Reborn as a great painter, with a system, you can be willful

Jiang Zhe looked in the direction Francesca pointed, and indeed saw several pieces of art surrounded by tourists.

The church's display style is more straightforward than that of a museum, and visitors can see everything at a glance without having to walk through a maze.

Jiang Zhe chose to look at Michelangelo's work on the side first - Pietà, also known as the Lotus Seed Statue.

Many artists have depicted the Virgin Mary holding the body of her son Jesus.

When Jiang Zhe viewed this work, he was first shocked by the exquisite carving, and then discovered that Michelangelo carved the Virgin Mary like a young girl, who was obviously younger than Jesus.

However, he did not consider Michelangelo's interpretation of this, nor the interpretations of other artists, but was fully focused on appreciating the artwork. Michelangelo's conception has caused all kinds of speculation, which is the interesting part of art.

Jiang Zhe noticed that there was a ribbon hanging on the Virgin Mary's clothes with a line of words engraved on it.

He read the text aloud: "Florentine, sculpted by Michelangelo."

At this time, you can realize the importance of mastering more than one language.

Francesca said: "Michelangelo accidentally heard that someone mistook this sculpture for the work of another artist, so he simply added a line of text to the sculpture of the Virgin Mary in a fit of anger.

Of course, this sculpture also became the only work signed by Michelangelo.”

Jiang Zhe read the introduction and said with admiration: "Michelangelo was only 23 years old at that time."

The structure of the figures, the texture of the skin, the texture of the clothes, every ups and downs in the sculpture are so beautiful. Looking at the sculpture, you can feel the young Michelangelo's irrepressible talent and ambition.

Francesca said: "This sculpture was designed for the altar of a cardinal at the time, so the correct viewing angle should be looking up, not like it is now. Because the church was rebuilt, the sculpture was moved to this separate space."

Although it was not the best viewing angle and the distance was a bit far, Jiang Zhe stood in front of the sculpture for a long time and was reluctant to leave. Looking at such sculptures, he had the urge to make his own sculptures.

The two left the place where the sculptures were displayed and went to see Bernini's bronze canopy, one of the three treasures.

The square canopy is located directly below the huge dome.

Jiang Zhe and the other man walked slowly around the canopy and observed it carefully.

The canopy mentioned here is an object that looks like a sunshade. In Western culture, it is a symbol of authority and often appears on shrines or thrones.

Bernini, the author of the Baldachino, is considered by many to be a sculptor comparable to Michelangelo.

Two of the three treasures of St. Peter's Basilica are his works.

The most eye-catching features of the canopy are the four columns decorated with twisted patterns, which are said to have originated from the Temple in Jerusalem.

Francesca reminded Jiang Zhe: "Look here, the pattern of three little bees is the Pope's family emblem. The family emblem plus two keys, plus the Pope's exclusive triple crown, form the coat of arms of Pope Urban VIII. There are a total of eight coats of arms inlaid at the foot of the column, forming an interesting change."

Jiang Zhe paid attention to the carvings on each emblem, walked around the slide cover clockwise, and found that the expression on the face was gradually changing.

"What does this mean?"

Francesca said, "I don't know. Some people have interpreted it as a portrayal of life, or childbirth. You can have your own interpretation."

Jiang Zhe shook his head. This was really hard to interpret.

Francesca didn't get confused. She pointed to the canopy and said, "These four walls were originally used to support the dome, but Bernini made four balconies to store four holy relics, including the Spear of Longinus, a fragment of the cross of Jesus, which was retrieved from Jerusalem, the veil of Veronica, and the last one is the relic of Saint Andrew, the brother of Saint Peter."

Jiang Zhe didn't know much about these so-called holy objects, he only remembered seeing them mentioned in some movies.

Francisca saw Jiang Zhe's expression and said in a low voice: "With the advancement of technology, the Vatican has also begun to be vague, saying that the symbolic significance is greater than the archaeological significance."

The third treasure of St. Peter is the huge and gorgeous chair cover made by Bernini for the Pope's throne. When Jiang Zhe saw this work of art, he was first impressed that Bernini could only make a huge metal cover for a chair.

The work is highly dramatic, with a gold-decorated background sculpture adorned with numerous angel figures and a dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit.

The chair cover is cast in bronze and carried by four clergymen.

While he was impressed by Bernini's creativity, he also had some doubts: Would it really be comfortable to sit in such a chair?

Looking back at the three treasures we have seen, judging from an artistic point of view, Michelangelo's work is undoubtedly the best. Bernini's bronze canopy is second, and the chair cover has the most gorgeous effect, but the least artistic quality.

In addition to the three treasures, there are many works of art to see inside the church.

While watching, Jiang Zhe also asked the system to store relevant information.

After viewing the interior of the church, the two followed their route, passed through a gate, and climbed up the stairs to the dome.

It is known as the largest dome in the world. If you don’t go up and take a look, as Francesca said, your trip would be in vain.

The stairs are narrow and you have to be careful when walking.

As you walk longer on the stairs, you'll feel stuffy and increasingly tired.

Fortunately, Jiang Zhe had a system of health attribute bonuses, so he could persist. Francesca, who climbed the stairs together, arrived safely with the help of Jiang Zhe.

Walking out of the staircase, the view suddenly opens up.

Jiang Zhe saw that he was already standing high up close to the dome, looking down at the church space he had just seen.

The space for standing is very narrow, it is just an aisle close to the dome. Although there is a guardrail here, it still makes people feel weak under their feet.

Jiang Zhe turned around and looked at the decorative painting on the dome from a close distance.

The dome is covered with inlay work made of hard stone.

Looking at these works, he recalled the materials he had read before and the works with similar techniques he had seen at the Repin Academy of Fine Arts. It is said that there are still many workshops and art academies that have preserved this hard stone inlay craft.

I'll go and have a look some time.

After touring the interior, the two continued to climb up along the route.

The walls of this section of the road began to tilt, indicating that the structure was already inside the dome and they were climbing up through the gap.

The two climbed up to the rooftop platform, where they could look around and see the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museum, as well as the entire square.

"Jiang Zhe, look over here." Francesca prompted.

Jiang Zhe looked towards the square, and after a moment, he said, "The symmetrical layout of the square is like two arms embracing each other."

Francesca said, "Remember the two keys of St. Peter? They are arranged like a keyhole, too."

Jiang Zhe once again praised the architect's ingenious idea.

When the two were taking photos, Jiang Zhe finally heard the system prompt sound.

(End of this chapter)