Príncipe da guerra e das artes: as fronteiras entre a esfera militar e a esfera cultural durante o papado de Júlio II (1503-1513)

Abstract

This work presents an analysis of the papacy of Julius II (1503-1513) and the construction of his reputation through the patronage practice of the artist Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) and the instrumentalization of the fame of this young sculptor who executed, between 1508 and 1512, the decoration of the Sistine vault. In view of this, our main documental contribution was a clipping of the fresco that adorns the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Our auxiliary sources are three works written in the first half of the sixteenth century. The first was written by Niccolò Machiavelli (1469- 1527), called The Prince (1532), this one stands out for the analysis of political practices between the end of the 15th century and the first years of the 1500s. The second document was written by Francesco Guicciardini (1473-1541) and entitled Storia d’Italia (1561), this work stands out for the narrative of the political-military events that took place on the peninsula between 1492 and 1534. The third source was written in 1550 and reprinted in 1568, by Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574), called Life of Michelangelo Buonarroti; this one is unique in its perception of the relationship between the painter and the patron. Our point of view is based on the concepts of New Cultural History, but especially on the aspect of the struggle of representations formulated by the French historian Roger Chartier. Our methodology is based on the iconographic and iconological proposal made by the art historian Erwin Panofsky (1892-1968). Finally, the work is divided into two chapters, so in the first we reconstruct, in part, the performance of Giuliano Della Rovere (1443- 1513) as a cardinal involved in the political-military issues of the papacy and how the whims of Fortune they favored and, to a certain extent, allowed him to build his own destiny to achieve fame, honor, and glory. We also approach the roveresque performance as patron of some artists and as a buyer of artistic pieces. In the second chapter we focus on the interpretation of the Sistine fresco and Julius II's relationship with the artist Michelangelo. In the second chapter we focus on the interpretation of the Sistine fresco and Julius II's relationship with the artist Michelangelo. However, in addition to the formal analysis of the iconographic arrangement, we inserted the pictorial source in a broader field that also included Julius II's practices as patron, pope, prince and general. In view of this, we identify that Julius II did not establish clear boundaries between the military sphere and the cultural sphere during his period as a cardinal as well as during the time he was as bishop of Christ.