Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564)

Michelangelo Buonarroti (or "Michelangelo" as he is known today) was one of the greatest artists who ever lived. He was a painter, sculptor, poet, and architect. Born in 1475, he grew up in the beautiful northern Italian city of Florence, which was home to many artists and scholars. He studied for three years in one of the major studios of the time where he learned about painting frescoes (large paintings done on walls and ceilings). In addition to learning about art techniques, he also studied anatomy, which is how he was able to make people seem so realistic in his art.

This time in history is known as the Renaissance, which means "rebirth." From the 14th to 16th centuries (roughly the 1300s to the end of the 1500s), there was a revival of classical art, architecture, literature, and learning in Italy, Germany, France, and England. It was an exciting time especially for artists in Italy and Michelangelo was inspired to make many beautiful things during his life. He had a special gift for sculpting. "In every block of marble I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me, shaped and perfect in attitude and action," he said. His two most famous marble sculptures are a huge statue of the Biblical hero David and another called the Pietà, which shows Jesus lying in Mary's arms after the Crucifixion. In his sculptures Michelangelo followed the style of the Mannerists, who distorted the scale and size of their work, usually by making figures that were huge, like the 23-foot high statue of David! In 1508, at age 33, Michelangelo began working on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Although he started out working with a team, he soon dismissed everyone and did most of the work himself. He eventually moved to Rome permanently and continued working on frescoes in other parts of the Sistine Chapel for the next 33 years. He died in 1564 at the age of 89 after contracting a fever. Today his work is still considered to be some of the most beautiful art ever created, and people who visit Florence and Rome can enjoy his sculptures and frescoes as if they had been done yesterday instead of nearly 500 years ago.