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Michelangelo 1474 - 1564 (90)

Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish.


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Michelangelo, was a sculptor, painter, architect and poet of the Renaissance, one of the greatest creators in the history of art. Born on March 6, 1474 in Kapreze Italy which today is called Kapreze Michelangelo, in his honor. His father served as a municipal official, something like the mayor in the small village, ended his term and moved to Florence after the birth of his second child. At the birth of the fifth child (1481), the mother died and the young Michelangelo was given to a nanny. He was not good at school, but he liked to watch the painters who made murals in churches of the city; at 13 and after a persistent desire, he entered apprentice to a local painter. He demonstrates willingness, dedication and talent and a year later is accepted to the palace of the Medici, (one of the most powerful family in Florence) to study classical sculpture. He lived from 1489 to 1492 in the Medici Palace, learned the art close to the best sculptors of the time and came in contact with the social and artistic elite of Florence. He left after two years to Bologna and returned in 1495 to Florence, starting his career as a sculptor.

He quickly acquired a reputation and in 1492 moved to Rome, where among other works he made "Pietà" a statue of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus, in St. Peter's Basilica. He was established with this work and returned in 1497 to Florence. He acquired assistants and a large workshop, among other works he made David, a synthesis which is considered very difficult technically. Pope gave him order to paint the dome of the Sistine Chapel and he grow a great passion about this work, he send his assistance away and lived for four years in the chapel creating a monumental work of 300 religious figures and compositions.

The coming years he will make dozens of paintings, sculptures, and architectural works, such as the Medici Chapel and Laurentian Library in Florence. In 1541, he made some additions to the Sistine Chapel that caused great scandal as it was considered inappropriate. At times, Michelangelo had many enemies, he clashed even with the pope as he didn’t accept interference in his work. In the last years of his life he claimed literary laurels, he wrote 300 sonnets dedicated to a lady. He was a generally solitary person and whenever asked why he didn’t marry, he replied that he was already married to the art and his children were his works. He had an obsession to acquiring great wealth and lived very frugally and as poor. When he died, on February 18, 1564, it was found that he had amassed a very large fortune.

Michelangelo