Michelangelo's Last Pieta

Michelangelo's famous Pieta is the statue in the Vatican that portrays the figure of Christ lying across Mary's lap. The Pieta shown on this page was another treatment of the subject, Michelangelo's last work, with the supporting figure on the left completed by one of his students. This Pieta is displayed in the museum showing art work from the Duomo in Florence.

The famous Pieta in the Vatican is a more symmetrical composition, giving an overall impression of stillness. I like this one better, with its dynamic and sinuous composition, which works from several angles.

The figure of Mary on the right is incomplete. Why didn't a student finish that figure, as he did the other? Perhaps because it was deliberately unfinished. Several of Michelangelo's works have some portion unfinished. Some suggest this is because Michelangelo was constantly being pressured to go from one work to another. Others say it was a deliberate aesthetic choice.

Perhaps "non finito" (unfinished) is as close as we can get to infinity.