Michelangelo’s Life

‘’Your gifts lie in the place where your values, passions and strengths meet. Discovering that place is the first step toward sculpting your masterpiece, Your Life.’’- Michelangelo (1475–1564). Through these words, Michelangelo let us understand that is not easy to understand what you want to do in your life which mean that we have to work hard to discover our desires and passions, so we can create our art in life. Known as one of the uppermost Italian artists permanently and all over the world, Michelangelo gave birth to an era in the world of art and he reflected that perfectly the future world genius, Italian sculptor, artist and legislator of an era in world art and painting, one of the main masters of the Renaissance.

Moreover Michelangelo’s excellent mind and abundant talents earned him the regard and patronage of the rich and influential men of Italy. A gladiatorial personality and fast temper, which led to irritable relationships, often with his superiors. Michelangelo’s life is reflected therefore in his power of Medici Family, his art work in Fresco Painting and Marble Statues, and his platonic association with Vittoria Colonna.

First of all, Michelangelo was someone who born to a family in banking business. Later on, he become part of “Medici family” where he studied classical sculpture. He was less fascinated in schooling than watching the artistes at nearby churches and drawing what he saw, rendering to his earliest biographers. The Medici family, also known as the House of Medici, first reached treasure and political power in Florence in the 13th century through its success in commerce and banking. With the rise to power, they backed the arts and humanities. More astonishing opportunity opened to Michelangelo after spending only a year at Ghirlandaio’s workshop. After that Michelangelo had access to the social elite of Florence which permitting him to study under the respected sculptor Bertoldo di Giovanni and divulging him to prominent poets, scholars and learned humanists. These joint impacts laid the groundwork for what would become Michelangelo’s unique style: a muscular precision and reality combined with an almost lyrical beauty. “Battle of the Centaurs” and “Madonna Seated on a Step,” are proofs to his unrepeatable talent at the tender age of 16.

Secondly, Michelangelo’s artwork be made up in fresco painting, marble statues, and architecture that showed humanity in its natural state. By the time when Michelangelo was 30, he already had two marble statues “David” and “Pieta”. The two masterpiece which made him one of the greater artists of all the times. “Pieta” (1499) is a sculpture which signify Mary holding the dead Jesus across her lap. Just 25-years old at that time Michelangelo finished his work in less than one year and in nowadays “Pieta” (1499) leftovers an amazingly admired work. In 1504 another masterwork came out from Michelangelo which was “David” sculpture (1501-1504). A sculpture that took a lot of disapprovals from people because of the nakedness. However, the strength of the statue and courage made the “David” (1501-1504) a prized representative of the city of Florence. On the other hand, Michelangelo was very brilliant in fresco painting. The most famous one is: “Last Judgment” (1541) and “Sistine Chapel”. Practically all this fame comes from the spectacular paintings of its ceiling. Besides sculpting and painting he was amazing in architecture as well. Here we can mention “St. Peter’s Basilica” (1626) which is the most famous work of Renaissance architecture, is reckon as the greatest building of its age and remains one of the two giant churches in the world. He also created the “Medici Chapel” and the “Laurentian Library”. These structures are considered a crossroads in architectural history.

Thirdly, the last but not least Michelangelo has experienced platonic association with noble widow Vittoria Colonna whom he met in Rome in 1538. They exchanged about 300 letters and deep-thinking sonnets with each-other. Even though he was devoted to her, Michelangelo never married. When Vittoria died, Michelangelo was at her bedside. In his pitiful memorial sonnet, wrote that on her death “Nature that never made so fair a face, remained ashamed, and tears were in all eyes.” From that moment Michelangelo’s poetic impulse began taking literary form in his later years. Vittoria had a big influence on him regarding to the poetry. Occasionally he fell hooked on magic charm of melancholy, which were documented in many of his literary works. Once he wrote: “I am here in great distress and with great physical strain, and have no friends of any kind, nor do I want them; and I do not have enough time to eat as much as I need; my joy and my sorrow/my repose are these discomforts”.

In conclusion, Michelangelo (1475-1564), the most potent force in the Italian High Renaissance, was possibly one of the most encouraged creators in the history of art. As a sculptor, architect, painter, and poet, he exerted a prodigious inspiration on today’s art. Michelangelo was revered by the public as the “father and master of all the arts.”

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