Tumarkin's Homage to the Pietà Rondanini Avigdor WG Posèq

5 The role of shadows is described in Pliny (N.H. 35:151-152), while the Renaissance
concept of the priority of evocative natural objects may be found in Alberti's treatise
“On Sculpture”, Alberti/Grayson, 121-122. Alberti's notion was probably inspired
by an imaginary reconstruction of the origins of classical hermae, Posèq, 1989a,
380-384.
6 The definition was coined by Vasari in the “Introduction” to the Vite; Vasari/
Maclehose, 205. On the Renaissance dispute over the relative merits of the arts
see: Blunt, 1940, 50ff., and Barasch, 1975, 163ff. For Michelangelo's position in this
debate: Summers, 1981, 269-78 and 457.
7 For an aesthetic evaluation of the non-finito effects see: Panofsky, 1968, 116, and
Blunt, 1940, 72-73; Summers, 1970, 99-100; Hibbard, 1985, 171ff. On these effects'
psychological meaning: Liebert, 1983, 229-234. Curiously enough Michelangelo
disapproved of the non-finished works of other sculptors, but this perhaps means
that he criticized them not so much for not being polished as for not fully expressing
the artistic ‘concetto’, Summers, 1981, 64.
8 On the special character of this work see: Blunt, 1940, 77; and Hibbard, 1985, 288-
290; also De Tolnay, 1960 154-155.
9 Tumarkin, 1989, 162. I would like to thank Mr. Tumarkin for kindly providing me
with a copy of his book.
10 Tumarkin, 1989, 210f.
11 Hibbard, 1985, 43-48, 53-54.
12 Michelangelo's mother, Francesca di San Miniato, died when he was six years old,
cf. Liebert, 1983, 13ff. On Michelangelo's relation to his father, ibid., 29-47, and on
his attitude to patrons and surrogate parents, 22-77 and passim. On Michelangelo's
traumatic childhood memories see also: Handler Spitz, 1985, 76. Freud discusses
Michelangelo's personality in: Freud/Strachey, 1953, 211-236.
13 Liebert, 1983, 409-415. See also: Frank, 1966, 287-315. Peto, 1979, 183-199, and
Ormland, 1978, 561-591.
14 Schneider, 1950, passim, and Liebert, 1983, 1-9. On the similarities between insight
and analysis of the latent content of a work of art: Kreitler & Kreitler, 1972, 287-288
and 327-328.
15 On the impact of childhood experiences, Posèq, 1988, 285-300; Posèq, 1989b, 53-
58. On the personal aspect of the assemblages in Posèq, 1987, 320-336, also in Posèq,
1989a, 81-95.
16 For the artist's own description of his childhood experiences and his constant
attempts to obtain information about his German father see: Tumarkin, 1983, 13-
15 and 46.
17 On Tumarkin's affectionate relationship with Rudi Lehman see: Tumarkin, 1983,
41f.
18 In a chapter titled “Meeting a father and being with Brecht” Tumarkin combines
an enthusiastic appreciation of Berthold Brecht with whom he worked for some
time in Germany, with a description of his disenchantment with the biological
parent whom he met there. Tumarkin, 1983, 46-51.
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