An Analysis of the Artistic Representation of the ‘Common Origin of Male and Female’ in Michelangelo’s Works

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-541-6_16How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Anatomy; Femininity; Idealisation

Abstract

This study investigates Michelangelo’s distinctive approach to representing the female body, focusing on how his anatomical training, conception of ideal beauty, and Neoplatonic philosophy shaped his style. The research begins by situating Michelangelo within the intellectual and artistic context of Renaissance Florence, where dissection of corpses, primarily male, gave him exceptional knowledge of musculature and bone structure. Through close visual analysis of key works, including the Libyan Sibyl, The Last Judgment, and the statue of Night, the essay explores three themes: the transposition of male anatomy onto female figures, the privileging of strength over conventional ideals of femininity, and the symbolic blurring of gender boundaries. The results show that Michelangelo’s women are muscular, dynamic, and heroic, departing radically from the era’s cultural expectations of female fragility. Far from a failure to capture femininity, this was a deliberate choice: Michelangelo sought to universalise beauty by transcending gender distinctions, aligning with Neoplatonic ideals and Christian theology. The findings demonstrate that his representations challenge traditional gender roles and expand the possibilities of Renaissance art, offering a framework for reinterpreting female identity through anatomy, aesthetics, and symbolism.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Yandi Zhang
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/02/26
TI  - An Analysis of the Artistic Representation of the ‘Common Origin of Male and Female’ in Michelangelo’s Works
BT  - Proceedings of the 2025 5th International Conference on Culture, Design and Social Development (CDSD 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 129
EP  - 135
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-541-6_16
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-541-6_16
ID  - Zhang2026
ER  -