Time Line 1487 He works as an apprentice to the painter Domenico Ghirlandaio 1475 Michelangelo Buonarroti is born in Caprese Italy on March 6 1481 Michelangelo’s mother Francesca dies 1485 circa Michelangelo attends school 1490 92 circa He works and lives in the Medici household 1494 95 He leaves Florence and lives in Bologna with a new patron for nine months 1495 He returns to Florence where he carves a statue of a cupid and sells it as an antique 1496 His deception is discovered so he moves to Rome and wins the trust of a new patron 1498 99 He carves his first and most famous Pietà which is immediately recognized as a masterpiece 1501 He returns to Florence where he receives the commission to carve the David 1504 He completes the David gaining international acclaim 1505 Pope Julius II summons Michelangelo to Rome to create his papal tomb Michelangelo spends eight months in the quarries of Carrara selecting marble 1505 08 After an argument with Julius II Michelangelo asks for his pardon Julius keeps him in Bologna for two years to carve a bronze statue 1508 Michelangelo returns to Florence until Julius II asks him to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel 1508 12 Michelangelo works in the Sistine Chapel viii
1515 34 Michelangelo works mostly for the Medici family in Florence designing the San Lorenzo facade then designing and working on the Medici Chapel and the Laurentian Library 1534 Michelangelo leaves Florence for political reasons and moves permanently to Rome 1536 41 Pope Paul III hires Michelangelo to paint The Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel the painting gains both acclaim and criticism 1538 Michelangelo begins working on the Capitoline Hill 1542 At Paul III’s request Michelangelo paints two frescoes in the Pauline Chapel 1545 The tomb of Julius II is completed 1547 Michelangelo is appointed chief architect at both St Peter’s and the Farnese Palace 1547 55 He works on a statue known as Florentine Pietà intended for his own tomb but he nearly destroys it before completing it 1556 He begins to work on his final statue known as Rondanini Pietà 1561 Pope Pius IV commissions Michelangelo to design Porta Pia a city gate 1563 Michelangelo designs the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli inside a portion of the ancient Diocletian baths 1564 Michelangelo dies on February 18 at his home in Rome surrounded by friends his nephew arranges for his body to be secretly taken to Florence and buried with great honors ix
Introduction Michelangelo An Artist to Discover Sharing author Mark Twain’s astonishment in discovering Michelangelo’s con tributions to the arts and architecture of every Italian city they visited a fellow traveler jokingly blurted out to their guide Enough enough enough Say no more Lump the whole thing Say that the Creator made Italy from designs by Michael Angelo Michelangelo’s contemporaries expressed similar feelings of awe His biographer Gior gio Vasari wondered how Adam’s figure on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel could be pro duced by the brush and design of a mortal man Today 500 years later Michelangelo’s quest and passion for perfection depth and originality continues to surprise even casual observers Michelangelo was definitely the most renowned artist of the Italian Renais sance He has been called probably accurately the greatest artist who has ever lived There is however much more to explore about this cultural giant he was among other things an insightful poet a skilled architect and an innovative engineer In everything he did he continued to explore and master new techniques Besides during his long life 89 years twice as long as most of his contempo raries he was both a witness and an active participant in a series of momentous historical events that shook and transformed Europe He is one of the best documented artists in the world Today 500 of his letters are still available as well as about 900 more written about him by his contemporaries He has also left behind about 300 poems and 300 pages of miscellaneous writings Besides his well known works of art there are about 600 draw ings and sketches he most likely didn’t want anyone to see In fact in his passion for per fection he destroyed many more x
This abundance of documents and works combined with the many questions still un answered about his life give us a fascinating image of a man who redefined the concept of artist and both set new standards and opened doors for others to follow A study of Michel angelo and his works could easily occupy a life time with hardly a dull moment This book will help you along the journey You will follow Michelangelo from his child hood to his last years through his many aspi rations struggles victories and regrets You will learn about people events and places that affected his life and work and will see how his art has continued to inspire artists and viewers all over the world xi
