Chapter 9. Photos and Graphics

Michelangelo Buonarrotinow there was a genius^[*]. Genius is often an unhappy thing to be. Most creative geniuses throughout history have led unhappy lives. Many of history's geniuses inflicted unhappiness upon those around them with manic behavior. Hemingway drank. Van Gogh fought with his roommate, Gauguin. Kerouac was the family moocher. I read about these geniuses and sort of wish I could help one of them out, add a little happiness to their lives. We have a Make a Wish Foundation for terminally ill kids, so why not have a Make a Tortured Genius Happy Foundation?

^[*] By the way, we're all the way up to Topic 9. You have had time to spread that rumor about me being a genius. How's it going?

Michelangelo is a perfect candidate to be helped by the Foundation. As far as we know, he wasn't drunk and brooding like so many artists you read about. Not much known is about his personal life. One thing is apparent, though: The dude never got a vacation. He was always getting cooped up in a chapel or a tomb. Pope Julius II wouldn't leave him alone.

"Michelangelo, paint me a ceiling in the Sistine Chapel."

"Michelangelo, sculpt me statuary for my tomb."

"Michelangelo, paint that back wall of the chapel. It's too plain."

"Guards, bring back Michelangelo. He ran away again."

Was he the pope or his stepmother?

Pope Julius II didn't let poor Mike go anywhere. Sure, he got out to the stone quarry once in a while to pick out a block, but that wasn't even outside the Florence metropolitan area. He never seemed to get a vacation, a chance to travel.

Today we are at an advantage. It is easy to travel. Even if you don't go anywhere, you can learn about the world in books, in movies, in pictures, and through the Internet. We have so much that it makes me feel bad for Michelangelo, the poor, dead genius. I mean, look at this picture of him from Raphael's School of Athens fresco (see Figure 9.1) He does not look happy.

Figure 9.1. Raphael's depiction of Michelangelo in School of Athens.

Luckily, I am a genius, too, so I can help him. Michelangelo is dead. Being dead doesn't provide much opportunity for travel. I will give him a virtual vacation. I will make a photo album of Michelangelo's missing virtual vacation for him to bore his dead friends with.