Michelangelo Buonarroti
1475- 1564
The Beautifier of the Sistine Chapel
by Rit Nosotro( )
His father was a Florentine official whom sent Michelangelo to the workshop of the painter, Domenico Ghirlandaio. After two years, Michelangelo was a successful sculptor and painter. By the age of sixteen, he had already finished two of his works: Battle of the Centaurs and The Madonna of the Stairs. When his patron, Lorenzo Buonarroti passed away, Michelangelo fled from Florence to Bologna, where he first realized his over life-sized sculptor, called Bacchus. By this time, Michelangelo was already highly praised. At about the same time, Michelangelo created his masterpiece: the Pieta. It is still at it's original place at it's original state in the St. Peter's Basillica. This sculpture was probably done before Michelangelo was twenty-five years old: a great achievement. This sculpture is so well known for it's reality on the character's faces, the way the robes of Mary cascades down, and the way that Mary is holding Christ in her arms amaze people around the world who come to see it. When Michelangelo first returned to Florence, he wanted to prove the Florentines of his art genius and therefore, made his most beautiful and most famous sculpture, David. By cutting the muscular shapes and features of David on to the marble, Michelangelo definitely proved that he was not only better than the artists before him, but that he also surpassed those in Rome and Greece. When this sculpture was placed in a hall where everyone could see, his fame and genius was already known worldwide. Therefore, Michelangelo was one of the many artists who were called to the Sistine Chapel in Rome, so that he could beautify it. He painted many of the biblical events such as the separation of land and water, the creating of the birds, the fruits, creatures of land and water, and of course, Adam and Eve. Meanwhile, he was busy with the Sistine Chapel, many royalties and noblemen insisted on him building tombs and beautifying them as well. (The toms of Julius and the Medici family) When Michelangelo finished the last touches to the last episode in the Bible for the Sistine Chapel, (The Last Judgment), it was 1536, thirty-one years after the emperor of Rome had asked him to paint the Chapel. He died in the year 1564, after a long lifetime of art, sculpting and painting
The Renaissance was a time of rebirth and new ideas. Great thinkers, artists and musicians emerged that made changes that have lasted to this day. Leonardo Da Vinci changed how people viewed anatomy and painting. Scientists like Nicolaus Copernicus developed new scientific theories and inventors like Gutenburg, who developed the printing press, were creating devices that changed how people lived. Another important person during the Renaissance was Michelangelo Buonarroti, an artist whose sculptures and painting inspired and influenced many other artists of the Renaissance.
Michelangelo was born in the small village of Caprese, Florence. The Medici family was the ruling power in Florence at the time, and it was during the reign of Lorenzo the Magnificent that Michelangelo’s artistry flourished. Florence was always Michelangelo’s favorite city; however, he spent much of his time in Rome due to the fact that he often worked for various Popes and high-ranking officials. At the age of 13 he apprenticed under an artist named Domenico Ghirlandaio. He started his independent work under the influence of Lorenzo the Magnificent, the current patron of the arts, by 1490. From there he went to Rome, where he was able to improve his sculpting by study of the works around him. It is at this point that he began to make his mark in the world of art with the creation of the Pieta. Once he returned to Florence he began work on his statue of David; considered one of his greatest works. Eventually he was called to Rome again and asked to paint the famous Sistine Chapel ceiling. For the rest of his life he traveled between Florence and Rome, often commissioned by the popes or Medici’s to create new sculptures and painting or carve royal tombs. His last major work was the construction of St. Peters Basilica, of which he was head architect. His death occurred in the year 1584, but the sculptures and paintings he left behind are still alive today.
Describing Michelangelo’s life without talking about his works is practically impossible; his works were a huge part of his life. At that period in time his style was considered unique and introduced new ideas into the Renaissance. Although he was an incredible painter his main work and true joy was sculpting. His sculptures were realistic and portrayed emotion and intensity. One example of such a sculpture is the Pieta, which he created during his first journey to Rome. The sculpture depicts the figure of Mary holding Jesus on her lap. His genius is shown through the emotion on the faces of Mary and Jesus. On his return to Florence he constructed the famous statue of David. This fourteen foot tall marble statue once again demonstrates Michelangelo’s ability to sculpt detail into his statues. Probably Michelangelo’s most well-known work is the Sistine Chapel. Pope Julius II commissioned him to paint the ceiling of this Roman Chapel, and it took Michelangelo four years to complete. Still considered some of the finest works of art, the chapel’s frescoes depict nine scenes from the Old Testament. Some years later Michelangelo again returned to Rome to do some more work in the Sistine Chapel. This time, however he painted a fresco on the wall illustrating the Last Judgment of Jesus Christ. Towards the end of his life he was assigned the job of constructing the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica. This again represents his artistic and architectural genius. His creations are still treasured today and revered as some of history’s greatest works of art.
Michelangelo’s artistry is certainly a testimony to God’s glory, and Michelangelo himself stated that, “The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection.”
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