Pietà - Statue of Sorrow

   This is one of the greatest of Michelangelo's works, maybe even the best sculpture in the world. When this first came out for all to see, most of the other works of this kind were awkward and clumsy, but even though this type of style of sculpture was still uncommon in Italy, it was and forever will be accepted.
   Michelangelo was asked by a French cardinal to carve a pietà for his tomb. Peità means "pity". It shows the Virgin Mary holding her dead son Jesus, showing the message exactly. While others of this kind were blunt and not thoroughly made, this showed every detail, from the folds of the skirt to the ripples in the skin. It was also the only work he ever signed, something that he claimed he "made".
   I have always liked this piece. It is as if perfection has been caught in this pose forever. Its beauty still affects many people today. Michelangelo said that he didn't carve sculptures, that he just discovered them, forms just waiting to be uncovered. How can a lifeless piece of marble have so much life, so much emotion, so much soul? It's as if it is a beacon of hope for people, because even though in this work Jesus is dead, it gives one hope that someday he WILL return to save us.