Michelangelo Michelangelo's father was a public servant in Florence. Michelangelo's father placed his son in to the care of a family of stonecutters. Michelangelo later joked, "With my wet-nurse's milk, I sucked in the hammer and chisels I use for my statues." Michelangelo was apprenticed, at the age of 13, to Domenico Ghirlandaio. Under Domenico the young artist was exposed to the technique of fresco. Michelangelo spent only one year with Ghirlandaio before moving into the palace of Lorenzo de Medici to study Classical sculpture in the Medici gardens. This was a fertile time for Michelangelo; his years with the Medici family, 1489 to 1492, gave 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 negative 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.
Michelangelo relocated to Rome in 1498. In Rome in under a year he sculpted the "Pieta" (a sculpture of Mary holding the dead Jesus across her lap). At six 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. Legend has it that Michelangelo 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. By the time Michelangelo returned to Florence, he had become something of an art star. He completed a statue of "David," which two prior sculptors had previously attempted and abandoned, turning 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.
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, and 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 revealing the finished work, on October 31, 1512. Click here to see a 360 degree view of the Sistine Chapel. The resulting masterpiece is a transcendent example of High Renaissance art incorporating the Christian symbology, prophecy and humanist principles that Michelangelo had absorbed during his youth. The vivid vignettes of Michelangelo's Sistine ceiling produce a kaleidoscope effect, with the most iconic image being the "Creation of Adam," a portrayal of God touching the finger of man. Rival Roman painter Raphael evidently altered his style after seeing the work. Although he continued to sculpt and paint throughout his life, the physical rigor of painting the chapel had taken it’s toll on Michelangelo, and he soon turned his focus toward architecture. Michelangelo continued to work on the tomb of Julius II for the next several decades. He also designed the Medici Chapel and the Laurentian Library—located opposite the Basilica San Lorenzo in Florence—to house the Medici book collection. These buildings are considered a turning point in architectural history. But Michelangelo's crowning glory in this field came when he was made chief architect of St. Peter's Basilica in 1546. Conflict
Unlike many artists, Michelangelo achieved fame and wealth during his lifetime. He also had the peculiar distinction of living to see the publication of two biographies about his life. Appreciation of Michelangelo's artistic mastery has endured for centuries, and his name has become synonymous with the best work of the Italian Renaissance. |