“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.” Michelangelo always set his goals very high and that is what many people believe helped him become one of the greatest artists of all time.
Early Life
In Michelangelo’s early years, he did not spend a sufficient time with his family. However, this lead to experiences that influenced his career. Despite not being with Michelangelo, his father was in control of almost everything Michelangelo did. Michelangelo was born on March 6, 1475, in his father’s small farm in the country near Florence, Italy. His father, Lodovico Buonarroti, and his mother, Francesca, already had a son named Leonardo when Michelangelo was born. As an infant, Michelangelo was sent to live with a stonecutter and his wife. He later recalled that this experience made him love to sculpt with stone. After a few years, he was brought back home to visit his family. At the age of six, Michelangelo’s mother died, and he was sent back to live with the stonecutters. His father did not imagine Michelangelo needed to work because he was from a respected family. Even though he would not have to work, Lodovico still wanted Michelangelo to have a worthy education. Shortly after Lodovico remarried, Michelangelo was enrolled in grammar school where he learned reading, writing, and Latin. However, he was not interested in grammar school. He was eager to become an artist even if it was against his father’s wishes.
Lorenzo de' Medici
In Michelangelo’s early years, he did not spend a sufficient time with his family. However, this lead to experiences that influenced his career. Despite not being with Michelangelo, his father was in control of almost everything Michelangelo did. Michelangelo was born on March 6, 1475, in his father’s small farm in the country near Florence, Italy. His father, Lodovico Buonarroti, and his mother, Francesca, already had a son named Leonardo when Michelangelo was born. As an infant, Michelangelo was sent to live with a stonecutter and his wife. He later recalled that this experience made him love to sculpt with stone. After a few years, he was brought back home to visit his family. At the age of six, Michelangelo’s mother died, and he was sent back to live with the stonecutters. His father did not imagine Michelangelo needed to work because he was from a respected family. Even though he would not have to work, Lodovico still wanted Michelangelo to have a worthy education. Shortly after Lodovico remarried, Michelangelo was enrolled in grammar school where he learned reading, writing, and Latin. However, he was not interested in grammar school. He was eager to become an artist even if it was against his father’s wishes.
Training
Michelangelo persuaded his father into letting him abandon school to study art even though he did not want his son to pursue art as a career. His father thought art was work for commoners. When Michelangelo was thirteen, he began an apprenticeship with Ghirlando, a well-known painter at the time. For two years the young artist worked for Ghirlando. Lorenzo de’ Medici proclaimed that he desired to open an art school. Lorenzo was the ruler of Florence. He was known as Lorenzo the Magnificent and owned many Greek and Roman statues in his gardens. He thought it would be useful for young artists to come and study the statues, so he hired a teacher for the students and asked for Ghirlando’s best apprentices. Ghirlando requested Michelangelo and his older neighbor, Francesco. Medici noticed Michelangelo’s talent, and asked him to write to his father to ask him to come to the palace. Lorenzo de’ Medici proposed that Michelangelo live in the palace, get an allowance and be educated with the Medici children. He also promised that he would provide stylish clothes. He offered Lodovico, Michelangelo’s father, to live at the palace also. Without hesitation, Lodovico gladly accepted. Michelangelo was introduced to philosophy and science. He began using his talent for poetry in his classes and in his free time. It was a wonderful experience for Michelangelo to stay with the Medici family.
Michelangelo persuaded his father into letting him abandon school to study art even though he did not want his son to pursue art as a career. His father thought art was work for commoners. When Michelangelo was thirteen, he began an apprenticeship with Ghirlando, a well-known painter at the time. For two years the young artist worked for Ghirlando. Lorenzo de’ Medici proclaimed that he desired to open an art school. Lorenzo was the ruler of Florence. He was known as Lorenzo the Magnificent and owned many Greek and Roman statues in his gardens. He thought it would be useful for young artists to come and study the statues, so he hired a teacher for the students and asked for Ghirlando’s best apprentices. Ghirlando requested Michelangelo and his older neighbor, Francesco. Medici noticed Michelangelo’s talent, and asked him to write to his father to ask him to come to the palace. Lorenzo de’ Medici proposed that Michelangelo live in the palace, get an allowance and be educated with the Medici children. He also promised that he would provide stylish clothes. He offered Lodovico, Michelangelo’s father, to live at the palace also. Without hesitation, Lodovico gladly accepted. Michelangelo was introduced to philosophy and science. He began using his talent for poetry in his classes and in his free time. It was a wonderful experience for Michelangelo to stay with the Medici family.
After Lorenzo de' Medici died and Michelangelo moved back to his father's house, he still felt like he had more to learn about art. Lorenzo de' Medici died in April 1492. Thus his son Piero came into power. Piero was not as interested in art as Lorenzo, so Michelangelo moved back to his father's house. Michelangelo was now the oldest child in the house, because his older brother Leonardo had become a monk. Now that Michelangelo was the oldest, he knew he had to make money for his family. Michelangelo made the statue, Hercules, which he sold very quickly. Michelangelo now earned plenty of money for his family from Hercules. However Michelangelo still felt like he had to learn more about the human body to sculpt more realistically, so he got permission to dissect dead bodies at the hospital of Santo Spirito. Here he learned about where the muscles and the veins are. Michelangelo was surprised that even though Lorenzo de' Medici passed away he could still earn his own money and not live in the palace. Michelangelo had learned more about art and even earned his own money without Lorenzo de' Medici.
Pieta
Achievments
Though Michelangelo was not living in safety with Lorenzo, Michelangelo was opened up to a life other than the luxurious royal life. Piero made bad decisions when he was in power and offended the people of Florence. Many people did not enjoy him as a ruler, and there were rumors of a revolution. Piero must have heard about the idea because the night before the Florentine people invaded his home, he fled Florence. Michelangelo thought that since he was so closely acquainted with the Medicis he would be in danger. Michelangelo ran away to Venice, then Bologna, then he came back to Florence. When he came back to Florence, Monk Savonarola was in power. Monk Savonarola was a religious extremist who believed in the idea of doomsday, a day supposedly when all individuals would die and the world would end. The people were desperate to save their souls so they brought their most prized belongings to the town square to be burnt. This fire was called “the bonfire of vanities.” Michelangelo did not believe that this was the easiest time to be able sell any piece of art so he went to Rome, where he would be able to study art from the classical times. He was inspired to make one of his most famous sculpture, Pieta, which he made for a wealthy art patron. Michelangelo was only twenty four when he completed Pieta. It was then when he showed people his amazing talent. They could not believe that such a young artist would be able to sculpt a beautiful statue. Even though Michelangelo had left the area that he had grown so fond of he was now famous for his Pieta in Rome.
David
Michelangelo was ready to go back to Florence to see if any Florentine would have interest in his art. When Michelangelo returned back the founding fathers welcomed him and presented him with a huge block of marble to make a glorious sculpture like the Pieta. This block of marble had been previously worked on without success by a few other sculptors, and had been given the name of “The Giant.” The founding fathers wanted sculptures that would glorify the city after the rule of Savonarola, who had been burned at the stake after offending the pope. He was burnt in the same place as “The Bonfire of Vanities.” Now Michelangelo had the chance to make another masterpiece which pleased him very much. He made one of his other most well-known statues out of the block of marble that other artists could not seem to use successfully. His sculpture was called David. The David shows the biblical David in intense concentration about to battle Goliath. David is shown standing with one leg somewhat bent, with his head looking over his shoulder. David portrays that the people of Florence were smart, brave and ready to defend the city. Michelangelo was now known for Pieta and David.
Sistine Chapel
Many people heard about Michelangelo’s Pieta and David and wanted him to make a statue like that for themselves. One of these people was Pope Julius II. In 1505 Pope Julius II asked Michelangelo to build a tomb for him. Michelangelo sketched a lovely, marble monument more than 35 feet high and with 40 statues. Julius was very impressed with the sketch, but soon after the project started, he lost interest. He wanted Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo was not eager to start, he told Julius that he was a sculptor not a painter, but the pope would not have any other answer other than yes and started Michelangelo on the job right away. The ceiling had first been only painted blue with gold stars and Pope Julius wanted a more breathtaking ceiling. While Michelangelo was painting, Pope Julius would become very impatient to see the final product and would often ask when Michelangelo would finish. His answer was always, “When I can,” until the pope threatened to throw Michelangelo off the edge of the scaffolding if he did not finish. Michelangelo finished in October, of 1512. The ceiling was decorated with different biblical scenes. Pope Julius died four months before the ceiling was finished. Now it was time for Michelangelo to start the pope’s tomb. The first two statues he did were Prisoners of Death. For these statues, he used the Greek technique - contrapposto. Contrapposto was used in the classical times where a human figure was shown with the legs twisting one way and the torso twisting another. The other statue was a seated Moses. Michelangelo did not do the forty statues like he promised, but the statues he did compose were beautiful and very detailed. In February 1545 the tomb was shown to the public. Michelangelo was ashamed of the smallness in size and in amount of statues. Julius’s family must of been embarrassed of it also because Pope Julius’s bones are not really buried in the tomb. Michelangelo worked for Pope Julius longer than any other person and without Pope Julius Michelangelo would not be famously known for The Sistine Chapel.
Saint Peter's Cathedral dome
Later Life
Michelangelo’s later life was well-off for him because he was given a project to do that he could complete. In 1547, Pope Paul appointed Michelangelo chief architect of Saint Peter’s Cathedral. His job was to design the dome. When Michelangelo was 82 he built a model for the future builders to follow knowing he would not live long enough to see the dome when it was finished. Even on the last few years of his life, Michelangelo rode out to see the the dome being built. In his last years Michelangelo would still go and know a few more chips out of some marble. Before he died Michelangelo burned some of his poems along with his drawings, sketches and cartoons. Perhaps he did not want other people to copy his work, or he might have been echoing the ‘Bonfire of Vanities.’ On a cold afternoon in 1564 Michelangelo’s life ceased, he was 89 when he died. His later life was a subtle experience for Michelangelo, he was treated well and he was not close to poor.
Michelangelo’s later life was well-off for him because he was given a project to do that he could complete. In 1547, Pope Paul appointed Michelangelo chief architect of Saint Peter’s Cathedral. His job was to design the dome. When Michelangelo was 82 he built a model for the future builders to follow knowing he would not live long enough to see the dome when it was finished. Even on the last few years of his life, Michelangelo rode out to see the the dome being built. In his last years Michelangelo would still go and know a few more chips out of some marble. Before he died Michelangelo burned some of his poems along with his drawings, sketches and cartoons. Perhaps he did not want other people to copy his work, or he might have been echoing the ‘Bonfire of Vanities.’ On a cold afternoon in 1564 Michelangelo’s life ceased, he was 89 when he died. His later life was a subtle experience for Michelangelo, he was treated well and he was not close to poor.
In an age where great artist thrived Michelangelo was perhaps the greatest master of the three major arts, painting, sculpture, and architecture. Even the famous Leonardo da Vinci could not match him in in that. People still come from all over the world to see Michelangelo’s works of art.