Michelangelo di Lodovico di Leonardo di Buonarroti Simoni (1475 - 1564) - the great Italian sculptor, artist, architect, poet, thinker. One of the greatest masters of the Renaissance.
BIOGRAPHY OF MICELANGELO
One of the most famous sculptors, artists, poets, painters and architects of all time - Michelangelo Buonarotti was born on 03/06/1475 in the city of Caprese, where he studied in elementary grades, and upon graduation, in 1488, began to study sculpture, being a student of Bertoldo in the studio of the greatest painter History - Domenico Ghirlandaio.
The attention of Lorenzo Medici was attracted by the boy's talent, so he took him into his house and financially helped Michelangelo develop. When Lorenzo died, Buonarotti went to Bologna, where he erected a marble angel with a candelabra, as well as a statue for the church of St. Petronius. In 1494 he returned to Florence again. A new period of his work began, in which he boldly exaggerated the forms of nature in order to express his ideas and better convey the characters.
In 1503, Michelangelo was invited to Rome by Julius II to build a tombstone that Julius wanted to make for himself during his lifetime. The sculptor agreed and arrived. Two years later, Buonarotti considered that the pope's attention to him was not enough and, offended, returned to Florence.
In Rome, the artist was already in 1508, where he was again called by Julius II to continue the work he had begun, as well as to complete a new order - decorating the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Palace with fresco painting. Julius II died a couple of months after the completion of the painting of the Sistine ceiling.
The fall of Florence, which threatened Michelangelo with the danger of death, produced a serious shock in his soul, and also worsened his health. And being so unsociable and harsh, he became even more unsociable and gloomy, immersed entirely in his ideological world, which could not but affect the nature of his work.
In 1532, he received an invitation from the "new" pope to Rome to complete the decoration of the Sistine Chapel, depicting the "Last Judgment" on the altar wall, and the "Fall of Lucifer" on the opposite. Only the first was performed by Buonarotti in 1534-1541 without assistants.
Michelangelo's last works were frescoes in the chapel of the Vatican Palace. Buonarotti parted with sculpture a little later, his favorite industry in which he worked, being in old age.
The artist was engaged in architecture, living out his last years. He was appointed in 1546 as the chief architect of Peter's Cathedral, because Michelangelo was not only talented, but also experienced in building.
THE CREATIVITY OF MICELANGELO
The work of Michelangelo belongs to the era of the High Renaissance. Already in youthful works, such as the reliefs "Madonna at the Stairs", "Battle of the Centaurs" (both around 1490-1492), the main features of Michelangelo's art emerge: monumentality, plastic power and drama of images, reverence for the beauty of man. Fleeing from the civil unrest that arose as a result of the reign of Savonarola, Michelangelo moved from Florence to Venice, then to Rome.
Madonna at the Stairs Battle of the Centaurs Bacchus
During his five years in Rome, he produced the first of his famous works, including the Bacchus (1496-1497) and Pieta (1498-1501) sculptures in St. Peter's Basilica. In 1500, at the invitation of the citizens of Florence, Michelangelo returned in triumph to this city.
Soon at his disposal was a four-meter-high marble block, which had already been abandoned by two sculptors. For the next three years he worked selflessly, almost without leaving his workshop. In 1504, a monumental statue of a naked David appeared before the public.
In 1505, the power-hungry Pope Julius II ordered Michelangelo to return to Rome, ordering a tomb for himself. The sculptor worked for a whole year on a giant bronze statue, which was supposed to crown the monument, so that almost immediately after the end of the work he would become a witness of how his creation was melted down into cannons.
After the death of Julius II in 1513, his heirs insisted on the execution of another project for the tomb sculpture. This, including numerous alterations caused by the whims of customers, took 40 years of Michelangelo's life. As a result, he was forced to abandon the implementation of his plan, which included the erection of a tombstone as part of the internal architecture of St. Peter's Cathedral.
The colossal marble Moses and the statues known as "Slaves" have forever remained impressive parts of an unfinished whole.
According to contemporaries, Michelangelo was a closed and self-absorbed person, prone to sudden outbursts of violence. In private life he was almost an ascetic, he went to bed late and got up early. It was said that he often slept without even taking off his shoes.
In 1547, he received the post of chief architect for the reconstruction of St. Peter's and designed the huge dome, which to this day remains one of the greatest masterpieces of architecture.
Michelangelo was born into the family of the poorest Florentine nobleman Lodovico Buonarroti. Due to a lack of funds, the infant was given to another Topolino couple for maintenance. It was they who taught the future genius how to knead clay and work with a chisel before reading and writing. Michelangelo himself said to his friend Giorgio Vasari:
“If there is anything good in my talent, it is from the fact that I was born in the rarefied air of your Aretine land, and the chisels and the hammer with which I make my statues, I extracted from the statue of my nurse.”
Michelangelo created the famous statue of David from a piece of white marble that was left over from another sculptor. The valuable stone passed into other hands only because the previous owner was unable to complete the work from this piece, after which he abandoned it.
When Michelangelo finished his first "Pieta" and it was exhibited in St. Peter's Basilica, rumors reached the author that people's rumor attributed this work to another sculptor - Cristoforo Solari. Then Michelangelo carved on the belt of the Virgin Mary: "This was done by the Florentine Michelangelo Buonarotti." He later regretted this outburst of pride and never signed his sculptures again.
The great master often complained of losses and was considered a poor man. Throughout his life, the master saved literally on everything. There was practically no furniture and jewelry in his house. However, after the death of the sculptor, it turned out that Michelangelo had collected a fortune. The researchers calculated that in the modern equivalent, his fortune was equal to tens of millions of dollars.
In the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo painted about a thousand square meters of the ceiling and the far walls of the chapel. It took the artist four years to paint the ceiling. During this time, the master's health deteriorated greatly - when working, a huge amount of paint fell into his lungs and eyes. Michelangelo worked without assistants, painted the ceiling for days, forgetting about sleep, and slept on the scaffolding without taking off his boots for weeks. But it was certainly worth the effort. Goethe wrote:
"Without seeing the Sistine Chapel, it's hard to get a visual idea of what one person can do."
In the winter of 1494, heavy snow fell in Florence. The ruler of the Republic of Florence, Piero de Medici, who went down in history under the name of Piero the Unlucky, summoned Michelangelo and ordered him to fashion a snow statue. The work was completed, and contemporaries noted its beauty, but no information has been preserved about what the snowman looked like or who he portrayed.
Michelangelo depicted Moses with horns on his sculpture. Many art historians attribute this to a misinterpretation of the Bible. The Book of Exodus says that when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the tablets, it was difficult for the Israelites to look at his face. At this point in the Bible, a word is used that can be translated from Hebrew as both “rays” and “horns”. However, from the context, one can definitely say that we are talking about rays of light - that the face of Moses shone, and was not horned.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Somov A.I. Michelangelo Buonarroti // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
- Karel Schulz, "Stone and Pain" (text of the novel in the library of Alexander Belousenko)
- Dazhina V.D. Michelangelo. Drawing in his work. - M .: Art, 1987. - 215 p.
- P. D. Barenboim, Secrets of the Medici Chapel, St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg State Unitary Enterprise, 2006, ISBN 5-7621-0291-2
- Barenboim Petr, Shiyan Sergey, Michelangelo. Mysteries of the Medici Chapel, Slovo, M., 2006. ISBN 5-85050-825-2
- Michelangelo. Poetry. Letters. Judgments of contemporaries / comp. V.N. Grashchenkov. - M., 1983. - 176 p.
- Michelangelo. Life. Creativity / Comp. V. N. Grashchenkov; introductory article by V. N. Lazarev. - M .: Art, 1964.
- Rotenberg E. I. Michelangelo. - M .: Art, 1964. - 180 p.
- Michelangelo and his time / Ed. E. I. Rotenberg, N. M. Chegodaeva. - M .: Art, 1978. - 272 p. - 25,000 copies.
- Irving Stone, Pains and Joys, big-library.info/?act=read&book=26322
- Wallace, William E. Michelangelo: Skulptur, Malerei, Archtektur. - Koln: DuMont, 1999.(Monte von DuMont)
- Tolney K. Michelangelo. - Princeton, 1943-1960.
- Gilles Neret Michelangelo. - Koln: Taschen, 1999. - 96 p. - (Basic Art).
- Romain Rolland, The Life of Michelangelo
- Peter Barenboim, "Michelangelo Drawings - Key to the Medici Chapel Interpretation", Moscow, Letny Sad, 2006, ISBN 5-98856-016-4
- Edith Balas, "Michelangelo's Medici Chapel: a new Interpretation", Philadelphia, 1995
- James Beck, Antonio Paolucci, Bruno Santi, Michelangelo. The Medici Chapel, London, New York, 2000
- Władysław Kozicki, Michał Anioł, 1908. Wydawnictwo Gutenberg - Print, Warszawa
Michelangelo Buonarroti is a recognized genius of the Renaissance, who made an invaluable contribution to the treasury of world culture.
On March 6, 1475, a second child was born in the Buonarroti Simoni family, who was named Michelangelo. The boy's father was the mayor of the Italian town of Carpese and was the offspring of a noble family. Michelangelo's grandfather and great-grandfather were considered successful bankers, but his parents lived in poverty. The status of mayor did not bring a lot of money to his father, but he considered other work (physical) to be humiliating. A month after the birth of his son, Lodovico di Lionardo's term as mayor came to an end. And the family moved to the family estate, located in Florence.
Francesca, the mother of the baby, was constantly sick, and being pregnant, she fell off her horse, so she could not feed the baby on her own. Because of this, tiny Mika was entrusted to the nurse, and the first years of his life were spent in the family of a stonemason. The kid from early childhood played with pebbles and a chisel, addicted to the cultivation of blocks. When the boy grew up, he often said that he owed his talent to the milk of his foster mother.
The boy's mother died when Mika was 6 years old. This has affected the child's psyche so much that he becomes withdrawn, irritable and unsociable. The father, worried about the state of mind of his son, sends him to the Francesco Galeota school. The student does not show zeal for grammar, but he makes friends who instill in him a love for painting.
At the age of 13, Michelangelo announced to his father that he did not intend to continue the family financial business, but would study artistic skills. Thus, in 1488, the teenager became a student of the Ghirlandaio brothers, who introduced him to the art of creating frescoes and instilled the basics of painting.
Relief sculpture by Michelangelo "Madonna at the stairs" He spent a year in the workshop of Ghirlandaio, after which he went to study sculptures in the Medici gardens, where the ruler of Italy, Lorenzo the Magnificent, became interested in the talent of the young man. Now the biography of Michelangelo has been replenished with an acquaintance with the young Medici, who later became popes. While working in the San Marco Gardens, the young sculptor received permission from Niko Bicellini (rector of the church) to study human corpses. In gratitude, he presented the clergyman with a crucifix with a face. Studying the skeletons and muscles of dead bodies, Michelangelo became thoroughly acquainted with the structure of the human body, but undermined his own health.
Relief sculpture by Michelangelo "Battle of the Centaurs" At the age of 16, the young man creates the first two relief sculptures - "Madonna at the Stairs" and "Battle of the Centaurs". These first bas-reliefs, which came out from under his hands, prove that the young master is endowed with an extraordinary gift, and a bright future awaits him.
Creation
After the death of Lorenzo Medici, his son Piero ascended the throne, who, through political short-sightedness, destroyed the republican system of Florence. At the same time, the French army under the leadership of Charles VIII attacked Italy. A revolution breaks out in the country. Florence, torn apart by internecine factional wars, cannot withstand the military onslaught and surrenders. The political and internal situation in Italy is heating up to the limit, which does not at all contribute to the work of Michelangelo. The man goes to Venice and Rome, where he continues his studies and studies the statues and sculptures of antiquity.
In 1498, the sculptor created the Bacchus statue and the Pieta composition, which bring him worldwide fame. The sculpture, where the young Mary holds the dead Jesus in her arms, was placed in the church of St. Peter. A few days later, Michelangelo heard a conversation from one of the pilgrims, who stated that the composition "Pieta" was created by Christoforo Solari. That same night, the young master, overcome with anger, made his way to the church and carved an inscription on the breast ribbon of Mary. The engraving read: "MICHEL ANGELUS BONAROTUS FLORENT FACIBAT - this was done by Michelangelo Buonaroti, Florence."
A little later, he repented of his attack of pride and decided not to sign his work anymore.
At the age of 26, Miquet took on the incredibly difficult job of carving a statue from a 5-meter block of damaged marble. One of his contemporaries, without creating anything interesting, simply threw a stone. No other craftsman was ready to ennoble the crippled marble. Only Michelangelo was not afraid of difficulties and three years later showed the world a majestic statue of David. This masterpiece has an incredible harmony of forms, filled with energy and inner strength. The sculptor managed to breathe life into a cold piece of marble.
When the master finished work on the sculpture, a commission was created that determined the location of the masterpiece. Here the first meeting of Michelangelo with. This meeting could not be called friendly, because the 50-year-old Leonardo lost a lot to the young sculptor and even elevated Michelangelo to the ranks of rivals. Seeing this, the young Piero Soderini arranges a competition between artists, instructing them to paint the walls of the Great Council in the Palazzo Vecchio.
Da Vinci began work on a fresco based on the plot of the Battle of Anghiari, and Michelangelo took the Battle of Kashin as a basis. When 2 sketches were put on public display, none of the critics could give preference to any of them. Both cardboards turned out to be made so skillfully that the cup of justice equalized the talent of the masters of brush and paint.
Since Michelangelo was also known as a brilliant artist, he was asked to paint the ceiling of one of the Roman churches in the Vatican. For this work, the painter was taken twice. From 1508 to 1512 he painted the ceiling of the church, the area of which was 600 square meters. meters, plots from the Old Testament from the moment of the Creation of the world to the Flood. The most striking image here is the first man - Adam. Initially, Miquet planned to draw only 12 Apostles, but the project inspired the master so much that he dedicated 4 years of his life to him.
At first, the artist painted the ceiling together with Francesco Granaxi, Giuliano Bugardini and hundreds of laborers, but then, in a fit of anger, he fired the henchmen. He hid the moments of the creation of the masterpiece even from the Pope, who repeatedly tried to look at the painting. At the end of 1511, Michelangelo was so tormented by the requests of those eager to see the creation that he lifted the veil of secrecy. What he saw shocked the imagination of many people. Even being impressed by this painting, he partially changed his own writing style.
Fresco "Adam" by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel Work in the Sistine Chapel so tired the great sculptor that he writes the following in his diary:
“After four tortured years, having made over 400 life-size figures, I felt so old and tired. I was only 37, and all my friends no longer recognized the old man that I had become.
He also writes that from hard work his eyes almost stopped seeing, and life became gloomy and gray.
In 1535, Michelangelo again takes up painting the walls in the Sistine Chapel. This time he creates the Last Judgment fresco, which caused an uproar among the parishioners. In the center of the composition is depicted Jesus Christ, surrounded by naked people. These human figures symbolize the sinners and the righteous. The souls of the faithful rise to heaven to the angels, and the souls of sinners are collected by Charon on his boat and drive them to Hell.
The Last Judgment fresco by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel The protest of the believers was not caused by the picture itself, but by naked bodies, which should not be in a holy place. Repeatedly there were calls for the destruction of the largest fresco of the Italian Renaissance. While working on the painting, the artist fell from the scaffolding, severely injuring his leg. The emotional man saw this as a divine sign and decided to give up work. Only his best friend could convince him, and part-time doctor, who helped the patient to heal.
Personal life
There have always been many rumors around the personal life of the famous sculptor. He is prescribed various close relationships with his sitters. In support of the version of Michelangelo's homosexuality, the fact that he never married also speaks. He himself explained it as follows:
“Art is jealous and demands the whole person. I have a wife to whom I belong, and my children are my works.
Exact confirmation from historians is found by his romantic relationship with the Marquise Vittoria Colonna. This woman, distinguished by an extraordinary mind, deserved the love and deep affection of Michelangelo. Moreover, the Marchioness of Pescara is considered the only woman whose name is associated with the great artist.
It is known that they met in 1536, when the Marquise arrived in Rome. A few years later, the woman was forced to leave the city and go to Viterbo. The reason was the rebellion of her brother against Paul III. From this moment begins the correspondence between Michelangelo and Vittoria, which has become a real monument of the historical era. It is believed that the relationship between Michelangelo and Vittoria was only in the nature of platonic love. Remaining devoted to her husband who died in battle, the Marquise experienced only friendly feelings for the artist.
Death
Michelangelo completed his earthly journey in Rome on February 18, 1564. A few days before his death, the artist destroyed sketches, drawings and unfinished poems. Then he went to the tiny church of Santa Maria del Angeli, where he wanted to perfect the sculpture of the Madonna. The sculptor believed that all his works were unworthy of the Lord God. And he himself is not worthy of a meeting with Paradise, since he left no descendants behind him, with the exception of soulless stone sculptures. Mique wanted in his last days to breathe life into the statue of the Madonna, in order to complete earthly affairs in this way.
But in the church, he lost consciousness from overexertion, and woke up by the morning of the next day. Having reached the house, the man falls into bed, dictates a will and gives up the ghost.
The great Italian sculptor and painter left behind many works that still delight the minds of mankind. Even on the threshold of life and death, the master did not let go of the tools, trying to leave only the best to his descendants. But there are moments in the biography of the Italian that are not known to many.
- Michelangelo studied corpses. The sculptor sought to recreate the human body in marble, observing the smallest details. And for this he needed to know anatomy well, so the master spent dozens of nights in the monastery morgue.
- The artist did not like painting. Surprisingly, Buonarroti considered the creation of landscapes and still lifes a waste of time and called these paintings "empty pictures for ladies."
- The teacher broke Michelangelo's nose. This became known from the diaries of Giorgio Vasari, who described in detail the situation where the teacher beat the student out of envy, breaking his nose.
- Severe illness of the sculptor. It is known that for the last 15 years of his life, Mike suffered from severe joint pain. At that time, many paints were poisonous, and the master was forced to constantly breathe in fumes.
- Good poet. A talented person is talented in many ways. These words can be safely attributed to the great Italian. His portfolio contains hundreds of sonnets not published during his lifetime.
The work of the famous Italian brought him fame and fortune during his lifetime. And he was able to fully taste the reverence of the fans and enjoy the popularity, which was inaccessible to many of his colleagues.
Michelangelo Buonarroti, full name Michelangelo di Lodovico di Leonardo di Buonarroti Simoni (Italian: Michelangelo di Lodovico di Leonardo di Buonarroti Simoni). Born March 6, 1475, Caprese - died February 18, 1564, Rome. Italian sculptor, artist, architect, poet, thinker. One of the greatest masters of the Renaissance.
Michelangelo was born on March 6, 1475 in the Tuscan town of Caprese, north of Arezzo, in the family of an impoverished Florentine nobleman Lodovico Buonarroti (1444-1534), a city councilor.
Some biographical books say that the ancestor of Michelangelo was a certain Messer Simone, who came from the family of the counts of Canossa. In the 13th century, he allegedly arrived in Florence and even ruled the city as a podesta. Documents, however, do not confirm this origin. They do not even confirm the existence of a podesta with that name, but Michelangelo's father apparently believed this, and even later, when Michelangelo had already become famous, the count's family willingly recognized kinship with him.
Alessandro di Canossa, in a letter in 1520, called him a respected relative, invited him to visit him and asked him to consider his house his own. Charles Clément, author of several books on Michelangelo, is sure that Buonarroti's descent from the Counts di Canossa, generally accepted in Michelangelo's time, seems more than doubtful today. In his opinion, the Buonarroti settled in Florence a very long time ago and at different times were in the service of the government of the republic in quite important posts.
About his mother, Francesca di Neri di Miniato del Sera, who married early and died of exhaustion from frequent pregnancies in the year of Michelangelo's sixth birthday, the latter never mentions in his voluminous correspondence with his father and brothers.
Lodovico Buonarroti was not rich, and the income from his small estate in the countryside was barely enough to support many children. In this regard, he was forced to give Michelangelo to the nurse, the wife of "scarpelino" from the same village, called Settignano. There, raised by the Topolino couple, the boy learned to knead clay and use a chisel before he could read and write.
In 1488, Michelangelo's father resigned himself to his son's inclinations and placed him as an apprentice in the studio of the artist Domenico Ghirlandaio. He worked there for one year. A year later, Michelangelo moved to the school of the sculptor Bertoldo di Giovanni, which existed under the patronage of Lorenzo de' Medici, the actual owner of Florence.
The Medici recognize Michelangelo's talent and patronize him. From about 1490 to 1492, Michelangelo was at the Medici court. It is possible that Madonna near the Stairs and the Battle of the Centaurs were created at this time. After the death of the Medici in 1492, Michelangelo returned home.
In the years 1494-1495 Michelangelo lives in Bologna, creates sculptures for the Arch of St. Dominic.
In 1495 he returned to Florence, where the Dominican preacher Girolamo Savonarola ruled, and created the sculptures "Saint Johannes" and "Sleeping Cupid". In 1496, Cardinal Raphael Riario buys Michelangelo's marble Cupid and invites the artist to work in Rome, where Michelangelo arrives on June 25. In the years 1496-1501 he creates "Bacchus" and "Roman Pieta".
In 1501 Michelangelo returned to Florence. Commissioned work: sculptures for the Piccolomini Altarpiece and David. In 1503, work was completed on order: "The Twelve Apostles", the beginning of work on "St. Matthew" for the Florentine Cathedral.
Around 1503-1505, the creation of the Doni Madonna, the Taddei Madonna, the Pitti Madonna and the Brugger Madonna takes place. In 1504, work on "David" ends; Michelangelo receives an order to create the Battle of Kashin.
In 1505 the sculptor was summoned by Pope Julius II to Rome; he ordered a tomb for him. Followed by an eight-month stay in Carrara, the choice of marble necessary for work.
In 1505-1545, work was carried out (intermittently) on the tomb, for which the sculptures Moses, Bound Slave, Dying Slave, Leah were created.
In April 1506 - again returning to Florence, in November, reconciliation with Julius II in Bologna follows. Michelangelo receives an order for a bronze statue of Julius II, on which he works in 1507 (later destroyed).
In February 1508, Michelangelo returned to Florence again. In May, at the request of Julius II, he travels to Rome to paint the ceiling frescoes in the Sistine Chapel; he works on them until October 1512.
Julius II dies in 1513. Giovanni Medici becomes Pope Leo X. Michelangelo concludes a new contract to work on the tomb of Julius II. In 1514, the sculptor received an order for the "Christ with the Cross" and the chapel of Pope Leo X in Engelsburg.
In July 1514, Michelangelo returned to Florence again. He receives an order to create the facade of the Medici Church of San Lorenzo in Florence, and he signs a third contract for the creation of the tomb of Julius II.
In the years 1516-1519, numerous trips took place for marble for the facade of San Lorenzo in Carrara and Pietrasanta.
In 1520-1534, the sculptor worked on the architectural and sculptural complex of the Medici Chapel in Florence, and also designed and built the Laurencin Library.
In 1546, the artist was entrusted with the most significant architectural orders in his life. For Pope Paul III, he completed the Palazzo Farnese (the third floor of the courtyard facade and cornice) and designed for him a new decoration of the Capitol, the material embodiment of which continued, however, for quite a long time. But, of course, the most important order that prevented him from returning to his native Florence until his death was for Michelangelo his appointment as the chief architect of St. Peter's Cathedral. Convinced of such confidence in him and faith in him on the part of the pope, Michelangelo, in order to show his good will, wished that the decree declared that he served on the building out of love for God and without any remuneration.
Michelangelo died on February 18, 1564 in Rome. He was buried in the church of Santa Croce in Florence. Before his death, he dictated a testament with all his characteristic laconicism: "I give my soul to God, my body to the earth, my property to my relatives." According to Bernini, the great Michelangelo said before his death that he was sorry that he was dying just when he had just learned to read in syllables in his profession.
Notable works by Michelangelo:
Madonna at the stairs. Marble. OK. 1491. Florence, Buonarroti Museum
Battle of the centaurs. Marble. OK. 1492. Florence, Buonarroti Museum
Pieta. Marble. 1498-1499. Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica
Madonna and Child. Marble. OK. 1501. Bruges, Notre Dame Church
David. Marble. 1501-1504. Florence, Academy of Fine Arts
Madonna Taddei. Marble. OK. 1502-1504. London, Royal Academy of Arts
Madonna Doni. 1503-1504. Florence, Uffizi Gallery
Madonna Pitti. OK. 1504-1505. Florence, Bargello National Museum
Apostle Matthew. Marble. 1506. Florence, Academy of Fine Arts
Painting on the vault of the Sistine Chapel. 1508-1512. Vatican. Creation of Adam
Dying slave. Marble. OK. 1513. Paris, Louvre
Moses. OK. 1515. Rome, Church of San Pietro in Vincoli
Atlant. Marble. Between 1519, ca. 1530-1534. Florence, Academy of Fine Arts
Medici Chapel 1520-1534
Madonna. Florence, Medici Chapel. Marble. 1521-1534
Laurenzian Library. 1524-1534, 1549-1559. Florence
Tomb of Duke Lorenzo. Medici Chapel. 1524-1531. Florence, Cathedral of San Lorenzo
Tomb of Duke Giuliano. Medici Chapel. 1526-1533. Florence, Cathedral of San Lorenzo
crouching boy. Marble. 1530-1534. Russia, St. Petersburg, State Hermitage
brutus. Marble. After 1539. Florence, Bargello National Museum
Last Judgment. The Sistine Chapel. 1535-1541. Vatican
Tomb of Julius II. 1542-1545. Rome, Church of San Pietro in Vincoli
Pieta (Laying in the Coffin) of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Marble. OK. 1547-1555. Florence, Opera del Duomo Museum.
In 2007, the last work of Michelangelo was found in the archives of the Vatican - a sketch of one of the details of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica. The red chalk drawing is "a detail of one of the radial columns that make up the drum of the dome of St. Peter's in Rome." It is believed that this is the last work of the famous artist, completed shortly before his death in 1564.
This is not the first time Michelangelo's work has been found in archives and museums. So, in 2002, in the vaults of the National Design Museum in New York, among the works of unknown authors of the Renaissance, another drawing was found: on a sheet of paper measuring 45 × 25 cm, the artist depicted a menorah - a candlestick for seven candles. In early 2015, it became known about the discovery of the first and probably the only bronze sculpture of Michelangelo that has survived to this day - a composition of two panther riders.
Who is Michelangelo, one way or another, everyone knows. The Sistine Chapel, David, Pieta - this is what this Renaissance genius is strongly associated with. Meanwhile, dig a little deeper, and the majority is unlikely to be able to clearly answer what else the wayward Italian was remembered for by the world. Expanding the boundaries of knowledge.
Michelangelo made money by fakes
It is known that Michelangelo began with sculptural falsifications, which brought him a lot of money. The artist bought marble in huge quantities, but no one saw the results of his work (it is logical that the authorship had to be hidden). The most notorious of his forgeries may be the Laocoön and his Sons sculpture, which is now attributed to three Rhodian sculptors. The suggestion that this work may be a fake of Michelangelo was made in 2005 by researcher Lynn Catterson, who refers to the fact that Michelangelo was among the first to be at the discovery site and was one of those who identified the sculpture.
Michelangelo studied the dead
Michelangelo is known as an excellent sculptor who was able to recreate the human body in marble in great detail. Such painstaking work required an impeccable knowledge of anatomy, meanwhile, at the beginning of his career, Michelangelo had no idea about how the human body is worth. To fill in the missing knowledge, Michelangelo spent a lot of time in the monastery mortuary, where he examined dead people, trying to understand all the subtleties of the human body.
Michelangelo hated painting
They say that Michelangelo sincerely disliked painting, which, in his opinion, was significantly inferior to sculpture. He called painting landscapes and still lifes a waste of time, considering them "useless pictures for ladies."
Michelangelo's teacher broke his nose out of jealousy
As a teenager, Michelangelo was sent to study at the school of the sculptor Bertoldo di Giovanni, which existed under the patronage of Lorenzo de' Medici. The young talent showed great zeal and diligence in his studies and quickly achieved not only success in the school field, but also won the patronage of the Medici. Incredible successes, attention from influential people and, apparently, a sharp tongue led to the fact that Michelangelo made many enemies at school, including among teachers. So, according to the work of Giorgio Vasari, the Italian Renaissance sculptor and one of Michelangelo's teachers, Pietro Torrigiano, out of envy of his student's talent, broke his nose.
Michelangelo was seriously ill
For the last 15 years of his life, Michelangelo suffered from osteoarthritis, a disease that causes joint deformity and pain in the limbs. Work helped him not to completely lose his ability to work. It is believed that the first symptoms appeared during the work on the Florentine Pieta.
Also, many researchers of the work and life of the great sculptor claim that Michelangelo suffered from depression and dizziness, which could appear as a result of working with dyes and solvents, which caused poisoning of the body and all further accompanying symptoms.
Michelangelo's secret self-portraits
Michelangelo rarely signed his work and never left behind a formal self-portrait. However, he still managed to capture his face in some pictures and sculptures. The most famous of these secret self-portraits is part of the Last Judgment fresco, which you can find in the Sistine Chapel. It depicts Saint Bartholomew holding a flayed piece of skin representing the face of none other than Michelangelo.
Michelangelo was a poet
We know Michelangelo as a sculptor and artist, and he was also an accomplished poet. In his portfolio you can find hundreds of madrigals and sonnets that were not published during his lifetime. However, despite the fact that contemporaries could not appreciate the poetic talent of Michelangelo, many years later his work found its audience, so in Rome in the 16th century the poetry of the sculptor was extremely popular, especially among singers who re-arranged poems about mental wounds and physical disabilities. to music.
Major works of Michelangelo
There are few works of art in the world that could cause as much admiration as these works of the great Italian master. We offer you to look at some of the most famous works of Michelangelo and feel their greatness.
In 1475, a boy was born in the family of a poor but noble Florentine nobleman, Lodovico Buonarroti, who was to become the greatest sculptor in the history of mankind. The father “at the behest of higher powers” named his son Michelangelo. The paintings and sculptures created by his hand are truly divine, just like his name.
The beginning of creativity
The boy spent most of his childhood in the village with a nurse, where he learned to work with clay and a chisel, which helped to identify him. Seeing this, Lodovico Buonarotti sent his son to the studio of the artist Domenico Ghirlandaio for training, and a year later to the famous sculptor Bertoldo di Giovanni . It is here that the works of the young talent are noticed and appreciated by Lorenzo de Medici. He invites him to his palace. For three years, Michelangelo lives and works for Lorenzo the Magnificent, where he meets many painters and sculptors, as well as art connoisseurs.
In Rome
Soon, his work begins to interest the highest spiritual ranks, and he is invited to Rome, where he fulfills the orders of Cardinal Rafael Riario, and then Pope Julius II, on whose behalf Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel for four years. It was supposed to be more than 300 works on biblical themes, and Michelangelo did an excellent job with them. These paintings have become the most accurate reproductions of biblical stories: “Creation of Heaven and Earth”, “Separation of light from darkness”, “Creation of Adam”, “Creation of Eve”, “Fall”, “Flood”, etc. Despite the fact that that, by the nature of his talent, Michelangelo Buonarroti was primarily a sculptor, nevertheless, his most grandiose plans were realized precisely in painting. This is evidenced by the walls and ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
Some paintings by Michelangelo with titles
"Last Judgment"
This painting was commissioned by Pope Paul III over a period of seven years (1534-1541). It became the most powerful fresco in the history of world painting. Michelangelo painted it on the huge white altar wall. He was 60 years old, he was sick, infirm, and it was very difficult for him to write it. Nevertheless, this was exactly what later glorified the name of Michelangelo for centuries. Pictures of this scale were usually painted by several masters at once, but the elderly artist coped with this work alone. Those who saw her once will never forget.
"Torment of Saint Anthony"
Until 2008, this painting was considered the work of an unknown person, and only this year it was recognized as the work of Michelangelo Buonarroti. By the way, this is the earliest of his surviving creations.
Michelangelo's painting "The Creation of Adam"
The great painter painted this fresco in 1511. She is one of the nine central compositions depicted on the vault and is considered one of the best works of Michelangelo. The paintings decorating the ceiling, every single one, are simply magnificent. However, they are at a sufficient height, and in order to carefully examine them, you need to tilt your head back, which is not very convenient. Therefore, at the entrance to the chapel, and in many bookstores in Italy, you can buy an album of Michelangelo's works, including reproductions of the works of the great artist.
