Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni was born March 6, 1475 in Caprese, a town in the Tuscany region of Italy. The son of a minor Florentine official and governor of the town, Michelangelo grew up on a small farm outside Florence where he was exposed to stone carving in the surrounding hills. Against his father's wishes, he pursued his artistic talent and became apprenticed to a painter in F
...see more »lorence, learning drawing and tempera and fresco painting.
This led to his introduction to a distant relative, the influential Lorenzo de' Medici, known as The Magnificent. Medici's household exposed Michelangelo to a world of learning and culture where he learned to write and speak well, which greatly altered his life. He spent over two years in the household, meeting two future patrons, Giovanni and Giulio de' Medici, later to become Popes Leo X and Clement VII. In 1496, twenty-two year old Michelangelo went to Rome for the first time with an introduction to Cardinal Raffaele Riario, a rich and powerful landowner. With all his patrons during this time, he was given room and board, and marble to work with and the ability to learn. However, he produced little through these years until he came to Rome.
Michelangelo created 'Bacchus' to little acclaim, but his next commission was for the Roman Pieta for St. Peter's Basilica. For this, he selected the marble from the quarry himself and carried on this tradition throughout his career. In 1501, he returned to Florence and produced the magnificent 'David'. After the successes of his 'Pieta' and 'David', Michelangelo would never again lack for commissions. In 1505 he was asked to return to Rome and started his well-known painting of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which took four years to complete.
By 1508, Michelangelo had become a famous sculptor, painter and prosperous property owner as well. He invested wisely and proved to be an astute businessman, providing well for his family for the rest of his life. He was truly a Renaissance man: a prolific artist, sculptor, architect and poet. Michelangelo worked until his death on February 18, 1564 just before his eighty-ninth birthday. His incredible work lives on in churches, museums, galleries and private collections around the world.« see less
![Creation of Adam [detail]](/images/thumbs/IMAG/M/M559-TH.jpg "Creation of Adam [detail]")
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