Who Is He?

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simon, most commonly known as Michelangelo, was born on March 6, 1475 in Caprese. Michelangelo was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, poet, and engineer. His prime rival that also an Italian was Leonardo da Vinci.

Michelangelo's mother had been too sick and frail to nurse the young boy, so he was put with a wet nurse in the family of a stonecutter. Michelangelo's mother, Francesca Neris, died when Michelangelo was only six years old. The young Michelangelo was now motherless, and this made his life grim and it also had no love in it. Michelangelo was hot tempered and he would say harsh words. Michelangelo often kept to himself because of shyness and his lack of trust in anyone else.

Michelangelo's father soon realized his potential and intelligence. His father sent him to a grammar school where he would study his letters under Francesco Galeota, his teacher. While he was studying Latin, he became friends with another student that was six years older than him, with the name of Francesco Granacci. His new friend was learning how to paint in a studio in the same grammar school, and he encouraged Michelangelo to also learn the art of painting.

Michelangelo's father had now become a Florentine official, and he had connections with the powerful Medici family. He hoped that with the wealth he controlled and his studies, Michelangelo would be able to become a prosperous merchant or businessman in order to keep the Buonarroti family in a good social position. Michelangelo turned thirteen and he shocked his father by telling him that he had agreed to be the apprentice of the painter Domenico Ghirlandaio. Michelangelo learned how to paint frescoes for one year and then he went to study at a sculpture school. For the next few years, Michelangelo started to study the human anatomy.

Michelangelo then went to Rome, where he was able to look at many different ancient sculptures and ruins. Not much time after, he created his first large scale sculpture, Bacchus. Around the same time, he created the marble sculpture Pieta. This sculpture was considered as one of the greatest sculptures ever created. On August 4th, 1501, a republic was now in motion in Florence. The new order had the support of Michelangelo. At this period of time, Michelangelo showed his art politically, unlike his more later art. Twelve days after Florence was claimed as a republic, Michelangelo was comissioned to make the sculpture David.

In April 1508, Michelangelo was summoned back to Rome by Pope Julius II. Michelangelo's new job was to paint the entire ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo, at this point of time considered himself as a sculptor, not a painter. He was now going to have to be able to master the art of frescoes. At first Michelangelo had tried to turn down the offer, but it was useless. He painted the Sisitine Chapel ceiling from  1508 to 1512.

Michelangelo went on to make the tomb of Julius II, design the Laurentian library, and the Medici tombs. In 1534, Michelangelo left Florence forever. A few years later, Pope Paul III Farnese commisioned Michelangelo to paint the Last Judgment in 1535. This painting was to depict the picture of humanity face to face with salvation. The Reformation and the sacking of Rome had all led to the certain way the painting was drawn. He finished the painting in 1541 and it was the largest fresco ever drawn during the Reformation.

By this time, Michalangelo was now in his seventies. The most famous work ever created by Michelangelo as an architect was St. Peter's Basilica. He was made chief architect of the project and he would not accept any form of payment for designing the sacred building.

Michelangelo's only friends in the last stage of his life were loneliness and sorrow. All his friends and faithful servant were all dead. In this time period he drew dark and solemn art pieces.

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simon died on February 18, 1564, giving himself up to God and all of the above heavens. In his will he left three statements and as he lay in his deathbed, in front of his physician, his friends stated that they recalled him saying that he left:

"his soul to God, his body to the earth, and his material possesions to his nearest relations."

                                                              -Michelangelo Buonarroti