International Journal of Art and Art History December 2018, Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 22-30 ISSN: 2374-2321 (Print), 2374-233X (Online) Copyright © The Author(s).All Rights Reserved. Published by American Research Institute for Policy Development DOI: 10.15640/ijaah.v6n2p4 URL: https://doi.org/10.15640/ijaah.v6n2p4 Cellini vs Michelangelo: A comparison of the use of furia, forza, difficultà, terriblità, and fantasia Maureen Maggio 1 Abstract: Although a contemporary of the great Michelangelo, Benvenuto Cellini is not as well known to the general public today. Cellini, a master sculptor and goldsmith in his own right, made no secret of his admiration for Michelangelo’s work, and wrote treatises on artistic principles. In fact, Cellini’s artistic treatises can be argued to have exemplified the principles that Vasari and his contemporaries have attributed to Michelangelo. This paper provides an overview of the key Renaissance artistic principles of furia, forza, difficultà, terriblità, and fantasia, and uses them to examine and compare Cellini’s famous Perseus and Medusa in the Loggia dei Lanzi to the work of Michelangelo, particularly his famous statue of David, displayed in the Galleria dell’ Accademia. Using these principles, this analysis shows that Cellini not only knew of the artistic principles of Michelangelo, but that his work also displays a mastery of these principles equal to Michelangelo’s masterpieces. Keywords: Cellini, Michelangelo, Renaissance aesthetics, Renaissance Sculptors, Italian Renaissance 1.0 Introduction Benvenuto Cellini was a Florentine master sculptor and goldsmith who was a contemporary of the great Michelangelo (Fenton, 2010). Cellini had been educated at the Accademia del Disegno where Michelangelo’s artistic principles were being taught (Jack, 1976). Michelangelo was vocal in relation to his artistic principles, which many artists of the cinquecento period would have discussed at length, to understand and emulate Michelangelo by applying his principles to their own work. Presumably, Cellini would have been one such artist. Cellini was a man of exceptional skill and in his list of friends he had Popes, monarchs, and other heads of state, but despite this he also viewed Michelangelo as divine (Fenton, 2010). During the description of Cellini’s meeting with Cosimo I de Medici, he is clear in his admiration of Michelangelo as he refers to him as the greatest man since the ancients (Cellini, 2010). It was during this particular conversation with the Duke, Cellini (2010) states that Donatello and Michelangelo had proven themselves to be great artists since the times of the ancients, and that he still had in him to produce work that rivalled both great artists. It can be safe to say that Cellini not only admired Michelangelo, but felt that he had to prove himself to the Duke and show that he was at the same elite level of the great master. Patricia Reilly argues that treatises written by Cellini on anatomical drawings exemplify the principles of Michelangelo, and are related to the school of thought of the Accademia del Disegno in Florence (Rossi & Galluci, 2004). David Summers (1981) argues that Michelangelo did not have consistent ideas on artistic principles and did not write any treatises on them. The major writing on these principles was carried out by the likes of Giorgio Vasari, Ascanio Condivi, and Francesco de Hollanda; Summers (1981) suggests this was because Michelangelo lacked the confidence and eloquence to write his own treatise. He notes that Cellini revered Michelangelo, but that he also shared the language of craftsmanship with Michelangelo, which Cellini had included in his own writings. Thus, this article will examine some of the artistic principles which Michelangelo was renowned for in his paintings and sculptures, and ascertain if Cellini adhered to them or whether he worked by different artistic principles. The principles of ‘furia’, ‘forza’, difficultà`, ‘terriblità’ and ‘fantasia’, as defined by Summers (1981), will be discussed in relation to Cellini’s Perseus and Medusa statue. 1 University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, E-mail: maureenlmaggio@gmail.com