Born in Caprese in 1475, Michelangelo was a famous Italian sculptor, architect, painter, poet and engineer of the High Renaissance.
At the age of 13, Michelangelo was apprenticed by Domenico Ghirlandaio, one of the artists called to paint the Sistine
Chapel. One year later, Michelangelo continued his apprenticeship at the Medici’s Humanist academy, where he had the opportunity to know many artists, among them the sculptor Bertoldo di Giovanni.
After the apprenticeship, Michelangelo carved many statues, among which San Petronio, and San Procolo that can be found in the Basilica of San Domenico in Bologna.
However, two of the most known sculptures are David and the Pietà.
David
The marble statue is 4.34 x 5.17 meters and represents the Biblical hero David. It was originally placed outside the Palazzo della Signoria in Florence, but nowadays, it can be found in the Accademia gallery.
The creation of the statue was originally started by Agostino di Duccio, who started to shape the legs, the feet and the dorso. However, for unknown reasons, di Duccio stopped working on the project. Ten years later, Antonio Rossellino was called to continue the job. However, his contract was terminated almost immediately, without him completing the statue. Twenty five years later, Michelangelo was commissioned to finish the carving. At the time, he was 26 years old.
Pietà
The statue was carved by Michelangelo when he was 23 years old. It depicts the Virgin Mary while holding the body of Jesus after the crucifixion.
The statue was carved to become the funeral monument of the commissioner, the French cardinal Bilhères. Nowadays it is kept in the St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. It is the only statue Michelangelo signed in his whole life.
As said before, Michelangelo is also well known for his paintings. The most famous is probably the fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
Fresco of the Sistine Chapel ceiling
Michelangelo didn’t want to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel because he claimed to be primarily a sculptor, not a painter. However, he was obliged to paint it under the insistence of Pope Julius II. The fresco depicts many scenes from the Old Testament – the creation, Adam and Eve, Noah and the great flood, etc. Contrary to popular belief, the fresco was painted by Michelangelo while in a standing position. It took 4 years to him to finish his work.
Have you seen some of these masterpieces? What do you think about them?
Credits
Original image by cello5
The main Italian prepositions – di, a, da, in
