. His name was Giorgio Vasari. He idolized Michelangelo as an artist and to revere him as a man. Michelangelo too valued and encouraged his friendship. In his book, The Lives of Artists, Giorgio Vasari seemed very impressed by Michelangelo’s works of art. He was especially excited about the Sistine Chapel. He named Michelangelo a perfectionist. Vasari stated that Michelangelo’s work was the beacon of our art. He also mentioned that any other pa

El Greco did like Michelangelo, after all he was under his wing for a while when he was in Italy. He is the one who exposed him to the fact that artists are scholars and not tradesmen. According to the book written by Janis Tomlinson, “El Greco to Goya”, El Greco said that Michelangelo is a good man who didn’t know how to paint. He also did offer to paint the Last Judgement in a more decent and virtuous way. This was because he would have just done it in a more acceptable way; to him nudity was not something he liked. For example he did paint nude people but he covered them up, for example in his painting St. Martin and the Beggar5. There was a piece of green cloth surrounding the beggars’ genitalia. This is very much unlike Michelangelo who loves painting nudes. For example in the Battle of Centaurs6. This is where everyone is fighting, but depicted by him in the nude. The emphasis on muscular and bodily shape is very strong. This is unlike El Greco who paints very elongated and smooth figures with less emphasis on muscular bodies. His bodies are very slim, just like in the painting St. Martin and the Beggar.

Of course we cannot compare between who is better, Michelangelo or El Greco as they were painters at different times, and they were taught different styles of painting. Also no two great painters can be alike. El Greco uses more mannerism11 and counter-reformation12 style while Michelangelo uses more fresco style. The High Renaissance, which Michelangelo studied in, was a very creative time; people were obsessed about precision to the point of muscles. Unlike El Greco’s time where perspective was not even studied, neither was oil painting. So, it was very plain and simple. Also Michelangelo was not a very considerate painter, because he liked painting nudity in comparison to El Greco, which tried to keep his subjects well clothed.

So, yes El Greco would paint a more acceptable piece of art for the Sistine Chapel. That would only be because of his training and his way of thinking. His imagination does not include fantasy unlike Michelangelo. He would paint it in a more decent way. He would cloth the saints and martyrs appropriately. His way of painting would be acceptable in society.

inter should not waste their time coming up with innovations and inventions, or new poses as Michelangelo has already done it in perfection. He was also thrilled about the fact that Michelangelo created nudes of different body sizes and in different poses. According to the book Lives of Artists by Giorgio Vasari, Michelangelo was also said to have the gift of poetic expression. He also said that Michelangelo was a renaissance man, as he was a great sculptor, painter and architect that ever lived. In spite of all those comments Vasari does criticize him for inability to paint portraits.

El Greco’s approach to nudity was very aesthetic. It was basically Michelangelo’s thinking to paint that way. The word decent means proper and the word virtuous means good. So how could El Greco paint the Last Judgement in a more proper and good way? He could, as he would not show as much nudity as Michelangelo did and paint the painting with respect. It was the way Michelangelo had portrayed and displayed them, that was very perverse. According to Dolce it was “witho

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