There have been many artists in history. But there are also some, without mention of whom the history of that art remains incomplete. One such artist is Michelangelo. Michelangelo’s full name was Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni. He was a sculptor, painter, architect, and poet.
Michelangelo began sculpting at the age of 13 and went on to become one of the most influential High Renaissance artists. Some of his most popular works include David, Pietà, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, The Last Judgement, Doni Tondo, and Moses. These masterpieces showcase his extraordinary talent across sculpture, painting, and fresco. Get ready for the journey into the life, legacy, and artworks of Michelangelo in this article.
The Initial Years: Michelangelo’s Birth and Childhood
Michelangelo was born on March 6, 1475, in Caprese, a small village near Florence, Italy. He belonged to a middle-class family. His father, Lodovico di Leonardo Buonarroti, earned a living working in a minor government post, while his mother, Francesca di Neri, was from a local family.
When Michelangelo was just six years old, his mother died. This loss profoundly shaped his early life. Following the death of his mother, Michelangelo was cared for by a stonecutter’s family in Settignano, a town known for its quarries and artisans.
Around this time, Michelangelo spent much of his childhood surrounded by the tools and traditions of stone carving. This time spent during childhood developed in him a deep fascination with sculpture. His childhood environment, combined with the artistic atmosphere of Florence—a hub of Renaissance creativity—nurtured his imagination and laid the foundation for the genius he would later display.
The Making of a Master: Beginning of Michelangelo’s Artistic Journey
Michelangelo began his professional life as an artist at 13, initially as an apprentice to the famous Florentine painter Domenico Ghirlandaio. Under Ghirlandaio’s guidance, Michelangelo studied the techniques of fresco and drawing.
By age 15, Michelangelo was invited to study in the famous sculpture garden of the Medici family started by Lorenzo de’ Medici, one of the finest art patrons of his day.
Within Lorenzo de’ Medici’s sculpture garden, Michelangelo was exposed to classical antiquity and met the eminent humanist scholars who would shape his artistic vision. Indoctrinated amid sculpture and architecture, Michelangelo developed his ability to view the human figure with unyielding realism and emotional depth. This was the beginning of the development of his experiences that led to works such as the Pietà, David, and the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Again, this was the beginning of Michelangelo’s journey from talented apprentice to one of the greatest masters of all time.
Breakthrough Works: The Pietà and David
Michelangelo became a renowned Renaissance master with his two most famous sculptures, the Pietà and David. The Pietà was crafted between 1498 and 1499 for St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. Carved from one block of marble, the Pietà depicts the lifeless body of Jesus held gently by the Virgin Mary. The sculpture is beautifully serene, while it imbues more complicated emotional depth. The Pietà demonstrated Michelangelo’s unparalleled power of carving life into stone, and his incredible ability to depict human anatomy beautifully.
Michelangelo’s David was created between 1501 and 1504. David is a colossal, 14 foot tall marble statue representing strength, confidence, courage, and the defense of Florentine liberty. David astonished his contemporaries with its realism, perfect proportions and symbolism. It quickly became a cultural icon of Renaissance Florence. These works not only defined Michelangelo’s genius but also set even greater standards of the Western art.
Michelangelo’s Legendary Frescoes: The Sistine Chapel Ceiling
Commissioned by Pope Julius II between 1508 and 1512, The Sistine Chapel Ceiling in the Vatican City proved to be the most ambitious project in the history of art. The masterpiece spread across 500 square metres consists of over 300 detailed painted figures. Michelangelo, at first reluctant to take the commission as he thought himself as a sculptor, turned the chapel’s ceiling into a magnificent visual depiction of the biblical stories. It showcases three profound biblical stories from the Book of Genesis, namely the Creation of the World and Humanity, the Fall of Man with Adam and Eve’s temptation and expulsion, and the story of Noah’s Flood.
Michelangelo’s genius in mastering the detailings of large-scale fresco painting is illustrated in The Sistine Chapel Ceiling. Today, The Sistine Chapel ceiling stands as a symbol of artistic brilliance, attracting innumerable visitors each year.
Architectural Innovations: Designing the Laurentian Library and St. Peter’s Basilica
Michelangelo was not only a sculpture genius, he also made breathtaking contributions to Renaissance architecture. The most evident of those, were through the design of Laurentian Library and St. Peter’s Basilica. The Laurentian Library in Florence was commissioned in 1523 by the Medicine family, to house their huge collection of manuscripts. Michelangelo’s groundbreaking architectural vision is apparent in every detail of the library, its huge staircase, dynamic columns, and a perfect balance of classical and modern elements, surpassing the traditional design norms and influencing architectural styles for centuries.
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In 1546, when Michelangelo was appointed the chief architect of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, he modified the church’s massive dome. This masterpiece is a perfect blend of Michelangelo’s artistic elegance and engineering excellence. Michelangelo not only gave these landmarks a monumental identity, but also shaped the future of Western architecture.
The Turbulent Middle Years: Politics and Art in Renaissance Italy
Michelangelo’s mid-life represents both achievement and turbulence—both artistically and politically—in Renaissance Italy, where politics and art remained intertwined. During Michelangelo’s mid-life, the Medici were overthrown and replaced by the Florentine Republic, while city-states fought amongst themselves and Rome was torn between a Papacy engaged in perpetual warfare and a group of cardinals absent from the city. Michelangelo lived in the midst of this political instability.
At times, Michelangelo would prefer to devote himself to art, not politics or wealthy patrons, almost creating anxiety and tension for his sole artistic expression. He produced many monumental and large-scale sculptural projects. Yet, most were stalled because of the political context or the finances of a change of government. Michelangelo’s artistic expression communicates both the ideas of the grandeur of the Renaissance artist-religious experience and political struggle amidst the backdrop of radicalized change, often suggesting contemporary themes of human struggle and enduring freedom, and divine power.
Regardless of his political situation, Michelangelo consistently produced works of art satisfactory to patrons and laudable in his personal view of humanity. The political situation in Renaissance Italy and Michelangelo’s experience as a reluctant participant in art and art patronage transformed his creativity, enabling him to adapt and develop works of art that showcased his artistic brilliance while capturing some very real historical moments.
Later Years: Captivating Masterpieces and Lasting Impact
Later in life, Michelangelo was still a prominent figure of the Renaissance who continued to create masterpieces in his late seventies and early eighties. Despite the physical constraints that came with age, he created monumental projects such as The Last Judgment (1536–1541), an altar wall fresco in the Sistine Chapel that engaged audiences with its theatricality and emotional drama. At this point in his life, he was also the Chief Architect of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, where he redesigned the dome—the largest of its time—which continues to dominate the Vatican skyline today.
Despite his focus on sculpture and architecture, Michelangelo expressed his spiritual struggles and meditations on death through poetry and unfinished projects, including the Rondanini Pietà.
His works from this stage of life reveal a more introspective focus on issues like faith, redemption, and the human soul, offering a more personal reflection of the artist behind the public façade of his commissions.
Michelangelo died at the age of 88 in 1564, leaving a legacy that changed the course of Western art. The extraordinary combination of power, beauty, and originality he brought to the visual arts secured his place as one of the greatest masters of all time, whose legacy inspires artists, architects, and admirers around the globe.
Beyond Career: Discovering Michelangelo as a Person
Besides being the greatest master of the art, Michelangelo was also a deeply complex individual whose personal life reveals his feelings, friendships, faith in God and spirituality. Known to the world for his personality and perfection, the artist often struggled with aloneness, uncertainty, and the burden of genius. He shared friendships and close bonds with a handful of people, including Vittoria Colonna, a poet and spiritual confidante who influenced Michelangelo’s later works. Although Michelangelo was contentious, people close to him found him more honest, devoted, and emotionally deep.
Spiritually, Michelangelo was deeply connected to his faith; his letters and poetry reflect a lifelong dialogue with God, conveying both his struggles with sin and his hope for divine salvation. Behind the image of the greatest High Renaissance genius was a man of great vulnerability and unshakable faithfulness.
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