Michelangelo Buonarroti

Michelangelo Buonarroti was one of the great artists of the Italian Renaissance.

He was a sculptor, painter, architect, and poet, and he excelled in all of those fields. He produced many masterpieces, but he is particularly renowned for his statue of David and his painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

Michelangelo was born in the village of Caprese on March 6, 1475. His father wanted him to become a businessman, but he was interested in art from an early age. He was apprenticed to Domenico Ghirlandaio, a painter, in 1488, and went on to study sculpture in the Medici Gardens. He created his first two relief sculptures by the age of sixteen.

Around 1499, he completed the Pieta, a marble sculpture depicting Mary holding the dead body of Christ. The sculpture was remarkably poignant, portraying the sadness and resignation in Mary’s expression as she cradled her dead son. Many artists before Michelangelo had struggled to position an adult man lying horizontally on a woman’s lap; he overcame this challenge by using a pyramidal shape. The Pieta was one of the works that secured his reputation as a brilliant artist.

In 1504, Michelangelo finished his fourteen-foot sculpture of David. He depicted David before his battle with Goliath, alert and holding his slingshot. The sculpture was placed outside the Palazzo Vecchio, the seat of Florence’s government. It was a symbol of heroism, and Michelangelo hoped it would inspire the citizens and rulers of Florence to act justly and courageously.

Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling in 1508. Michelangelo claimed that he was a sculptor, not a painter, but eventually he accepted the task. The original commission was to paint the Twelve Apostles; however, the plans quickly became much more complex. In the end, Michelangelo painted nine scenes from the Book of Genesis, surrounded by nude youths, prophets, sibyls, and the ancestors of Christ. He completed the spectacular project in 1512, and was thereafter considered by many to be the greatest artist alive.

In 1534, Michelangelo returned to the Sistine Chapel to paint the Last Judgement on the altar wall. Jesus was in the centre of the painting, with the saved ascending to heaven on the left and the damned descending to hell on the right. Unlike the scene he had painted on the ceiling, it was dark and ominous. The painting was criticized for depicting nude figures in a holy place, and several critics demanded that it be destroyed. However, it remained as it was until 1564, when another artist painted breeches on each figure.

Later in life, Michelangelo experimented with poetry. Many of his poems were written between 1538 and 1547, for a woman named Vittoria Colonna. He was also named chief architect of St. Peter’s Basilica in 1546, despite the fact that he was over seventy. This was his greatest responsibility and his greatest achievement as an architect.

Michelangelo died on February 18, 1564. His masterpieces, however, have not been forgotten. They continue to inspire viewers and artists, and Michelangelo Buonarroti is remembered as one of the best artists of all time.