Neoplatonic Topics in Michelangelo Buonarroti’s Poetry

Abstract

Acknowledged as much for their verbal strength as for their testimonial value, Michelangelo Buonarroti’s Rime are also the innermost expression of his thought. This article offers a general analysis of some contents and images as topics that have arisen from the long Neoplatonic tradition, both in their philosophical roots and lyrical derivations; particularly, it looks for examples concerning the two fundamental topics of Michelangelo’s poetic work: the erotic and the artistic spheres. Through the study of recurrent concepts and metaphors, it is shown the adequacy of the Neoplatonic approach to his poetry, but also, within this theoretical framework, it is stressed its value as an apical manifestation of idealistic aesthetic theory of the High Renaissance and the singularity of Michelangelo’s thought as «demiurgic idealism».