The artist Michelangelo often stirred up the opposition of the contemporary artists of his day. Many of them envied his magnificent abilities. One example was the architect Bramante.
画家米开朗基罗常常激起同时代画家的反对,许多人嫉妒他的卓越才华。当时的建筑师布拉曼特就是一例。
Pope Julius retained Michelangelo to build him a splendid tomb. Michelangelo gladly accepted the project and spent eight months in a marble pit personally cutting and selecting the most perfect stones. When he returned, he found the pope had second thoughts. Bramante had turned Pope Julius against the project. The Pope cancelled it.
Later the idea for another special project entered the Pope's mind. Bramante saw the project as a timeconsuming trap for which there would be little public recognition. Bramante recommended Michelangelo for the job.
The great artist saw the trap. He knew what Bramante was up to. He wished to turn the project down but did not want to refuse the Pope's request. So Michelangelo went to work. He spent many years doing the slow and tedious labor the project required. It was the Sistine Chapel.
米开朗基罗这位大艺术家识破了布拉曼特的诡计,知道布拉曼特的目的何在。他不愿接手这个项目,但又不想拒绝教皇的要求,最终只好接手了这个项目。这项工程是一件耗时且乏味的体力活,他花费了好几年的时间才最终完成。这就是西斯廷教堂。 The inspiration that flowed through Michelangelo can likewise flow through any human being. That is what inspiration wants to do. It cannot be stopped. It is a living, powerful river that easily circumvents all obstacles.
Michelangelo collected his inner forces for a complete victory. Likewise, we must not fear to face the trickery of some people and expose it for what it is. This is not negative, but intelligent protection and spiritual perception.
In his many books on inner development author Vernon Howard refers to Michelangelo several times. He quotes him as saying, “The more the marble wastes, the more the statue grows.” And, “I released the statue from the stone.” He chiseled away all that was unnecessary, and David emerged.