Michelangelo Buonarroti
Born: March 6, 1475, Caprese Michelangelo, Italy
Died: February 18, 1564, Rome, Italy
Full name: Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni
Periods: Italian Renaissance, High Renaissance, Renaissance
Parents: Lodovico di Leonardo di Buonarroti di Simoni, Francesca di Neri del Miniato di Siena
 |
Michelangelo Buonarroti
|
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, also known as Michelangelo was a famous High Renaissance Italian architect, sculptor, engineer, painter and poet. He had a significant role in developing western art. Michelangelo was born on March 6, 1475 in Caprese near Arezzo, Tuscany. His father Lodovico di Leonardo di Buonarroti di Simoni was a government employee. Michelangelo was raise in Florence. Her mother Francesca di Neri del Miniato di Siena died there. Then he was raise by a stonecutter family.
His father sent him to study grammar with the humanist Francesco da Urbino in Florence, but he had no interest in this. During that period he spent much more time with painters and tried to paint following the paintings of the churches. Then he started to learn painting with Domenico Ghirlandaio. He also studied sculpture with Bertoldo di Giovanni. In the year 1490, Michelangelo went to Lorenzo’s school and followed many superior artists on art. He made Madonna of the Steps (1490-1492) and Battle of the Centaurs (1491-1492) associated with Lorenzo de medici. In 1492, after the death of Lorenzo he left and went back to his father’s house. Then he again returned to Florence in 1494 and finished his work on hild St. John the Baptist and a sleeping Cupid. At the age of 21 he went to Rome in 1496. In Rome he made many famous frescoes, sculptures and painting. At the age of 57 he met Tommaso dei Cavalieri. Michelangelo wrote about 300 sonnets dedicating her. At the end period of his life he created some of his great poems and writing for his love for Vittoria Colonna. She was also a poet. They both wrote many sonnets for each other.
This great artist Michelangelo died in Rome in 1564, at the age of 88. He was so unique for his work that he had biography written by another famous artist Giorgio Vasari while he was alive. Actually he was the first western artist whose biography was released in his lifetime.
Important work of Michelangelo:
1. Madonna of the stairs (1491)
 |
| Madonna of the stairs |
2. Battle of the Centaurs (1492)
 |
| Battle of the Centaurs |
3. Pietà (1499)
 |
| Pietà |
4. Brutus (1538)
 |
| Brutus |
5. Sistine Chapel ceiling (1508-1512)
 |
| Sistine Chapel ceiling |
6. The Last Judgment (1534-1541)
 |
| The Last Judgment |
