Michelangelo Buonarotti (1474-1564) Considered to be one of the greatest artists of all time, Michelangelo Buonarotti created sculptures and paintings of gigantic proportions in terms of scale and importance. His sculpture of David and his covering of the ceiling of Cistine Chapel in the Vatican forever placed him among the greatest artists of all time. Born in the small Italian village of Caprese near Florence on March 6, 1475, Michelangelo was a younger contempory of such people as the explorer Christopher Columbus and great artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci. His time was of a new age of enlightenment where artistic and inventive freedom was beginning to come back into the forefront.
Some of Michelangelo's greatest achievement parallel important
developments in his life. His sense of local patriotism inspired one of
his grandest and most noted works, the gigantic statue of David which he
carved between 1501 and 1504. It was done to inspire the people of
Florence who were at the time, facing adversity from outside threats to
the city. The Biblical character of David was a symbol to the people of
the weak with God's help fighting the Goliath-like forces who were
threatening the city. One of Michelangelo's other greatest achievements was
that of
painting the ceiling of a small, otherwise insignificant chapel on one end
of the Vatican. The massiveness of this panoramic vision of the Biblical
history of the ages was perhaps the grandest of all great artistic works.
"I saw the angel in the marble
and carved until I set him free"
"Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can
accomplish."
"I am still learning." |