Architecture and the Human Body

For my Renaissance art history class I was assigned to read about Michelangelo's architecture and one thing that caught my attention is how the form of the human body influenced his architecture. I thought this was an interesting concept and just reinforced my perception of how for me it all comes down to the body; God's revelation of Himself through our bodies which image Him and through the Incarnation where God took on our humanity. From the reading I got that by having the form of the human body influence architectural design, the building as a result is humanized and made more accessible to people. I'm sure Michelangelo, with his love affair of the human form, was keenly aware of this. I found this part of the reading fascinating as it spoke from another, unexpected angle, architecture, about the accessibility of the human body, of its power to communicate in a way that is relatable to people. The communicative force of the human body tied which is naturally tied into this relational factor is the reason I'm so drawn to the human form in my own art. Also, God took on the human form to make himself accessible to us, to enable us to relate to him. It's just amazing how all aspects of the human experience echo this, it's ingrained in us.