GILIO, Giovanni Andrea
Camerino, Gioioso, 1564
In 4to, pp. (3), 144. Full vellum, ex libris E. Steinmann.The extremely scarce fist edition. Quickly written after theend of Council of Trent, in the year of Michelangelo’s death,this is one of the first dissertation on history of art actuallyrefletting the Council spirit.
The special attention given by the scholars to religious paintings details can be appreciate in Gilio da Fabriano’s statements about Michelangelo’s Judgement. Not only Gilioaffirms Michelangelo’s credits but also enthusiastically acclaims him. Michelangelo – he writes – led back painting toits outward glory. And about the Judgement “he demonstrated what the art can do”. He admits, furthermore, that according to parameters of a purely artistic goal, Michelangelo is beyond any comparison. But Gilio goes further, including a higher parameter, that convicts the artist: he painted unwinged angels; there are also shapes with clothe smoved by the wind, in a day, the Judgement Day, in which wind and storms, it’s written, will cease. The trumpet angels are gathered all together, while it’s written that they were sent to the four corners of Earth. Between the land rising deads there are skeletons mixed to fleshed bodies, while accordingto the Bible the general Resurrection will take place instantaneously. Gilio also objects that Christ is portraied standing up, instead of sitting on his Glory throne. A speaker along the dialogue justifies Michelangelo’s choice in asymbolic key, but his defense is not in accord to the main subject, expressed in a sentence that sums up the very meaningof dialogue: “One wishing give an allegoric and mystic mean to evangelic text, could accept your opinion; but beforethe literal meaning must be kept before, if possible, and only the the other ones, and save the letter as much whichc an be”.
If you follow the allegory, it must be simple and clear: “Everything is more fine, as much as it clear and open”. Gilio affirms that Michelangelo must be convicted because “he was pleased by art, to show its quantity and quality, more than the subject’s truth”. Therefore, in Martyrdom and Passion of Jesus and of Saints, the actual subjects of Pity, the artist can’t turn the scene in a calm and statuary beauty, with naked and perfect bodies; he must on the contrary show the severity of the setting. This reflects not only Gilio’s attitude towards Michelangelo, but the point of view of a whole generation about the main artists of 30 years before: painting has to point out the moral improvement through education,according to Church’s precepts, and not to duty through anaestetic stimulus. (cfr A. Blunt, Artistic Theory in Italy 1450-1600, London 1962, pp. 11-115, 121-123).
E. Steinmann, R. Wittkower, Michelangelo-Bibliographie, (Leipzig 1927), n. 827; P. Barocchi (ed.), Scritti d’arte del Cinquecento, (Torino 1978), IV, pp. 425-428; F. Zeri, Pitturae Controriforma, (Torino, 1979), pp. 30-32.
