Dusk (Michelangelo)

Dusk is a marble sculpture by Michelangelo, datable to 1524–1534. It is paired with Dawn on the tomb of Lorenzo II de' Medici in the Medici Chapel in San Lorenzo in Florence. The statues is one of four allegories of "Times of Day."

Dusk
ArtistMichelangelo Buonarroti
MediumMarble
Dimensions155 cm × 170 cm × 195 cm (61 in × 67 in × 77 in)
LocationTomb of Lorenzo de' Medici, Duke of Urbino, New Sacristy of San Lorenzo, Florence

History

The creation of Dusk started simultaneously with the resuming of work at the New Sacristy of Florence, during 1524, after Clement VII's election to the papal throne. The sculpture's termination date remains unknown; however, the works were interrupted during the Siege of Florence and resumed in 1531. The work remained visibly unfinished in 1534, the year that Michelangelo definitively left Florence.

Description and style

Dusk, or Sunset, is personified as man and is stretched out and nude, like the other statues in the series. It was modelled, perhaps, after the mountain and river gods at the Arch of Septimius Severus in Rome.

If its pair, Dawn is in the act of awaking, Dusk is falling asleep. The statue lies down with one leg crossing the other, for greater compositional dynamism, one arm resting on his thigh to hold back a falling cloth. The other arm is bent to support the figure. The statue's face is bearded, with a thoughtful, downward gaze.

Among the various iconographic meanings proposed, the statue is seen as an emblem of the phlegmatic temperament or of the elements of water or earth. Michelangelo's study for Dusk is known for exemplifying his style of striking, unfinished drawings.[1]

  • Dusk
  • Study of Dusk by Tintoretto
  • Detail of Dusk's feet


References
  1. Nechvatal, Joseph (6 February 2018). "Michelangelo Traces the States of Being and Non-being". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 11 January 2021.

Bibliography
  • Baldini, Umberto (1973). Michelangelo scultore (in Italian). Rizzoli.
  • González, Marta Alvarez (2008). Michelangelo (in Italian) (Nuova ed.). Milano: Mondadori arte. ISBN 978-88-370-6434-1.
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