Michelangelo

Date of Birth: March 6, 1475

Zodiac Sign: Pisces

Date of Death: February 18, 1564

Biography

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, known simply as Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. He was born in the Republic of Florence and is widely considered one of the greatest artists of all time. His works demonstrate a blend of psychological insight, physical realism, and intensity never before seen. Michelangelo’s most famous works include the statues of David and Pietà, as well as the frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. Michelangelo was born on March 6, 1475, in Caprese, Tuscany (now Italy). He grew up in Florence, a city that was a major center of the arts during the Renaissance. He was apprenticed to the painter Domenico Ghirlandaio, but he preferred sculpture and soon came under the wing of Lorenzo de’ Medici, the ruler of Florence, who provided him with access to the city’s intellectual elite and its classical art collections. Throughout his career, Michelangelo received numerous commissions from some of the most powerful and influential people of his time, including successive popes who tasked him with some of his most iconic works. His contributions to the fields of sculpture, painting, and architecture had a profound impact on the development of Western art. Michelangelo continued to work until his death on February 18, 1564, in Rome, Italy. He was buried at the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, per his wishes.

5 Interesting Facts about Michelangelo

1. Michelangelo was only 24 years old when he completed the Pietà, one of his most famous sculptures.

2. Despite his incredible talent, Michelangelo had a reputation for being difficult to work with and often clashed with his patrons.

3. He wrote over 300 sonnets and madrigals, making him one of the most accomplished poets of his time.

4. Michelangelo’s work on the Sistine Chapel ceiling took about four years to complete, from 1508 to 1512.

5. He was the first Western artist whose biography was published while he was still alive, with “Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects” by Giorgio Vasari.