Download Michelangelo

Michelangelo Buonarroti
Renaissance Artist
Learning Target:
I can explain why
Michelangelo became known
as one of the finest artists in
the world during the
Renaissance
Early Life of Michelangelo
 Michelangelo was born on
March 6, 1475 in Caprese,
Italy
 He came from a respectful
family and was the 2nd
born of three brothers
 Michelangelo’s family
moved to Settignano, a
village outside of Florence,
after his mother passed
away when he was 6 years
old
Early Education
 At age 12 he was enrolled as an apprentice to
prominent Florentine painter, Domenico
Ghirlandaia, but soon began to study sculpture
instead
 He attracted the attention of Lorenzo de Medici,
who then was the leading art patron of Florence
 From 1490-1492 Michelangelo lived with the
Medici Family where he studied with Bertoldo di
Giovanni, a sculptor employed by the Medici
family
Relief Sculpture
 At age 16, Michelangelo’s completed his first relief
sculpture called The Battle of Centaurs
 He then created The Madonna of the Stairs which
began to show movement and force
The Pieta
 Michelangelo traveled to
Rome where he remained
from 1496-1501
 At age 23 he completed
The Pieta, a marble statue
that shows the Virgin Mary
with the dead Jesus lying
across her lap
 This statue is larger than
life size and is currently
being shown in St. Peter’s
Church in Rome
David
 After returning to Florence,
Michelangelo produced the
magnificent David
 He chose to represent
David as an athletic, manly
character, very
concentrated and ready to
fight
 Florence was going through
a difficult period and he
used the David as a model
of heroic courage
Sistine Chapel
 From 1508 until 1512, Michelangelo worked on his
most famous project, the ceiling of the Sistine
Chapel in the Vatican
 On the ceiling, he illustrated:
 The Story of Genesis with scenes of God creating
the world
 The story of Adam and Eve
 The story of Noah and the great flood
 He later painted The Last Judgment on the altar
wall of the Sistine Chapel
The Sistine Chapel
Final Days
 Towards the end of his life,
Michelangelo became
more involved in
architecture and poetry
 From 1540-1550 he
redesigned St. Peter’s
Church in Rome,
completing only the dome
and four columns
 Michelangelo died of old
age on February 18th, 1564