The Michelangelo

Us with some Degas dancers

We went into the National Gallery of Art on Saturday. 

This is what Leo wanted to do the whole time.

It was a special trip to see a sculpture by Michaelangelo.  How often do you get to see a Michaelangelo in person?  Maybe once or twice in a lifetime.  How often is it in the US?  Well, almost never.  This particular sculpture had been in the U.S. once before, 60 years ago.  That's right, 60. 

The sculpture was smaller than expected.  I guess after seeing the David in Florence, that's what I expect all of his work to look like.  But, it was Heber's and Leo's first Michelangelo, so it was worth it.   
This work was unfinished and reminded me of one of his other works that I saw ages ago. They are called the "Slaves" and look as if the sculptures are trying to burst out of the rock.  One of Michelangelo's common practices was to leave works unfinished.  A lot of commentary has gone back and forth about finishing versus not.  I think if he had finished them, they would have not had the same impact.  It is in their incomplete state that makes me remember them.

I've read that Michelangelo believed that the rock knew what it wanted to be and that Michelangelo was merely removing the rock to release the sculpture. 

Perhaps there is a lesson here.  Could it be that there is beauty in incomplete things?  As a mom, I never seem to be able to complete anything as I'm distracted by the need to attend to something else.  I worry about all the things not finished.  Do I need to let go and embrace what the beauty in the incomplete?

Or maybe the lesson is that there is potential in all of us.  There is this perfect potential that we have to continually chip away at to release. 

I don't know.  But I do know that I want to be better.  I want to become more than I am.  The best works of art makes us think of that.