Artists and Writers

Michelangelo [Buonarroti] (1475-1564)

Considered a true Master of Renaissance art, and one of the most acclaimed artists in the world, Michelangelo showed an early interest in sculpture. With his noble Florentine family background, he was schooled in Latin, but Michelangelo’s interest in art inspired him to study painting, and later sculpture, under respected artists of the time. He was accepted into Lorenzo de’ Medici’s Garden of San Marco, where the gathering of artists and humanists would further influence Michelangelo’s craft. There he studied anatomy and created two bas-reliefs by the time he reached 17.

After the death of Lorenzo, Michelangelo practiced his art in Bologna, then went to Rome, where his reputation preceded him. During his time there, he was commissioned to sculpt several works, among them Bacchus and Pietà. In 1501, Florence became a republic, and Michelangelo returned. He was commissioned to produce another great statue, David, and then summoned back to Rome by Pope Julius II to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which took four years to complete. Michelangelo continued to sculpt and paint – creating the fresco, The Last Judgement over the altar of the Sistine Chapel. He wrote a series of poems and at the age of 70, accepted the job of architect of St. Peter’s Basilica.

LINKS: 

Michelangelo Buonarroti

The Sistine Chapel

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Written by Janice Mancuso

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