Michelangelo Bio and Works
Michelangelo Buonarroti was born on March 6, 1475, in Caprese, Italy, a small Italian village near Arezzo, Tuscany. For several generations, his family had worked as bankers in Florence. His father, Lodovico di Leonardo di Buonarroti di Simoni, also held occasional government positions. At the time of Michelangelo's birth, his father was serving as a Florentine government agent in Caprese and his mother was in failing health. His parents decided to entrust the care of Michelangelo to the wife of a stonecutter who lived in the town of Settignano where his father owned a marble quarry and a small farm. Michelangelo's mother died when he was 6 years old
From childhood Michelangelo was drawn to the arts. However, his father considered this pursuit below the family's social status and tried to discourage him. Michelangelo's father recognized his intellectual potential and enrolled him in the school of master linguist, Francesco Galeota, to prepare young Michelangelo for a career in business. Michelangelo, however, showed no interest in his schooling. He preferred to copy paintings from churches and seek the company of painters. Through the course of his studies, Michelangelo met a student of painter Domenico Ghirlandaio, one of the most fashionable painters in Florence.
In 1488, at age thirteen, Michelangelo followed his interest in the arts, and became an apprentice in Domenico's workshop. Michelangelo's decision to defy his father and risk his family's social standing in Florence created a distance between them that would haunt Michelangelo throughout his life.
In 1489 Michelangelo left his apprenticeship after one year and excepted an invitation from Lorenzo de' Medici, the Magnificent, a retired sculptor and ruler of Florence. There he studied sculpture and anatomy at the school in the Medici gardens. During his studies, he was introduced to important scientists, and poets. Though their radical ideas were often at odds with the artist's strong religious beliefs, these men intrigued him. Their impact is evident even in his earliest works. His most important works during this time include the Madonna of the Steps (1490-1492) and Battle of the Centaurs (1491-1492).
Lorenzo de' Medici died in 1492, and the Medici family fell from power. As a result, Michelangelo decided to return to Florence for a short time prior to moving to Rome. It was there that he carved his Pieta, a sculpture of Mary supporting the crucified Christ across her knees.
In 1501 Michelangelo returned to Florence. Recognized, as the most talented sculptor of central Italy, he was commissioned to carve the Biblical hero "David" for the Florence Cathedral. Seven years later he received one of his most important commissions when Pope Julius II asked him to paint the 12,000 square foot ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
Michelangelo died on February 18, 1564. He excelled in poetry, sculpture, painting, and architecture, and his idealized and expressive works have encouraged many to regard him as one of the greatest masters of European art.
David: The statue of David was originally intended to be one of twelve Old Testament statues in Florence. Sculptor Agostino di Duccio, an assistant to artist and sculptor Donatello, was given the commission on the statue of David, but only got as far as beginning to shape the legs and feet before abandoning the project for unknown reasons. The block of marble used to sculpt the statue of David would sit abandoned in the cathedral workshop for 25 years before the Overseers began consulting with artists willing to finish the sculpture. Though the Overseers consulted many notable artists, including the great Leonardo da Vinci, it was 26-year-old Michelangelo who received the commission on August 16, 1501.
Michelangelo’s David is a 17-foot marble statue of the biblical King David of the Old Testament. Michelangelo’s depiction of David differs from many others from the same time period in that it does not depict David with his legendary foe, the giant Goliath. David's serene and contemplative pose have led some to suggest that the statue is David contemplating his upcoming battle with the giant, while others suggest that his pose is meant to convey David contemplating his victory the moment after the battle
Michangelo's statue of David has become one of the most recognized pieces of Renaissance art. The statue has become almost synonymous with fine culture. Replicas of Michangelo's David can be seen around the world in places as diverse as art museums, casinos and amusement parks.
Sistine Chapel: Pope Julius II requested that Michelangelo repaint the ceiling in 1508. The paintings depict nine stories from the Christian Bible's Book of Genesis, including the most famous image, the Creation of Adam. The ceiling is about 40 meters (131 feet) long by 13 meters (43 feet) wide. These numbers are rounded off just a tad, but don't undermine the fact that Michelangelo painted well over 5,000 square feet of frescoes.
It took him a bit over four years, from July of 1508 to October of 1512. Michelangelo got off to a slow start; he was a sculptor by trade and had not painted frescoes before. Another obstacle Michelangelo overcame in painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling was mold. It might not sound like much of a drawback, but mold could undo even the most magnificent painting simply by making the plaster wet and crumbly. The painting of the ceiling was not without its more intense obstacles either. For one thing, the pope wasn't all that good about paying. As an artist in that time period, Michelangelo made his money by doing projects, like the Sistine Chapel ceiling. But because the ceiling project took so much of his time, he had very little time to do other artwork. Thus, if the pope didn't pay him, he didn't get any money at all.
Many believe that Machelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel while lying on his back however he did not. He conceived and had constructed a unique scaffolding system. It was sturdy enough to hold workers and materials, but began high up the walls of the chapel in order that Mass might still be celebrated below. The scaffolding curved at its top, mimicking the curvature of the ceiling's vault. In order forMichelangelo to paint he often had to bend backwards and paint over his head in an awkward position.
The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was to have a profound effect upon other artists, even before it was completed. There was hardly a design element on the ceiling that was not subsequently imitated: the fictive architecture, the muscular anatomy, the foreshortening, the dynamic motion, the luminous colorations, and the haunting expressions of the figures.
Pieta: The Pieta (1498-1499) by Michelangelo is a marble sculpture in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome; in less than two years Michelangelo carved from a single slab of marble, one of the most magnificent sculptures ever created. His interpretation of the Pieta was far different than those previously created by other artists. Michelangelo decided to create a youthful, serene and holy Virgin Mary instead of a broken hearted and somewhat older woman.
Carved from a single piece of Carrara marble, the fluidity of the fabric, positions of the subjects, and "movement" of the skin of the Pieta—meaning "pity" or "compassion"—created awe for its early spectators. Today, the Pieta remains an incredibly revered work. Michelangelo was just 25 years old at the time.
Legend has it that he overheard pilgrims attribute the work to another sculptor, so he boldly carved his signature in the sash across Mary's chest. It is the only work to bear his name.