Meet The Slaves

Four unfinished sculptures by Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, otherwise referred to as Michelangelo, reside in Florence at the Accademia di Belle Arti Firenze. They are known as The Slaves. Made out of marble, they were commissioned for Pope Julius in Rome, and were intended to be a part of his tomb. When Julius died soon after, funding for the work diminished, and Michelangelo only worked on them sporadically between 1520 and 1523. 

If completed, the project of Pope Julius' tomb would have been the most esteemed project of Michelangelo's life. It originally entailed a total of thirty to fourty sculptures, but only six were ever produced. Two of which, Rebellious Slave and Dying Slave, were mostly completed and now can be found in the Louvre. As for the unfinished four, which are titled Young Slave, Atlas Slave, Awakening Slave, and Bearded Slave, they are found today in the Accademia di Belle Arti Firenze. The Slave which I will be focusing on most prominently is the Awakening Slave, which measures 2.67 meters in height.

Michelangelo has described the art of sculpting as  "liberating the figure imprisoned in the marble"... He has been quoted saying, "I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free". The way which these unfinished sculptures are still encaged in  marble, a seemingly stone prison, not yet set free, is how they have come to be known as "The Slaves". I find these scultpures to be incredibly powerful and unique from their period; Not only in appearance, but also the perceived meaning's they exude. I also find the back-story and history very intriguing as their fame and recognition as highly influential works has not come through a typical means. The way which the meaning of these sculptures has developed through an evolution of their original purpose, and become such influential pieces, is different than most other comparable pieces from the time period. What I mean  is that despite the fact that these are incomplete works, never completing their original purpose, they  have come to serve a new purpose, and have gained an important place in the study of art and history precisely because they were left incomplete. They have given art historians a way of examining further the procedure Micheleangelo used to sculpt. As well, their form and structure is almost more powerful because they have been left in the state of incompleteness; It gives them further and deeper meanings.  
Awakening slave I find to be the most visually powerful. He is perhaps the least complete of the bunch, but his sculpture I find most effective in convaying a sense of movement and struggle.