Michelangelo Buonarroti, The Artist. Essay, Research Paper

“Arguably one of the most inspired creators in the history of art and, with Leonardo da Vinci, the most potent force in the Italian High Renaissance. As a sculptor, architect, painter, and poet, he exerted a tremendous influence on his contemporaries and on subsequent Western art in general.”

I choose this man because he is one of the more talents and known artists in the cultural family.

Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 – 1564)

Michelangelo, the second of five brothers was born on March 6, 1475, at Caprese, in Tuscany, to Ludovico di Leonardo di Buonarotto Simoni and Francesca Neri. The same day, his father noted down: “Today March 6, 1475, a child of the male sex has been born to me and I have named him Michelangelo. He was born on Monday between 4 and 5 in the morning, at Caprese, where I am the Podest?.”

When Michelangelo was a child, he met a boy, Francesco Granacci six years older than him, who was learning the art of painting in Ghirlandaio’s studio, and Michelangelo found his own artist vocation. Michelangelo’s father placed his 13-year-old son in the workshop of the painter Domenico Ghirlandaio. After about two years, Michelangelo went on to study at the sculpture school in the Medici gardens and shortly thereafter was invited into the household of Lorenzo de’ Medici, the Magnificent.

Michelangelo’s studies were: Painting, sculpture and Anatomy of the human body, (for this reason, the quality of his artwork, the perfection of the body in the sculpture and painting). Michelangelo was a very illustrated and intelligent boy, and his father always give him unconditional support. For these reasons, Michelangelo succeed.

Michelangelo produced his first large-scale sculpture, the over-life-size Bacchus (1496-98, Bargello, Florence). Piet? at the same time, Michelangelo also did the marble Piet? (1498-1500), still in its original place in Saint Peter’s Basilica. One of the most famous works of art, the Pieta was probably finished before Michelangelo was 25 years old. These two artworks of Michelangelo were the first ones and both are great works.

While Michelangelo was occupied with the David (1501-1504) he receive a commission, paint a mural, the Battle of Cascina, destined for the Sala dei Cinquecento of the Palazzo Vecchio. With this work, he demonstrates his ability as a painter.

In 1505 the Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to produce his tomb which was planned to be the most magnificent of Christian times.

In 1508, the pope Paul III had a job for him, painting twelve figures of apostles and some decorations of the Sistine Chapel, and Michelangelo learn the art of the fresco.

There are a lot of masterpieces of artwork in his life, but I consider these ones the most important.

Michelangelo during his life was an intimate of princess, popes, cardinals, poets and painters. All the work that Michelangelo did, was an expression of the his own world, with a deep feeling.

In my own opinion, Michelangelo Buonarroti was a huge human being, he was in the middle of something, he was in the right place, in the right time, and he made the best of the situation.