Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564)

Early life: Born in Caprese near Florence Ay age of 13 apprentice to a sculptor, as an apprentice he often got into fights. Lorenzo de Medici saw his work & thought it was amazing. Invited Michelangelo to attend his school for sculptors.

Pietà (sorrow): Michelangelo went to Rome A cardinal paid him to make a statue. It shows Mary holding her son Jesus after he was crucified.

David: Florence won the war against France. To celebrate the town held a competition, both de Vinci & Michelangelo entered. In 1501 ‘David’ was carved out of a single lump of white marble. It is 5 meters high. Michelangelo said Florence winning the war was like David defeating Goliath. He won the competeition.

Can you see the detail on the statue? What does this tell us about Michelangelo?

Michelangelo goes to Rome: Pope Julius II ask Michelangelo to come to Rome to carve statues for his tomb. The Pope ran out of money & ordered him to paint frescos on the Sistine Chapel. The Sistine Chapel is the Vatican in Rome.

Frescos in the Sistine Chapel: Michelangelo preferred to sculpt, but he didn’t refuse the Pope. Told the story of, the creation of the world to Moses, from the Bible. He worked lying on his back, it took him 4 years. Only the Pope & an old servant were allowed to watch him.

When Michelangelo was an old man, another Pope commissioned him, to paint The Last Judgement on the walls of the chapel

Poet & Architect: Poems: Wrote over 300 love poems in Italian. Thought to be some of the best Italian poetry. Architecture: Pope Julius was building St. Peter’s Basilica in 1506: after 40 yr.s it still wasn’t complete! In 1546 Michelangelo was put in charge. He designed a dome & finished the whole building

Can you see some Roman influences in the picture? St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome. Michelangelo never married, he said his work was his children He died at the age of 90 and was buried in Florence.