Michelangelo

Michelangelo Biography
Painter, sculptor, architect and poet Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (March 6, 1475 to
February 18, 1564) is considered one of the most famous artists of the Italian Renaissance, with works
including the "David" and "Pieta" statues and the ceiling paintings of Rome's Sistine Chapel, including
the "Last Judgment." Born to a family of moderate means in the banking business, Michelangelo became
an apprentice to a painter before studying in the sculpture gardens of the powerful Medici family. What
followed was a remarkable career as an artist, recognized in his own time for his artistic virtuosity.
Although he always considered himself a Florentine, Michelangelo lived most of his life in Rome, where
he died at age 88.
'Pieta'
Soon after Michelangelo's move to Rome in 1498, the cardinal Jean Bilhères de Lagraulas, a
representative of the French King Charles VIII to the pope, commissioned "Pieta," a sculpture of Mary
holding the dead Jesus across her lap. Michelangelo, who was just 25 years old at the time, finished his
work in less than one year, and the statue was erected in the church of the cardinal's tomb. At 6 feet wide
and nearly as tall, the statue has been moved five times since, to its present place of prominence St.
Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.
'David'
Between 1501 and 1504, Michelangelo took over a commission for a statue of "David," which two prior
sculptors had previously attempted and abandoned, and turned the 17-foot piece of marble into a
dominating figure. The strength of the statue's sinews, vulnerability of its nakedness, humanity of
expression and overall courage made the "David" a prized representative of the city of Florence.
Originally commissioned for the cathedral of Florence, the Florentine government instead installed the
statue in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. It now lives in Florence’s Accademia gallery.
'Sistine Chapel'
Pope Julius II asked Michelangelo to switch from sculpting to painting to decorate the ceiling of the
Sistine Chapel, which the artist revealed on October 31, 1512. The project fueled Michelangelo’s
imagination, and the original plan for 12 apostles morphed into more than 300 figures on the ceiling of
the sacred space. (The work later had to be completely removed soon after due to an infectious fungus in the
plaster, then recreated.) Michelangelo fired all of his assistants, whom he deemed inept, and completed the 65-
foot ceiling alone, spending endless hours on his back and guarding the project jealously until completion.
'Last Judgment'
Michelangelo unveiled the soaring "Last Judgment" on the far wall of the Sistine Chapel in 1541. There was an
immediate outcry that the nude figures were inappropriate for so holy a place, and a letter called for the
destruction of the Renaissance's largest fresco. The painter retaliated by inserting into the work new portrayals:
Of his chief critic as a devil and himself as the flayed St. Bartholomew.
Michelangelo was born on March 6, 1475, in Caprese, Italy, the second of five sons.
When Michelangelo was born, his father, Leonardo di Buonarrota Simoni, was briefly serving as a magistrate in
the small village of Caprese. The family returned to Florence when Michelangelo was still an infant. His
mother, Francesca Neri, was ill, so Michelangelo was placed with a family of stonecutters, where he later jested,
"With my wet-nurse's milk, I sucked in the hammer and chisels I use for my statues."
From 1489 to 1492, Michelangelo studied classical sculpture in the palace gardens of Florentine ruler Lorenzo
the Magnificent of the powerful Medici family. This extraordinary opportunity opened to him after spending
only a year at Ghirlandaio’s workshop, at his mentor’s recommendation. This was a fertile time for
Michelangelo; his years with the family permitted him access to the social elite of Florence — allowing him to
study under the respected sculptor Bertoldo di Giovanni and exposing him to prominent poets, scholars and
learned Humanists. He also obtained special permission from the Catholic Church to study cadavers for insight
into anatomy, though exposure to corpses had an adverse effect on his health.
These combined influences laid the groundwork for what would become Michelangelo's distinctive style: a
muscular precision and reality combined with an almost lyrical beauty. Two relief sculptures that survive,
"Battle of the Centaurs" and "Madonna Seated on a Step," are testaments to his unique talent at the tender age of
16.
Political strife in the aftermath of Lorenzo the Magnificent’s death led Michelangelo to flee to Bologna, where
he continued his study. He returned to Florence in 1495 to begin work as a sculptor, modeling his style after
masterpieces of classical antiquity.
There are several versions of an intriguing story about Michelangelo's "Cupid" sculpture, which was artificially
"aged" to resemble a rare antique: One version claims that Michelangelo aged the statue to achieve a certain
patina, and another version claims that his art dealer buried the sculpture (an "aging" method) before
attempting to pass it off as an antique.
Cardinal Riario of San Giorgio bought the "Cupid" sculpture, believing it as such, and demanded his money
back when he discovered he'd been duped. Strangely, in the end, Riario was so impressed with Michelangelo's
work that he let the artist keep the money. The cardinal even invited the artist to Rome, where Michelangelo
would live and work for the rest of his life.
Michelangelo's poetic impulse, which had been expressed in his sculptures, paintings and architecture, began
taking literary form in his later years.
Although he never married, Michelangelo was devoted to a pious and noble widow named Vittoria Colonna, the
subject and recipient of many of his more than 300 poems and sonnets. Their friendship remained a great
solace to Michelangelo until Colonna's death in 1547. In 1532, Michelangelo developed an attachment to a
young nobleman, Tommaso de'Cavalieri (scholars dispute whether this was a homosexual or paternal
relationship).
Michelangelo died on February 18, 1564 — just weeks before his 89th birthday — at his home in Macel
de'Corvi, Rome, following a brief illness. A nephew bore his body back to Florence, where he was revered by
the public as the "father and master of all the arts." He was laid to rest at the Basilica di Santa Croce — his
chosen place of burial.

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Michelangelo Biography

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