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Gulzar’s Michelangelo: A Poetic Tribute to an Artist’s Soul

About the author

Gulzar is the pen name of Sampooran Singh Kalra. He is a well-known Indian short-story writer, lyricist, poet, screenwriter, film director, and film producer. He has won numerous awards including the Sahitya Academy Award, Padma Bhushan, Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Indira Gandhi Award, etc. He writes in Hindi and Urdu.

About the story

· This story was written in Hindi by Gulzar, but it was later translated into English by Alok Bhalla.

· The story is set in Florence, Rome.

· The story focuses on Michelangelo and his search for Judas’s face to paint the Sistine Chapel.

· The story is told from the third-person point of view.

Word-Meaning:

♦caustic-very harsh and critical, ♦St Peter’s-a dome designed by Michelangelo, ♦ceiling-roof, ♦Old and New Testaments-first and the second part of Bible,♦ radiant-shinning, ♦inebriated-intoxicated due to drinking too much alcohol, ♦evaded-avoided, ♦vendor-hawker, ♦mere-only,♦ distinctiveness-features, ♦Chapel-room of a church, ♦crucify-hailed on the cross, ♦tattooed- picture marked on the skin with needle and ink, ♦drapes-covers, ♦dinar-currency in Iraq

Summary

Once Pope Julias II commissioned Michelangelo, a true artist of the Renaissance era, to paint the scene of the Last Supper. Michelangelo found all the faces he needed except the face of Judas who betrayed Jesus. He had been spending five years painting the scenes from the first and last part of the Bible on the domes and walls of the Sistine Chapel. He spent hours reciting the Bible and visualizing all the characters he wanted to paint.

Pope Julias II knew Michelangelo’s disposition, and he was about to complete painting the Sistine Chapel so he maintained his relations with him well. He was unlike Bramante who created figures according to rules and built figures which matched one another in terms of the shapes and forms of his characters.

He was born in Bologna. During his childhood days, he chose the image of his mother for Mother Mary as his mother had been deprived by her drunkard husband. It was a time when he would accompany his intoxicated father to a nearby pub and saw a small naked boy standing near a vendor selling peanuts.

The vendor weighed the peanuts, some of them always rolled down. Then the naked boy used to pick them up, put one nut in his mouth, and the others in the basket, and again wait for the next customer. Michelangelo also bought peanuts to see his performance. In the Madonna of Brujis painting, he used the naked child as his model of naked baby Jesus.

He preferred sculpting to painting. According to him, colours lose their uniqueness when used with other colours whereas marble does not change. In the end, he found his Judas in a dirty pub. His Judas wanted to have a large sum of money to be his model, and Michelangelo agreed with him. On the day Judas saw old sketches of Michelangelo, he revealed his real identity as Marsoleni and said that in Bologna he had served as a model of the naked baby Jesus whom he had already used as baby Jesus.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Michelangelo is-
a)A sculptor and architect b)A playwright c)A singer d)an author
The Sistine Chapel was situated in
a)Rome b)Chile c)Pakistan  d)India
Michelangelo compared the pope to  –
a)a common man b) a burning candle c)God d) an angel
5. Who did Michelangelo choose as the model for Mary?
a) Michelangelo’s mother b) Michelangelo’s sister c)a painting of Mary d) Michelangelo’s grandmother
7. Michelangelo had been away from  Florence for –
a)three years  b) five years  c)two years d)twenty years
8. Michelangelo sketched his stupefied father –
a)in the night  b)in the afternoon  c) in the morning  d)at dawn
9. Gulzar was the popular pen name of-
a)Sampooran Singh Kalra b)Samran Singh Kalra c)Sampooran Kalra d)Sampooran Singh
10. The name of the person whose face Michelangelo used to model Jesus and Judas is –
a) Julia b)a young boy c)Chaplin d) Marsoleni
11. Judas who betrayed Jesus was the –
a) Priest b)Thirteenth disciple c) Pope d) First Disciple
12.______ asked Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
a)Pope Julius b) Pope St. Paul   c)Pope X d)  Pope John
13. After making a deal with the man Michelangelo took him to the –
a)chapel b)pub c)hut d)cottage
14. When Michelangelo painted the face of Jesus, he lived in –
a)Bologna b)Florence c)German d)London
 15. Michelangelo was troubled before he completed painting in the Sistine Chapel because-
a)he couldn’t find Judas’s face b) he couldn’t find Mary’s face c) he couldn’t find Jesus’s face d) he couldn’t find colours
16. Michelangelo preferred sculpting to painting because-
a) marble does not change its features like colours b) marble is more beautiful than colours c) he got marbles from the Pope d) marble changes its features frequently
17. Michelangelo found out Judas in –
a)a dirty pub in Rome b)his house c)the Parliament d) the Bible
18. Michelangelo used to lie under the dome of –
a)St. John b) St. Peter c)St. Paul d)St. Smith
19. The story ‘Michelangelo’ was translated into English by
a) Alok Bhalla b) John Peter c)Sampooran Singh Kalra d)D. Mark
20. Michelngelo’s comments were
a)caustic b)witty c)funny d)intellectual

Short Answer Type Questions

1. What was the sight that fascinated Michelangelo?

Answer: Michelangelo was fascinated by a naked boy who used to help the peanut vendor whenever he weighed the peanuts for a customer. For every customer he helped, the young boy would eat a peanut, and then he would wait for the next customer.

2. Who was Marsoleni?

Ans: Marsoleni was a model of Michelangelo’s painting. Michelangelo used Marsolini as a model of Jesus as well as Judas.

3. How did Michelangelo find Mary’s face?

Ans: Michelangelo saw his mother carrying two drums of water hung on a bamboo across her shoulder, and realized that only a woman like his mother could have carried the weight of the son of God in her womb, and found Mary’s face in his mother.

4. What happens when Michelangelo is asked what he sees in the Pope’s face?

Answer: When asked as to what he sees in the Pope’s face, Michelangelo retorts ‘a burning candle’. Slowly the Pope understands the comparison and asks the painter, whether he meant that there was nothing special about his face and that he was just like one of the ordinary worshipers, just like the many candles burning at the altar which look alike.

5. Why did Michelangelo agree to paint the Sistine Chapel?

Ans: Pope Julias told Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel and promised him to pay money. Michelangelo needed money to buy marble, so he consented to paint the Sistine Chapel.

7. Why did Pope Julius prefer Michelangelo to Bramante? Did he consider himself a painter?

Answer: Pope Julius preferred Michelangelo to Bramante because although Bramante claimed that he conjured the faces in his paintings with his imagination, all his faces resembled each other and had similar features as he created figures according to rules. Thus, the Pope dismissed Bramante and made peace with Michelangelo.

He did not consider himself a painter as he liked to be a sculptor always.

9. What problem was Pope Julius thinking of?

Answer: He was thinking about the time when Michelangelo was carving the Crucifixion for the Church of the Holy Spirit and he had found a dead body as his model, due to which its funeral was held up for twelve hours.

10. What work had Michelangelo been assigned by the Pope? Why did Pope Julius say that he had chosen the right man for the task?

Answer: Pope Julius had commissioned Michelangelo to paint frescos of important events from the Bible on the walls and ceilings of the Sistine Chapel.

When Michelangelo said that he had heard God’s silence, Pope Julius realized that he had chosen the right man for the task.

11. What did Michelangelo say to Pope Julius II?

Ans: Michelangelo told Pope Julius II that he was unable to find a face for his painting in Rome because all faces looked alike there.

12.“He was used to Michel’s caustic comments.” Who is ‘He’ in this context? What is the ‘caustic comment’ made by Michelangelo at that moment?

Ans: Here ‘He’ is referred to Pope Julius II. When Julius asked Michelangelo what he saw in his (Julius’s) face, Michelangelo immediately replied that he could see a burning candle in his face.

13. Why were the shape and form of Bramante’s characters always the same? What consequences did Bramante face for this?

Ans: Bramante created figures according to rules. So the shape and form of Bramante’s characters looked to be the same always. They seemed to belong to the same family.

Julius did not like him for this and eventually dismissed Bramante.

14. Why did Julius have doubts about Michelangelo’s mental stability?

Ans: When Michelangelo returned to Rome, he used to lie under the dome of St. Peter’s for hours, and mumble something to himself. So Julius doubted if he was mentally stable.

15. What and how did Julius ask Michelangelo about God? What did Michelangelo reply?

Ans: Julius asked Michelangelo in a somewhat joking manner if he had heard the voice of God. Michelangelo replied that he had heard His silence.

16. Who did Michelangelo choose as the model for Mary? What made him choose like that?

Ans: Michelangelo chose his mother as the model for Mary on the day he saw his mother carrying two drums of water hung on a bamboo across her shoulder, he believed that only a woman like his mother was capable of carrying the weight of the son of God in her womb. Because of this belief, Michelangelo chose his mother as the model for Mary.

17.“Why didn’t you give birth to Jesus?” Who said this and to whom? What reply did the speaker receive?

Ans: Michelangelo said this to his mother. His mother replied that since she met and married his father who was always inclined to be an alcoholic, she could not give birth to Jesus.

18. What was the favourite haunt of Michelangelo and his father while they were in Bologna? What did they do at the pub?

Ans: While Michelangelo used to stay in Bologna, his favourite haunt was the pub at the corner of the lane, which had been also a favourite of his father. At the pub, Michelangelo used to take his bottle and sit outside while his father used to drink inside.

19. Whom did Michelangelo choose as the model when he made the statue of Madonna?

Ans: When Michelangelo made the statue of Madonna, as a model he chose that naked boy who always used to stand nearby a vendor selling peanuts and used to pick up some peanuts when they fell on the ground.

20.“Why do you love stone so much? Why don’t you love colours?” Who said this and to whom? What were the answers provided to these questions?

Ans: Julius said this to Michelangelo.

Michelangelo said that colours lose their distinct quality when used with other colours whereas marble does not change at all.

21.“He only had one panel of the chapel left to paint…” What did the speaker want to paint? Why was he not satisfied?

Ans: Michelangelo wanted to paint his last one – The Last Supper. Michelangelo was not satisfied because he could not find an appropriate face to paint the face of Judas, the thirteenth disciple of Jesus, who had betrayed his saviour to the Romans for thirty pieces of silver.

22.“That man smiled.” Why did the man smile?

Ans: Michelangelo eventually found a man in a small dirty pub in Rome, who was seen begging a dinar, and made a deal with him encompassing the model for Judas. A few days later, having perceived an old sketch of the face of Jesus, the man enquired of Michelangelo if he remembered that model, and finally revealed that he was the same Marsolini who served him as a model for Jesus once and for that moment as a model for Judas.

23. Why did Julius not want to spoil his relationship with Michelangelo?

Ans: Michelangelo had been painting scenes from the Old and New Testaments on the

dome and the walls of the Sistine Chapel for five years, and as it was nearing completion, Julius did not want to

spoil his relationship with him.

24.“He doesn’t belong to this world.” Who said this to whom? Why did the speaker say these words?

Ans: Pope Julius II said this to Michelangelo. Julius said these words having perceived numerous sketches of Gabriel’s face on paper and surprised to see Michelangelo drew Gabriel’s face.

25.“I have heard his silence”-Who said to whom?

Ans: Michelangelo said this to Pope Julius II.

26. Where did the boy who became the model of naked baby Jesus belong to?

Ans: The boy who became the model of naked baby Jesus belonged to Bologna.

27. Who is referred to as ‘eccentric’?

Ans: Michelangelo is referred to as ‘eccentric’.

Long Answer Type Questions

1. Discuss the Character of Michelangelo in your own words concerning the story ‘Michelangelo’.

Ans: Michelangelo in Gular’s story can be observed from different perspectives. His psychological insight, physical realism, and intensity of thought made him an authentic artist who lived his entire life only for art. He was so devoted to sculpting that he tried to reveal the hidden faces of his characters by reading the verses from the bible instead of creating figures according to rules. As he gave more importance to the uniqueness of art than the appearance of the art, he always preferred sculpting to painting. According to him, “Colours lose distinctiveness when used with other colours”. His caustic comments, eccentric nature, fastidious approach, and passion made him unique. As a child, he found a model for Mary in his mother’s face because of his patience and persistence. later, his determination and dedication made him successful in finding a model for Judas’s face. He is a true artist who put his heart and soul into art, and his creativity makes everyone recall the famous saying of Aristotle, “The aim of art is not to represent the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.

2. How does Gulzar project his thought that the journey of life changes many from Jesus to Judas in the story?

Ans: In the story ‘Michelangelo’ Gulzar projects the reality of life by portraying the character of Marsoleni who was innocent and full of spirituality during his childhood days, but became a greedy and selfish man after growing up. He was used as a model of Jesus as well as Judas by Michelangelo as he transformed himself from an innocent child to an immoral man. As he grew up, he kept his foot on the way of darkness and lost his contentment and peace.

Life is a journey that changes its direction with time. As a child, Marsoleni used to take one peanut while helping a vendor, but during that phase of his life, his innocence was more than his greed. So Michelangelo could see the face of Jesus in him. Later, his greed became more and more, and in the form of negative energy, it took him to the ladder of immortality. Gradually, he lost his purity and innocence and started to beg for money and became imbalanced and aggressive which made Michelangelo find out his Judas in Marsoleni.

In this story, Gulzar depicts life in its real form as many people lost themselves like Marsoleni, and can’t find out the correct direction to live. William Carlos William rightly says, ” Time is a storm in which we are all lost,” and the story ‘Michelangelo’ presents an inevitable truth that bad qualities such as greed and dishonesty always destroy the purity of any soul.

3. Explain the irony that emerges at the end of the story.

Ans: The irony in the story Michelangelo lies in the last line when Michelangelo’s Judas revealed his real identity as Marsoleni, and said that he served as a model of the naked baby Jesus in Bologna. The truth of Marsolini brings an unexpected twist to the story which indicates the cruel irony of fate.

The story is an example of situational irony. Here, the situation presented displays the opposite of what is expected. In this story, Michelangelo discovered the evil face of Judas in the same face in which he observed the divine energy of Jesus earlier. Again, Marsoleni assisted a vendor out of the pub picking peanuts up in the basket when he was a child, but after growing up Marsoleni wanted to have money from others in a dirty pub. The same man presents two characters with different qualities.

The irony of the story enriches the reader with a message that the qualities of human beings make them men of enlightenment like Jesus or a devil like Judas. It makes everyone recall Jesus’s life-changing and powerful saying that human beings should hate sin without hating the sinner.

4. Why did Michelangelo prefer sculpting to painting? Why was Michelangelo troubled before completing a painting in the Sistine Chapel?

Answer: According to Michelangelo, colours lose their distinctiveness when used with other colours, and they change, but marble does not change. So he wanted to deal with marble instead of colours, and he preferred sculpting to painting.

Michelangelo was troubled to find out the face of Judas who was the thirteenth disciple of Jesus, and betrayed his saviour to the Romans for thirty pieces of silver.

Exercise

A. Answer the following in a complete sentence.

1. Why did Julius have doubts about Michelangelo’s mental stability?

2. What excuse did Michelangelo show to his mother for not carving an image of his father?

3. How did Michelangelo find Mary’s face?

4. Which Pope asked Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?

5. Why did Michelangelo agree to paint the Sistine Chapel?

6. Did Michelangelo consider himself a painter?

7. Describe the appearance of Marsoleni.

8. Why did Michelangelo prefer stones to marble? How could Michelangelo draw Gabriel’s face?

9. What did Michelangelo write beneath the sketch of his father?

10. Why did Pope Julius say that he had chosen the right man for the task?

11. Why did Michelangelo visit the pub at Bologna?

12. What was Michelangelo trying to paint in the story ‘Michelangelo’?

13. Describe the sketch Michelangelo’s mother liked very much.

14. What did Michelangelo do in the church of the Holy Spirit?

15. Who was Bramante? Why did Julius dismiss Bramante?

16. How long had Michelangelo been painting scenes from the Old and New Testaments on the dome and the walls of the Sistine Chapel?

17. Why did Michelangelo buy peanuts from the vendor?

18.“That man smiled.” Why did the man smile?

19. What problem was Pope Julius thinking of?

20. What work had Michelangelo been assigned by the Pope?

B. Answer the following in 80 words:

1. What did Michelangelo say to Pope Julius II?

2.“He was used to Michel’s caustic comments.” Who is ‘He’ in this context? What is the ‘caustic comment’ made by Michelangelo at that moment?

3. “What do you see in my face?”–Who is the speaker? What did Michelangelo reply to him? What did the speaker understand through Michelangelo’s words?

4.“He doesn’t belong to this world.” Who said this to whom? Why did the speaker utter these words?

5. What and how did Julius ask Michelangelo about God? What did Michelangelo reply?

6. Who did Michelangelo choose as the model for Mary? What made him choose like that?

7. “Why didn’t you give birth to Jesus?” Who said this and to whom? What reply did the speaker receive?

8. What was the favourite haunt of Michelangelo and his father while they were in Bologna? What did they do at the pub?

9. Who did Michelangelo choose as the model when he made the statue of Madonna?

10. “Why do you love stone so much? Why don’t you love colours?” Who said this and to whom? What were the answers provided to these questions?

11. “He only had one panel of the chapel left to paint…” What did the speaker want to paint? Why was he not satisfied?

12. What was the sight that fascinated Michelangelo?

13. “Why do you love stone so much? Why don’t you love colours?”–Who was the speaker? What did Michelangelo reply to him? What message was conveyed through Michelangelo’s words?

14. ‘Michelangelo tells a tale of perfection blended with subtle irony.’–Discuss.

15. Whom did Michelangelo use as the model of Jesus’s face, Mary’s face, and Judas’s face? Why did he do so?

16. What did the Pope ask Michelangelo to paint? Why did Michelangelo agree with his proposal?

C. Do as directed:

1. “He’s an eccentric,” he had told the Vatican Committee, “but only he can paint the Sistine Chapel”.(Change the narration)

2. He had asked her, “Why didn’t you give birth to Jesus?” (Change the narration)

3. Michelangelo had gone to meet the pope because every painter and sculptor in Italy was ready to sacrifice his body and soul to be awarded the commission. (Split into simple sentences)

4. His mother said, “Why don’t you carve an image of your father like this ? He looks so innocent.” (Change the narration)

5. Marsoleni said to Michelangelo, “I am the same Jesus, whom you are now painting as Judas. (Change the narration)

6. Michelangelo lifted the drapes to show him the walls and ceiling. The man looked at everything with awe. (Join into a complex sentence)

7. Every time the vendor weighed peanuts, a few always rolled out of his basket and fell on the ground. (Split into simple sentences)

8. How did you draw Gabriel’s face? (Split into simple sentences)

9. Michelangelo spent days and days making sketches. He searched through his old drawings and worked on them, but no face satisfied him. (Join into a single sentence)

10. I can’t find that piece of marble to which I can see Father’s face. (Correct the errors)

11. He heard him recite verses from the Bible. (Correct the errors)

12. Colours lose their distinctiveness when used among other colours. (Correct the errors)

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