ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Pietà (Michelangelo)

Okay kiddo, so a pietà is a special sculpture made by a really famous artist named Michelangelo. It's a sculpture of a mom holding her grown-up son, who just died. The mom's name is Mary and her son's name is Jesus.

Now, the reason why it's so special is because Michelangelo was really good at making sculptures that look so realistic! He carved out every little detail on their faces and their clothes, so it looks like they're really in front of you.

When you look at the sculpture, you can see how sad Mary is because her son just died. You can see how heavy he is in her arms, and how she's holding him so gently. It's a really sad moment but also a really beautiful one because you can feel how much Mary loved her son.

So basically, a pietà is a really special sculpture that tells a sad but beautiful story about a mom's love for her son. And Michelangelo made it look so real and amazing!