Life of Michelangelo

Essay by allstarr220A+, May 2004

download word file, 2 pages 3.8

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 Podestà ." 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). Pietà at the same time, Michelangelo also did the marble Pietà (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,