Everyone Pays
THE OTHER DAY, I came across a documentary. Actually, a pair of documentaries. One of the educational channels aired back to back programs on Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. This proved to be an interesting grouping and by watching each program I was able to compare the two men. (By the way, they didn’t like each other.)
The thing that seized my attention was how the men related to their work. Leonardo had a great many interests—maybe too many interests. He proved a capable engineer, an insightful inventor, a fine sculpture, and an extraordinary painter. But the problem with being a Renaissance man during the Renaissance is the unrelenting, ever-present sources of distraction. Leonardo had a problem: he couldn’t finish what he started. Several times he received commissions for work only to quit part way through, moving on to something else. Lawsuits followed. He never finished tinkering with the Mona Lisa and carried the painting until his death.
Michelangelo’s actions showed him to be the polar opposite. While sculpting what may be the most famous piece of art in the world—the 17 foot tall David—he became so obsessed with the work that he refused to leave it for more than a few minutes. He ate his meals within sight of the marble statue. He slept in its shadow. Historians tell us that he had no life beyond his work, often choosing to live in virtual poverty even though he could afford much more.
Da Vinci was distracted; Michelangelo obsessed. Both suffered from their extremes.
Creativity often comes with a price. The creative person may be misunderstood by friends and family. Worse, they are engaged in a lifelong wrestling match with themselves. To win is to lose; to lose is to win.
It’s up to psychologist to unravel the Gordian knot of human emotion, but I have observed that creative people are often very different from others. In Leonardo’s and Michelangelo’s case it may stem from their childhood. Leonardo was illegitimate and in that century such a stigma mattered. Michelangelo lived with an abusive father who ridiculed his son’s desire to create art. Ironically, his son’s art supported him in his latter years.
All things come with a price. Getting up for church on Sunday costs time, effort, and fuel, but it’s worth it. Creating stories, painting canvas or frescos, writing speeches, designing the interior of rooms, planning buildings and cities, and every other artistic endeavor costs the creator something. Thankfully, for most of us it is an easy price to pay. However, some of the greats like Michelangelo and Leonardo, paid heavier emotional tolls.
Is it worth it?
Yes.
AG
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